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Brno

Eurosport Super Racing Weekends

16/04/2001

Qualifying

Report

Odd conditions continued on Sunday for Qualifying, the snow and sleet of Saturday replaced by dry snow.

Julian Bailey emphasised again his value to Lister Cars by setting the quickest time, although the top six in each class only set their grid position according to their efforts in the Superpole second session.

The top seven were within a second of each other, seventh ending up as the Mike Hezemans Viper. He was pipped by 79 thousandths by the eventual pole sitter, the Kumpen / Clerico Viper.

N-GT saw the Ferrari 360 quickest in class for the first time - a clear mesasage to the Porsche brigade.

“I was really worried early on, as I couldn't get the tyres to warm up, and then I couldn't get a clean lap,” explained Julian Bailey. “Even on my fast lap I lost time due to a car coming out of the pits. I was very lucky to pip Jamie - it was a very competitive session. But I think we'll be at a disadvantage - the car really doesn't like these temperatures.”

Jamie Campbell-Walter: “When I heard Julian had gone faster, I wanted to go straight back out, but there was no real point. It's just a matter of pride !”

Christophe Bouchut was fastest in the 'Viper class', in third place, he and Vincent Vosse the only ones to join the Listers in under two minutes. All three Belmondo Vipers qualified for the Superpole session, Didier Defourny setting the sixth-best time on the last lap of the session. “I'm very pleased because all the cars are present this time, and we still managed to get all the cars into the top qualifying,” Paul Belmondo said. “It's not easy with the cold and the snow, as the track conditions keep changing, and sometimes you lose grip, but it's the same for everyone.”

Carsport Holland are making progress, but the lead car was struck down yesterday with a broken gearlever; today it was a flat battery. “We just missed out on the Superpole,” Hezemans said. “I only got one lap on the new tyres, and really needed three full laps to do a good time, so I couldn't do anything.” The sister car lost all its times as it was underweight.

“We just can't find enough grip - it's the same problem for both cars,” explained Marc Duez of the Rafanelli Ferraris. They were eighth and ninth, and not liking the bitter weather.

“We keep our promises,” David Terrien said, confirming his comments that the Ferrari 360 is quick enough to win. Terrien was three tenths quicker than Luca Riccitelli's RWS Motorsport Porsche 996. "Luca did all the work in the session, but we're still not happy," said Dieter Quester. "It's too soft, and the car is rolling too much, which means we're losing grip. We have a problem with the car since Monza, and we don't know if it's the shocks, the tyres or the drivers!"

Wolfgang Kaufmann set the fifth time in N-GT. “Fifth isn't too bad. The team were working until 3 a.m. to solve lots of little problems. The car is running OK now, with only a little overbraking at the rear, but we don't know why. These conditions are difficult for all the teams, but especially for Yokohama, who are new to the Championship, and who do not have as many teams from whom to gather data. But it's a good beginning, and everything should get better.”

Superpole weather was foul - desperately cold (2°) and the track temperature at 6° C. Rain added to the unpleasantness. It was marginally better for the first cars out, and Tomas Enge, driving the Coca Cola Racing Team Porsche 996 GT3-R set the best time in the class. He was fourth fastest overall too (2:06.564).

Wolfgang Kaufmann was a second slower, but he had his time disallowed. Luca Riccitelli drove as hard as ever for his 2:10.654 - second in class and sixth overall, as it turned out.

Didier Defourny was slower than Enge's N-GT pole, but Emmanuel Clérico set a 2:02.739, nearly a second and a half quicker than anyone else in the #11 Belmondo Viper. "It's my first time in the car since the A1 Ring last year. I think we have a good chance tomorrow, because my team-mate is OK and we've been consistent since the beginning of the weekend. I have a good feeling for tomorrow!”

Lister Cars had the worst of the weather, a heavier rain-shower with the cars on slicks hardly the best circumstances for quick times. They ended up eighth and tenth. “It just got worse and worse,” Jamie Campbell Walter explained. “I nearly landed in the gravel twice on the first third of the track, and decided it wasn't worth it for a few places on the grid.”

Julian Bailey: “That was one of the scariest laps I've ever done. After I had trouble at the first corner, and nearly went off. So I took it easy - I couldn't be quickest. I'm glad I've matured - fifteen years ago, I would have gone off.”