TotalMotorSport All the latest Motorsport news, race reports and photographs from around the world. Alms, Touring Cars, Formula One & Le Mans 24 Hours

Silverstone

Eurosport Super Racing Weekends

13/05/2001

Saturday`s

Superpole

The Superpole creates a whole new set of circumstances for car and driver. Christian Pescatori: “I had one fantastic lap (this morning), with a little traffic, but not too bad. The car should be fast for the SuperPole, but our problem is that we have trouble heating the tyres over just one lap. They are only really up to temperature for the third lap - which is too late. So the first fast corner is going to be very difficult this afternoon.........”

But that wasn't the way it worked out for the little Italian. The Porsches seemed to be in trouble at the first part of Becketts, pitching and bouncing their way through there, and off the tarmac in the case of Wolfgang Kaufmann, who ended up slowest of the 12 cars with a 1:57.658. Bruno Eichmann was marginally faster than Fabio Babini, then Michel Neugarten was less dramatic as he was the first into the 1:54s in the Perspective Porsche GT3R.

Luca Riccitelli (above) looked more stable than any of them at Becketts, and was half a second quicker than the Belgian, with a 1:54.204. Could Pescatori match that, despite the tyre warming problem? Oh yes he could. His 1:53.644 was only two tenths slower than his morning best, and the Ferrari is looking regularly like the top car in N-GT.

Mimmo Schiattarella was the first GT car out - and the slowest. He had used up his two sets of tyres this morning, it seemed. 1:50.386, but the rest, bar one, were in the 1:49s. The exception was Mike Hezemans. He was fifth man out, and his 1:48.575 was faster than he managed this morning, faster than anyone this morning - and an excellent pole time. "I only did 1 lap on these tyres this morning. It worked."

Bailey (caught soaking up the sun)had previously set a 1:49.566, despite his rib injury, Kumpen an excellent 1:49.107, almost matching his morning pace, JC-W a 1:49.007 and finally the provisional pole man (Clerico) a 1:49.144. JC-W: "I was a little bit too cautious. I'm pleased to be on the front row for our home race. The other guys haven't got any kilos in their cars."

Anthony Kumpen: "I'm very pleased with my lap. We're (looking) very good for the race."

Good fun, good entertainment, and a pleasure to watch one GT car at a time, right on the limit.