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Nurburgring

09/09/2001

Friday

Report

Ballast for this event:

#7 Larbre Viper 100kg
#3 Carsport Viper 100kg
#4 Carsport Viper 40kg
#15 Prodrive Ferrari 40kg

#62 JMB Ferrari 360 50kg
#54 Art Porsche 35kg
#50 Larbre Porsche 25kg
#77 RWS Porsche 10kg.

Perhaps this answers why the JMB Ferrari was so relatively slow on the first day? Part of the answer, anyway. First things first though - the weather. Late summer at the Nurburgring? More like late autumn. Temperatures of 8 to 9 degrees, and a wet track in the morning, dry in the afternoon. Nothing like as bad as Brno, but still decidedly unpleasant.

The first session may prove to be valuble if the weather stays changeable through the weekend. But a drying track, then rain at the end, saw the Listers one - two. Philipp Peter was the star of N-GT, only two seconds slower than the Listers, two seconds clear of Luca Riccitelli and the rest.

It was much closer in the cold, dry second session - Carsport #3, from Prodrive Ferrari, Lister #1, Carsport #4, Belmondo #12, Lister #2 - covered by just four tenths.

N-GT saw Riccitelli take his almost customary place at the top of the list, ahead of Peter, Sugden and Ortelli. Terrien and Pescatori were 25th overall, 11th in N-GT.

Comments:

Robin Liddell, on sharing with Stephane Ortelli. "I've never driven with someone of his calibre before." That rubbishes Mike Youles in an instant!

David Terrien: "Our times aren't too good. I went over the white line at the pit exit. I won't do it again!"

Christian Pescatori: "We tried lots of things this afternoon, on dry weather tyres and with a full tank of fuel; we weren't really looking for a time. With 50 kg (of) weight penalty, the car is very difficult to drive. I think it will be really difficult to be first or second."

JC-W "It's going really well (third fastest), especially as Mike Jordan set the fourth best time. He knows the track and the car." Not a bad start to your FIA GT career, Mike Jordan.

Mike Hezemans (fastest, with 100kg of ballast): "Without our penalty weight we'd be at least one second quicker. I really hope it rains for the race - then you don't notice the weight as much."

Christophe Bouchut also hopes for rain on Sunday: what an odd series this is, in some ways. We all know what subject the successful drivers are going to talk about, and rather than hope for fine weather to attract a crowd, they hope it's the Nurburgring at its worst - well, wet anyway.

Meanwhile, the Wieth mechanics were waiting for a new V12 from Munich - it's due at the track at midnight. Let's hope they're resting now. It's going to be a long, cold night for some. Anyone got a space heater with them?