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Review

FIA SCC

23/12/2000

Top Ten Drivers

Part l - SR1

Opinions are entirely those of the Author, Sam Smith

1. DAVID TERRIEN – JMB GIESSE FERRARI

David astounded the paddock with his raw pace at the season opener in Barcelona and he has kept up that frequency of attack during the whole season. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his racing was the fact that he never got sucked in to early race battles (Nurburgring and Brno) where most of the front runners seemed to be in a sprint race.

Keeping his head in such situations greatly impressed everyone and the 1993 World Karting Champion proved he had the brains as well as the brawn to get the job done. As a result, he helped the team to set up decisive victories when the opposition seemed to be stretching away, as at the Nurburgring.

He seems to have the all round package that all great sportscar drivers have and his future will be watched very closely by teams, media and fans alike.

2. CHRISTIAN PESCATORI – JMB GIESSE FERRARI

One of the most popular drivers in the paddock, ‘Pesca’ is a deserving exponent of the phrase, ‘nice guys win too’ and after coming so close to winning the title last year the diminutive Italian earned his rewards in 2000.

In many ways he is the perfect sportscar driver; quick, reliable, easy on the car and knowledgeable about what it takes to win long distance events. His nursing of the car at Spa (when a broken alternator blew his and the team’s chances of victory) allowed he and Terrien to score valuable points, and was proof of his sportscar pedigree.

Opening stints such as those at Barcelona, where he showed his fighting instincts against Lavaggi, as well as tactical races like the Nurburgring, gave the Italian a chance to show his well rounded and versatile skills behind the wheel of the 333SP. The fact that he was not swayed by the arrival of Terrien made sure that his reputations as a professional, quick and charming individual were further endorsed.

3. GARY FORMATO – R&M RILEY & SCOTT

After a barren 1999, this South African charger reminded people just how much he has been overlooked in previous years. After blazing his way into the sportscar world by winning his home race at Kyalami in 1998, he has forged a reputation as one of the bright young things of the SportsRacing World Cup.

Making a last minute deal to race with the brand new R&M team, Gary drove to a superb third place at Barcelona, before scoring a typically aggressive win in tricky conditions at Monza, a circuit high on his wish list as a boy. Perhaps the highest compliment he could be paid came from his team mate, Mauro Baldi, who sang his praises on a regular basis.

Charging drives like those at Brno only reinforced the belief that over a single lap there was only Terrien who was as impressive. Yet these qualities were only part of the story. His technical feedback and all round demeanour out of the cockpit impressed the R&M team as well, and he soon gained the respect of everyone in the World Cup paddock.

4. MAURO BALDI – R&M RILEY & SCOTT

Along with John Nielsen, Mauro is one of the best all-round sportscar racers out there. Still with the old fire in his belly, Mauro often proves to be the class of the field, as he showed at Monza and Magny Cours with first rate performances.

His racecraft has always been top notch and this year was no exception. Despite having a quick team mate in the shape of Gary Formato, Mauro held onto the initiative in many races, after Gary had forged his way to the front. Like Terrien and Pescatori, the two R&M drivers worked together and brought out the best in each other and their car.

Mauro’s moves on Nielsen at Monza and on Terrien at Magny Cours still show he can mix it with both the wiley old racers and the young chargers. Put simply, Mauro is an invaluable asset to any team he races for.

5. WERNER LUPBERGER – TEAM ASCARI

This Silverstone domiciled South African exploded on to the SportsRacing World Cup scene at the beginning of the year, with Redman Bright in an SR2 Pilbeam. Despite being dogged by some rare unreliability in the MP84, Werner made people sit up and take notice with scintillating poles at Monza and Spa, the Belgian performance moving one seasoned sportscar hack to express his admiration for the Springboks’ commitment through Eau Rouge.

There really was no one better in wet conditions and that was a godsend to the World Cup, where races were so often hit by poor conditions in 2000. Werner is a reflex driver - and one with ambitions. His four-race foray in to SR1 with Team Ascari proved beyond doubt that he has a long and successful sportscar career ahead of him

6. JOHN NIELSEN – TEAM DEN BLA AVIS PANOZ

It was ultimately a disappointing year for ‘Super John’ and the Den Bla Avis Panoz team. All the promise that pre season testing gave could not be translated into significant results. It wasn’t until later in the season that it was confirmed that the aerodynamics were being affected by the double roll hoop that was installed on a Panoz for the first time in 2000.

But he never gave up. This former Le Mans and Daytona winner doesn’t know how to do that. Seeing him at his best on a damp track on slicks at Monza and Brno was to see a true sportscar master at work and long may it remain that way in the new look FIA Sportscar Championship.

7. PHILIPP PETER – BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA FERRARI

This former Indy Lights winner soon got to grips with sportscar racing this year, after a foray into the GT discipline with a Porsche at Daytona. The Austrian took a couple of races to settle in to the BMS squad, but once he had settled, he really showed that he could mix it with the best at the front of the field.

Technically he is probably without peer in the World Cup, and the first three rounds aside, he and team mate Marco Zadra deserved at least one victory. Being the perennial bridesmaid was a further boost of motivation to Philipp and his drives at Brno, where he led in the opening laps, and at Nurburgring, where he was lapping in similar times to the Lola of Kelleners, were more than worthy of maximum points.

8. GIOVANNI LAVAGGI – GLV BRUMS FERRARI

Although he will philosophically shrug off suggestions that 2000 was a very disappointing year, this most likeable and polite of Italians will not be satisfied with a clutch of podium positions.

It was unfortunate for Giovanni and his team from Monaco that, like the BMS squad, they were always going to be compared to the JMB Ferrari team. Only at Barcelona did the outfit really give the champions a run for their money, and why this form did not continue was something of a mystery.

Whilst Giovanni is not on Terrien and Pescatori’s outright pace, he has the know how to at least live with them during a race distance. His tenacious fight with ‘Pesca’ in Spain and his pole lap at Kyalami showed that when things are right, he can beat anyone.

9. NICOLAS FILIBERTI – GLV BRUMS FERRARI

For his first season in sportscars, the diminutive Argentinian acquitted himself well in the GLV Brums team. Occupying the seat left vacant by F1 bound Gaston Mazzacane, Nicolas’ deal came together just before the season started at Barcelona; it showed when the team fluffed the change over from lanky Giovanni to the not at all lanky ‘Pampas’.

On outright speed, Nicolas was not far away from his mentor but differences showed, particularly in wet or drying conditions when he seemed to lack a little confidence. A wheel coming off at Donington did not help him in this department, but assured drives at Magny Cours and at Kyalami did enough to ensure that a reasonable career in sportscars is attainable should he wish to divert from his eventual single seater aspirations.

10. MARCO ZADRA – BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA FERRARI

On the face of it, Marco Zadra had a steep hill to climb. Partnered by his father the year before, the young Italian had just managed to shake off his image as just another rich kid having some fun, but now he was faced with Philipp Peter and he himself knew that he had to deliver in his second year in SR1.

Being off Peter’s pace was by no means a disgrace, but the tousle-haired Italian held his own at some events. At others, he made mistakes, and on one occasion seemed to lose interest altogether. But more often than not Marco raced well and chose to learn from his more experienced team mate, rather than blindly compete head to head.

BUBBLING UNDER

The Zadra/Calderari/Bryner partnership scored in every race bar the finale at Kyalami, this reliable and consistent trio racing regularly in the midfield of the SR1 pack. If you cannot challenge on outright pace alone, then a driving team like this is the next best thing. They thoroughly enjoyed their racing and they all put in professional and polished performances throughout the year, most notably at Spa, where Enzo in particular put all his experience to good use on the soaked track.

There were many impressive youngsters in the World Cup.Casper Elgard was a typical example of a single seater refugee, who given the opportunity, can deliver at a moment’s notice. The Dane acclimatised quickly to the powerful V8 Roadster and barely put a foot wrong, which for someone of such limited experience bodes well for the future.

Karsten Ree was instrumental in getting Casper in the second car and he partnered him at Donington, Nurburgring and Magny Cours, where he really began to get to grips with the front-engined beast. Formula Palmer Audi front runner Jesper Carlsen also had an outing at Nurburgring and, like Elgard, was very impressive.

One of the best sights of the year was seeing Jason Watt getting back into the cockpit of a car that suits his talents. The beaming smile that used to light up many a paddock was back, and in the specially adapted Panoz, he was quick from the word go.

Despite a couple of indiscretions, he was bang on the pace and matching Nielsen’s times during both his outings. Considering that barely a year earlier the jovial Dane was not expected to live, his return to international motorsport was a truly remarkable story. Everyone who had the privilege to meet him in the World Cup paddock this year wishes him well in top level motorsport.

Both Thorkild Thyrring and Klaus Graf also raced the Panoz, and whilst TT seemed to be somewhat out of his depth alongside Nielsen (and was eventually replaced), Klaus put in a couple of solid drives at Brno and Donington.

Had he competed in more races then there is no doubt that Ralf Kelleners would at least be in the top three drivers of 2000. Over a single lap there is surely no one quicker than this bleached blonde German. Driving the Kremer Lola at Barcelona and Monza, he was hindered by engine problems, but when it allowed him, the Lola B98 responded to his commands, as at Nurburgring and Kyalami where he was the class of the field.

Norman Simon had one outing at the ‘Ring’ and despite finding the limit on more occasions than Erwin Kremer would have wished, he was a quick and valuable asset to any team. Christian Glasel, Christian Vann and Didier De Radigues all had sporadic appearances but only the former bike ace really made an impression, although to be fair to the two Christians, they were never really given a fair shot.

That old Sportscar stalwart, Franz Konrad, made only two forays into the SportsRacing World Cup this year, one with the B98 at Monza, a second at Nurburgring with the all-new B2K/10. Both expeditions were memorable, particularly the former, where Tom Coronel reminded everyone why he should have been snapped up by a major manufacturer over the previous winter. He produced a stunning display in the wet qualifying session to claim pole.

Although his race only lasted a few laps, the ebullient Dutchman was the revelation of the meeting and a guy of his talent should at the very least be in gainful employment, which throughout the majority of the year he sadly wasn’t. Sascha Maassen was likewise immediately on the pace and his first race in a prototype was solid and assured. He’s a former Macau Grand Prix winner; enough said. GT ace Jurgen Von Gartzen joined Sascha at his home track and much enjoyed racing the Ford powered Lola in which they came home third.

Didier Theys and Fredy Leinhard dropped in to the series in Germany, but the Doran Judd Special had a disastrous race, with their Yokohama tyres not acclimatising well to the wet conditions. Thomas Bscher brought his aged BMW LMP, run by GTC, to the same event but things didn’t go to plan, apart from Geoff Lees announcing his retirement after 30 years in the sport.

The all-British Harrier team entered the Donington and Magny Cours races but suffered numerous problems that sadly saw them not making the race on either occasion. Lester Ray’s driving team deserved better and if the likes of Ben Collins, Michael Vergers and Dino Morelli ever get their hands on a front running SR1 challenger, then the rest be warned.

Klaas Zwart, founder of the Ascari marque, had the unenviable task of having Werner Lupberger as a benchmark, but the Scottish based Dutchman was more concerned about developing the A410. The year the car showed its undoubted potential. Quicker than many give him credit for, Klaas’ only real running in the car came in free practice and qualifying, where he far from disgraced himself against his rapid team mate.

When it was announced that the new GMS Mader would be peddled by Andrea De Lorenzi and Soheil Ayari, there was a feeling that if the car was right then podiums and wins would be just a step away. That unfortunately never happened, although the chassis does have a lot of un-tapped potential. Ayari came with a quick but erratic reputation and only a great performance at Kyalami did anything to dispel that assumption. Jean-Philippe Belloc subbed for Soheil when the latter was called for F3000 duty, and did the job expected of someone of his repute. Earl Goddard enhanced his stock with a competent display on home turf and looks to have potential as a regular SR1 racer.

A line up of Eric Bernard, Emmanuel Collard, Marc Goossens and Christophe Tinseau looked truly formidable at the beginning of the year in the much-vaunted Cadillac. A place on the front row at Barcelona boded well for the DAMS team’s European assault. From this promising start, the team then went precisely nowhere, in fact they seemed to go backwards. Granted that this was an all-new car, but with the colossal hype that had been given to the whole project, much more was expected. For all four of the above drivers, both the chassis and the engine were a waste of their considerable talents throughout the year. They were all entertaining to watch though.

The Dutch National Racing Team undertook another year with the Ferrari 333SP, Alexander Van Der Lof and Dick Waaijenberg leading for a lap at Brno.

Other Ferrari points scorers included GianLuca Giraudi who raced his Ferarri 333SP in four rounds and got on the score board in three of those. The charming Italian perfume heir was joined by John Burton at Donington, and the sportscar veteran almost hauled the scarlet 333SP onto the podium. Angelo Lancelotti and Rori Parasiliti also partnered GianLuca during the year, but Lancelotti’s arrival in SR1 was largely disappointing considering his superb performances in Lights the year before.

Conrero had little reward at season’s end and that was a shame, because on occasions the Desio based team were right up there with their Heini Mader prepared Cosworth Riley & Scott. However, the higher they seemed to go, the harder they seemed to fall. Felice Tedeschi got into more scrapes than the team had pasta dinners. Undeniably quick, Felice had an unfortunate SR1 record of finished 1 / shunted 4. But he does win the pass of the year award for his forceful move on Terrien at the hairpin at Nurburgring.

Alex Caffi joined Tedeschi at Magny Cours but the little Italian was scuppered by mechanical problems. Felipe Ortiz, Beppe Gabbiani, and Ettore Bonaldi all put in the odd appearance during the season, but were more often than not in the same boat as Caffi. Ex Target 24 racer Andrea Chiesa stood in for Gary Formato at R&M in France and collected a handful of points.

The venerable Robin Smith turned up with the Matrix Nissan at Kyalami, and despite countless problems hauled the American built car to a decent finish. Marcos development driver Dan Schrijvers had a tough baptism in the Matrix but in a totally alien car he gave a good account of himself.