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GT Racing
GT: Kessel Ferrari On BES Monza Pole
Kessel Racing Ferrari tops 57-car grid for Blancpain Endurance Series season-opener...
The No. 71 Kessel Racing Ferrari will start Sunday's Blancpain Endurance Series season-opener from the pole. (Photo: Markus Berns/SRO)
The Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No. 71 will start tomorrow’s first race of the 2012 season on pole position after a frantic Qualifying session in Monza.
Pit lane resembled rush hour as 57 cars squabbled over track time during the hour-long session. Despite heavy rain overnight and during the morning, the track stayed relatively dry for the 60-minute period split into three parts.
It was the Italian Daniel Zampieri who set the fastest time overall – a 1:47.923 – to underline the PRO team’s serious hopes for tomorrow’s three-hour race.
Zampieri, the Ferrari Formula One Academy youngster, and his Italian team-mates Stefano Gattuso and Davide Rigon have been near the top of the time sheets since Friday’s first Free Practice.
Second fastest was Richard Westbrook (GBR) in the No. 8 Haribo Racing Porsche 997 GT3 R. Westbrook’s time of 1:48.177 enabled the Haribo PRO-AM entry to muscle in on the top order and be the best of the PRO-AM class.
The Briton shares the driving duties tomorrow with German duo Hans Guido Riegel and Mike Stursberg.
In third overall, was fellow PRO-AM entry Black Bull Swiss Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italia No.64 with the best time of 1:48.266 by Mirko Venturi (ITA). Venturi and fellow-Italians Andrea Invermizzi and Tommaso Maino, who took pole position in 2011, loom as strong contenders for the opening race of 2012.
The Gentleman Trophy class was led by the Ruffier Racing Lamborghini LP520+ No.31. Fabien Thuner (CHE) set a time of 1:50.666. He and French duo George Cabannes and Romain Brandela will start from 41st on the grid.
Valentino Rossi in the Kessel Racing No. 46 Ferrari 458 Italia lit up the second session and much to the delight of the exuberant home fans topped the time sheets with a 1:48.962. He and co-driver Alessio Salucci (ITA) will start tomorrow’s race from 10th on the grid.
Rossi, choosing the Blancpain Endurance Series for his first competitive GT outing, is relishing being part of the Monza spectacular, dodging hordes of autograph hunters as he moves from Paddock to garage surrounded by an army of minders.
“In the future if I want to go racing it is better for me in a car than on a bike. I have done rallying but it is more about controlling the car on the slide on the gravel. In GT racing it is about racing lines, breaking and rhythm and I enjoy it a lot,” the nine-times motorcycle world champion said.
“I enjoy sprint races because I have more experience in that but the Blancpain is just right for me at three hours. It is between a sprint race and an endurance race. The field of cars is impressive and the driver line-up very strong.
“Being in the top 10 in qualifying is a great result and being under 1:49 is a good lap time at Monza. Tomorrow it will be important to get the rhythm – one lap is one lap but three hours is very different.”
The Boutsen-Guinon Racing No.14 was the fastest of the McLarens. The MP4-12C shared by Edouard Mondron (BEL), Jack Clarke (GBR) and Nico Verdonck secured 14th place overall.
There were some notable incidents in a Qualifying session peppered with red flags.
Among them was the No.23 United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C which was beached by Mark Patterson (USA) at the chicane before the first Lesmo. Patterson, along with Zak Brown (USA) and Mark Blundell (GBR) eventually finished 47th fastest in 1:51.698.
Qualifying was ended for the No. 4 Marc VDS Racing BMW Z4 in Q1 when Bert Longin (BEL) struck the barrier at the second chicane resulting in extensive damage to the front end of the car. The Belgian entry will start the race from the lowly position of 52nd.
The second session was red flagged three minutes in after the No. 42 Sport Garage Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Emmett O’Brien (IRL) went wide and struck the barrier halfway round Ascari. Proceedings were halted while the car was removed and the tire barrier put back into place. The French entry will line up in 33rd tomorrow.
The No.66 Vita4One Racing Team BMW Z4 came to grief and returned to the pit lane after a spell in the gravel bringing out a second red flag but still managed 24th.
Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) in the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT R8 LMS No. 2 stopped as the clock wound down to end the session. The car was just outside the top 10 at the time and eventually finished 37th.
RESULTS: Qualifying
WATCH the Blancpain Endurance Series race from Monza, Italy LIVE! on SPEED2, Sunday 8 a.m. ET. Click Here for details.
Pit lane resembled rush hour as 57 cars squabbled over track time during the hour-long session. Despite heavy rain overnight and during the morning, the track stayed relatively dry for the 60-minute period split into three parts.
It was the Italian Daniel Zampieri who set the fastest time overall – a 1:47.923 – to underline the PRO team’s serious hopes for tomorrow’s three-hour race.
Zampieri, the Ferrari Formula One Academy youngster, and his Italian team-mates Stefano Gattuso and Davide Rigon have been near the top of the time sheets since Friday’s first Free Practice.
Second fastest was Richard Westbrook (GBR) in the No. 8 Haribo Racing Porsche 997 GT3 R. Westbrook’s time of 1:48.177 enabled the Haribo PRO-AM entry to muscle in on the top order and be the best of the PRO-AM class.
The Briton shares the driving duties tomorrow with German duo Hans Guido Riegel and Mike Stursberg.
In third overall, was fellow PRO-AM entry Black Bull Swiss Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italia No.64 with the best time of 1:48.266 by Mirko Venturi (ITA). Venturi and fellow-Italians Andrea Invermizzi and Tommaso Maino, who took pole position in 2011, loom as strong contenders for the opening race of 2012.
The Gentleman Trophy class was led by the Ruffier Racing Lamborghini LP520+ No.31. Fabien Thuner (CHE) set a time of 1:50.666. He and French duo George Cabannes and Romain Brandela will start from 41st on the grid.
Valentino Rossi in the Kessel Racing No. 46 Ferrari 458 Italia lit up the second session and much to the delight of the exuberant home fans topped the time sheets with a 1:48.962. He and co-driver Alessio Salucci (ITA) will start tomorrow’s race from 10th on the grid.
Rossi, choosing the Blancpain Endurance Series for his first competitive GT outing, is relishing being part of the Monza spectacular, dodging hordes of autograph hunters as he moves from Paddock to garage surrounded by an army of minders.
“In the future if I want to go racing it is better for me in a car than on a bike. I have done rallying but it is more about controlling the car on the slide on the gravel. In GT racing it is about racing lines, breaking and rhythm and I enjoy it a lot,” the nine-times motorcycle world champion said.
“I enjoy sprint races because I have more experience in that but the Blancpain is just right for me at three hours. It is between a sprint race and an endurance race. The field of cars is impressive and the driver line-up very strong.
“Being in the top 10 in qualifying is a great result and being under 1:49 is a good lap time at Monza. Tomorrow it will be important to get the rhythm – one lap is one lap but three hours is very different.”
The Boutsen-Guinon Racing No.14 was the fastest of the McLarens. The MP4-12C shared by Edouard Mondron (BEL), Jack Clarke (GBR) and Nico Verdonck secured 14th place overall.
There were some notable incidents in a Qualifying session peppered with red flags.
Among them was the No.23 United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C which was beached by Mark Patterson (USA) at the chicane before the first Lesmo. Patterson, along with Zak Brown (USA) and Mark Blundell (GBR) eventually finished 47th fastest in 1:51.698.
Qualifying was ended for the No. 4 Marc VDS Racing BMW Z4 in Q1 when Bert Longin (BEL) struck the barrier at the second chicane resulting in extensive damage to the front end of the car. The Belgian entry will start the race from the lowly position of 52nd.
The second session was red flagged three minutes in after the No. 42 Sport Garage Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Emmett O’Brien (IRL) went wide and struck the barrier halfway round Ascari. Proceedings were halted while the car was removed and the tire barrier put back into place. The French entry will line up in 33rd tomorrow.
The No.66 Vita4One Racing Team BMW Z4 came to grief and returned to the pit lane after a spell in the gravel bringing out a second red flag but still managed 24th.
Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) in the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT R8 LMS No. 2 stopped as the clock wound down to end the session. The car was just outside the top 10 at the time and eventually finished 37th.
RESULTS: Qualifying
WATCH the Blancpain Endurance Series race from Monza, Italy LIVE! on SPEED2, Sunday 8 a.m. ET. Click Here for details.
FIA GT Nogaro
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