FIA GT Championship – Brno – Preview
The GT3s Are Back

The long gap after the Spa 24 Hours was followed by the Adria round of the FIA GT Championship almost a fortnight ago, while the odd imbalance of the GT3 calendar (three events in May and June) has seen a very long gap before that series kicks off again in the Czech Republic (for the first time) this weekend.

Joost Custers understands that the GT3 Mustangs won’t be racing this weekend, but their development will be taken over by the Matech team (which runs the Ford GTs), so at the moment it looks like nine different models and 41 entries on the provisional GT3 list.

Provisional GT3 Entry List
1 Tech 9 Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Phil Quaife / Dimitris Deverikos
2 Tech 9 Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Phil Keen / Peter Snowdon
4 Trackspeed Racing Porsche 997 GT3 Cup David Ashburn / TBA
5 Trackspeed Racing Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Richard Williams / TBA
6 Trackspeed Racing Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Luc Paillard / Ronayne O'Mahony
7 RPM Dodge Viper Competition C Gilles Duqueine / Alex Mortimer
8 RPM Dodge Viper Competition C Bradley Ellis / Edward Morris
9 RPM Dodge Viper Competition C TBA / TBA
13 S-Berg Racing Team Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Hans Knauss / Werner Grobl
14 S-Berg Racing Team Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Vadim Kuzminykh / Jan Danis
15 S-Berg Racing Team Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Eric Janis / Jaromir Jirik
16 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z06R GT3 Uli Berberich-Martini / Klaus Ludwig
17 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z06R GT3 Jiri Skula / Martin Matzke
18 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z06R GT3 Luca Pirri / Jürgen von Gartzen
19 Riverside Corvette Z06R GT3 Arnaud Peyroles / James Ruffier
20 Riverside Corvette Z06R GT3 TBA /Marc Sourd
21 Riverside Corvette Z06R GT3 Stephane Lacroix-Wasover / Philippe Charriol
22 BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9 Gian Marino Zenere / TBA
23 BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9 Diego Alessi / Alex Frassineti
24 BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9 Francesco Maggi / TBA
25 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 Manuel Rodrigues / Julien Rodrigues
26 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 Jean-Claude Lagniez / Frederic Makowiecki
27 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 Ron Marchal / Willem Coekelbergs
28 Damax Ascari KZ1R GT3 TBA / TBA
29 Damax Ascari KZ1R GT3 TBA / TBA
30 Damax Ascari KZ1R GT3 TBA / TBA
31 Team Berlanga Ascari KZ1R GT3 Michael Greenhalgh / TBA
32 Team Berlanga Ascari KZ1R GT3 Paul Gibson / Daniel Gibson
33 Team Berlanga Ascari KZ1R GT3 TBA /TBA
34 JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Ian Khan / Stephane Daoudi
35 JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Philip Walker /John Greasley
36 JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Philippe Rambeaud / Nicolas Comar
37 Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Freddy Kremer / Marco Seefried
38 Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Gilles Vannelet /Henri Moser
39 Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Paul Warren / Chris Hyman
43 Matech Concepts Ford GT Martin Bartek / Thomas Mutsch
44 Matech Concepts Ford GT Romain Bera /Maxime Dubrulle
45 Matech Concepts Ford GT Mikael Forsten /Maxime Soulet
49 AutoGT Racing Morgan Aero 8 Frederic O'Neill / Jacques Lafitte
50 AutoGT Racing Morgan Aero 8 Marguerite Lafitte / George Alexandre Sturdza
51 AutoGT Racing Morgan Aero 8 Jean-François Le Roch / Johan-Boris Scheier

The GT3 driver points currently look like this:
1 Moser/Vannelet 36
2 Pirri / von Gartzen 21
3 Alessi / Frassinetti 18
4 Daoudi/Khan 16
5 Williams/Ellis/Morris 14
6 Dubrulle/Navarro 13
7 Peyroles/Ruffier 13
8 Van Campenhoudt/Mutsch 10

Henri Moser suggests that “we are not really thinking about the title yet. I have never been to Brno, but I’m used to discovering tracks. The main goal for us is to finish in a good position, we need to score points in each race and afterwards we will see our position in the FIA GT3 European Championship. We will not take too many risks, once again, scoring points is our main goal.”

Two good results for the Ferrari pair could (should) seal the title for Moser and Vannelet, before heading to the final pair of races in Dubai – although Monza suited the power of the Corvettes, and Jurgen von Gartzen believes that “all the tracks are good for the Corvette. We are ready to put the pressure on, and the Loris Kessel Ferrari is going to be our main target.”

Diego Alessi claims that “long corners and straight lines, not too fast, are, theoretically, the ideal for us (in the Aston Martin). The other cars I see performing well in Brno are the Lamborghini and, obviously, the Ferrari.” Stephane Daoudi, partnering Ian Khan, is likely to be as quick as anyone this weekend.

Although the GT3 category has, by the organisers’ own admission, created problems equalizing such very different cars, the simple matter of different cars suiting different circuits in itself injects the ‘unknown factor’ into the GT3 events, especially as this category visits a circuit for the first time.

Men & Motors will be covering both GT3 races live (14.45 local time Saturday, 11.30 Sunday) – plus qualifying for the main (FIA GT) race, plus the race itself (13.15 local time).

The GT1s and GT2s are regulars at Brno though, and return for the eighth time. The entry is subtly different from that at Adria, with, for example, two Saleens in the line-up, one of then in G2, the other with none other than Tomas Enge at the wheel. Here are the Konrad and Vitaphone Saleens at Brno in 2004 - when they finished first (Vitaphone) and sixth.

“Every race at Brno is a matter of the heart for me because I am racing at home,” says Enge, who has been an FIA GT fan favourite at this track before. “I am thankful for all support that I get from the fans and I am really looking forward to seeing my home supporters again.”

The Pagani Zonda limps back into the line-up: perhaps Jan Charouz will be able to make it go like never before.

Adria saw a dominant run from the #33 Jetalliance Aston Martin – and a dismal run for the #1 Vitaphone MC12, which left the GT1 points looking like this:

GT1 Driver Points
1 Biagi 45
2 Bertolini/Piccini 42
3 Hezemans/Deletraz 40
4 Wendlinger/Sharp 35
5 Montanari/Ramos 34
6 Bartels 29
7 Kumpen/Longin 28.5
8 Davies/Babini 25

So it’s still wide open in GT1, while Spa’s result for the BMS Porsche set up a situation where the AF Corse Ferrari drivers can be caught in GT2 – but their form at Adria makes that look unlikely. Brno should suit the Ferraris.

There are driver changes in both the Scuderia Ecosse and Edil Cris teams (Mediani joins Ruberti in #52, Cressoni is partnered by Luciano Linossi in #53, while Darren Turner races for the Scottish team again this weekend, with Tim Mullen, but Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy are back in #63).

GT2 Driver Points
1 Müller/Vilander 53
2 Collard/Malucelli 47
3 Bruni/Ortelli 44
4 Ruberti/Pasini 29.5
5 Zani 29.5
6 Lieb 26
7 Cressoni 25.5
8 Busnelli 24.5
9 Edwards/Machitski 24.5
10 Mullen 23

The Nogaro meeting is a week after Brno, and then it will all be settled at Zolder in mid-October.