FIA GT3 Championship, Silverstone - Race 2 Report
Khan & Mutsch Complete A Ford GT Double

With grey skies but a reasonable crowd staying on after the main event, the cars emerged to form up the grid for the second GT3 race of the 2008 Championship.

The Jaguar boys and many others anticipated a minute’s silence in recognition of their friends and colleagues killed in the Farnborough air crash but sadly the tannoy announcement could not be heard on the grid, so whilst the crowd stood in silence the grid’s usual activity continued.

One addition to the runners was the #14 Lamborghini: despite not appearing in qualifying or the Saturday race the Gallardo was permitted to start the race from the pit lane.

Also grinding their way into the pits alarmingly early were the Andrew Thompson / Martin Rich #26 Ascari (problem at the rear left hand corner) and the sole Marc Sourd Corvette, an effort that has looked anything but ready for the start of the season all weekend.

As the race proper got underway there was immediate drama, Erik Zwart’s #25 Ascari spinning in the middle of the pack on the pit straight, causing chaos behind as cars moved to avoid it.

Biggest losers were the #.30 AutoGT Racing Morgan and #8 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBR9: both hit the wall on the outside of the circuit (and each other), the Aston being particularly heavily damaged, both cars out on the spot but mercifully both drivers unharmed.

The #7 Trackspeed Porsche meanwhile was forced to take to the grass in avoidance but immediately lost its front splitter as it dug into the wet grass: Andrew Shelley limped the Porsche round to the pits to retire, lacking much of its front bodywork, as the Safety Car was inevitably scrambled to allow recovery of the immobilised pair on the start finish straight.

The Zwart Ascari meanwhile continued seemingly entirely unscathed - albeit back down in 23rd place.

With the wreckage and debris cleared very quickly by the circuit marshals the race got back underway with the minimum of delay.

The retro-styled leading pair though were not well matched on pace when the Safety Car was withdrawn, Mutsch pulling away steadily from the #29 Morgan.

There were early pit stops for the troubled #37 Corvette, a very smoky #24 Mustang and the #42 Viper, all retirements

The Mustang’s smoky exit had an impact however on the leading group, the #1 Corvette spinning on the slick left by the big Ford and being followed in its gyrations by the #17 Aston, #41 Viper and the #25 Ascari (again).

From a high flying display on Saturday the Apex Jaguar’s hoped for home ground result evaporated too at this point, Ben Clucas in the #32 XKR running wide from seventh and dropping back and Stuart Hall suffering a front left blow out in #33 that would effectively finish his afternoon as the Jaguar hobbled back to the pits for replacement rubber. Harry Handkammer was delighted with Phil Quaife’s pace late in the race though: “We were as fast as anyone”.

Mutsch steadily made a space to the chasing pack - with a five car battle underway behind for second place, the Morgan fending off the close attentions of the #11 Ferrari 430...

... the #1 Corvette of Ruffier, the #10 Hexis Racing Aston and Richard Williams’ fast starting #6 Trackspeed Porsche, those five separated by just 4 seconds, with the Ford GT around a couple of seconds clear as the pit stop window loomed large..

Also fully engaged were Jonny Lang in the #45 Ascari, fending off the #21 Ford GT of 2007 British GT Champion Bradley Ellis, a great battle this for eighth place.

As other runners began to make their routine stops the already close battle for second reached something of a critical mass.

The Ferrari and Corvette made their way by the gallant Morgan, Lorgere-Roux at Luffield and Ruffier at Copse, where he also had a look at taking the Ferrari’s slot too, the 430 though defended a little too vigorously and spun to the outside, the Morgan seizing the opportunity to retake the second place it had lost just two corners before!

Ruffier had outfumbled himself too and the lost momentum let not only the Aero 8 but also the #10 Aston Martin and, the #6 Trackspeed Porsche by, Richard Williams following through to demote the Aston too for a Ford, Morgan, Porsche 1,2,3 at the halfway point.

All of this had allowed Mutsch to make good his escape, the #20 Ford GT now over 6 seconds ahead of the Morgan, Lesoudier now fending off Williams’ close attention but the Englishman too under pressure from Makowiecki’s Aston Martin and Ruffier’s ‘Vette.

The Porsche and Aston Martin touched into Club, the DBRS9 getting a run on Williams after the Porsche ran a little wide out of Stowe and losing out on the exit to the big Aston, the Ruffier driven Corvette following through as the lap was completed and then powering by the Aston to grab third place.

35 minutes gone and with a near 9 second advantage the leader finally pitted to hand over the #20 car to Ian Khan. Williams too headed for the pitlane, his approach much more aggressive than the Ford man, the Porsche carving a full 4 seconds out of the lead as they pitted and, with the Ford refusing initially to refire, Khan emerged back in fifth having lost a full 25 seconds.

Pitlane discipline indeed appeared to be a minor theme for the day (again) with several cars, including the #33 Jaguar, #40 Porsche, #41 Viper and the Trackspeed Porsche, all having their races ruined by stop go penalties. King of the Hill in that regard though was Scott Maxwell, the Mustang man missing the pit window by a margin and earning his team mate a full one minute and 59 seconds of stationary time!

With all of the major runners having pitted the new leader was….the #29 Morgan! Not for long though as Peyroles’ #1 Corvette challenged, Scheier countered but not enough and the race had a fourth leader in just three laps, with a neat Corvette move up the inside at Copse.

Phil Quaife was involved with the leading pair at this point, laps down in the #33 Jaguar but unlapping himself from the leaders. What might have been without that puncture?

Behind this pair (and the Jag) though the Ford GT was closing once again. David Ashburn’s stop-go had accounted for the Porsche and the Aston had no answer to the Ford’s pace.

Neither it appeared did the plucky Morgan, the Ford repeating the Vette’s move into Copse for Khan to claim second place.

Other men on the move with 15 minutes of the race to run were Mikael Forsten in the #36 Porsche, storming through the order and up to fifth whilst Nicki Cadei was fighting back in the #5 Ferrari, getting onto terms with the lower reaches of the top ten.

11 minutes to go and Khan was right with the leader with both Cadei and Forsten continuing to sear through traffic, the Ferrari man picking up four places in a little over a single lap.

Seven minutes remaining and, after being prevented by a yellow flag zone previously, the Khan driven Ford GT made a move for the lead stick around the outside at Stowe: Peyroles seemed to almost gift Khan the lead. The position looked secure but there was plenty going on behind with Forsten and Vannelet dicing over fourth place, the Porsche taking the position but the Viper man not giving up easily.

Forsten wasn’t done yet either though, he was less than two seconds behind the Morgan with five minutes remaining with a podium very much in sight. Lesoudier though was making a great fight of this one, the Porsche clearly the faster car but the Morgan proving to be somewhat wider! Forsten eventually made the 997’s pace count, through into third place at Maggotts with three minutes remaining.

Whilst the podium positions were settled there was still some last minute shuffling in the remainder of the top ten. Vannelet’s attempt at grabbing fourth might have been rebutted by Lesoudier but Cadei’s late race charge continued, the Ferrari passing the #21 Ford GT of Ed Morris on the final lap to grab sixth.

A second good GT3 race, the Ford GT clearly a very good package but the 430 and new 997 Cup S also showing flashes of brilliance whilst the Morgan and Jaguar squads showed vividly that their winter efforts look set to be rewarded. Some of these teams though could do with a better stopwatch – too many unnecessary stop go penalties ruined the race for car after car.

Thomas Mutsch: “I had a good start but was some cars spinning out just behind me at the first corner, I think I was lucky they didn’t hit me. I was not happy to see the Safety Car come out as I couldn’t get as big a gap as I wanted. When the race got started again I could pull away quite easily. The pitstop was maybe not so really good, I think the car didn’t start up straight away and Ian [Khan] had to try twice before it would go.”

Ian Khan: “A good precedent was set by Vannelet and his team-mate when they won both opening races last year so I’m glad to emulate them this year. I had a bit of work to do because Thomas didn’t give me a big enough lead! No, he really did a fantastic job. We weren’t the fastest car yesterday, we might have been today but there seems to have been plenty of variety in the top places in both races.”

James Ruffier: “It was a good result because we had a lot of problems in the beginning of the race. There was a Viper trying to pass 15 or 20 cars at the first corner, I saw him coming and backed off but he hit me and it affected the set-up so it was not perfect for the rest of the race. We have some work to do to get faster but we are very confident now for the rest of the season.”

Arnaud Peyroles: “Unfortunately it was not possible for us to win today but it was a very exciting race. I think we need seven gears like the Ford GT though!”

David Loix: “I am very surprised that we should be so competitive right away especially as we got the car quite late and we have not done much testing. To start 19th and get third is an excellent result and I’m pleased to be on the podium again.”

Mikael Forsten: “I didn’t know exactly where I was because our pit-board was just in front of the first corner and I did try to read it once but nearly missed the corner, so I didn’t look again after that. I’m pretty pleased to go from 19th to third and I think we have done a really good job yesterday and today.”
GG