FIA GT – Bucharest - GT Qualifying
Sanity Returns
© Janos Wimpffen Here are the drivers taking to the track for the 15-minute GT2 / G2 period, held under sunny conditions, on a dry track. 62, Mullen 63, Janis 97, Collard 66, Lieb 99, Edwards 69, C. Ried (later taken over by Papa Felbermayr—Ried set the fast time) 74, Zani 101, Kuppens 53, Cressoni Collard is the first to record a fast time, 1:20.259 for the No. 97 BMS Porsche. On the very next lap he reels off a 1:18.830, about 1.5-seconds clear of Sean Edwards in the No. 99 Tech 9 Porsche.
Collard continues to go quicker, at 1:18.175 halfway through the session, but is now trailed more closely. Edwards improves to 1:18.766, but Marc Lieb is better than that at 1:18.514. None of the AF Corse or Edil Cris Ferraris took to the track, now bathed under a bright sun. The Ortelli car may be toast for the weekend and the No. 50 Ferrari is undergoing an engine change. With four minutes to go Collard missed a braking point and comes to a stop. His tires probably flat spotted, the Porsche pulls off the course, leaving his time the one to beat in the class. But the challenge won’t come from Lieb as the Proton Porsche had just called into the pits – after going quicker (1:18.447).
Edwards too, fractionally slower than the Collard / Lieb pair (especially Lieb), with a 1:18.474, third quickest. Janis was two tenths slower than Edwards, after being baulked by the lone Edil Cris 430.
GT1 drivers: 4, Kumpen 7, Bouchut 8, Menten 2, Montanari 1, Gollin 15, Kuteman 18, Cloet 36, Lichtner-Hoyer ?? 33, Sharp 23, Davies 11, Bertolini 12, Pier Guidi 16, Macari (only joined field at end of session) But it’s Ferdinando Monfardini quickest out of the box in the No. 22 Aston at 1:16.780. Hezemans (No. 5 Corvette) enters the fray a few minutes later while fellow back-of-the-throat language speaker Anthony Kumpen jumps to the front in the No. 4 Chevrolet at 1:16.309.
Robert Lechner is now the quickest of the Aston Martins at 1:16.341 but the front row becomes briefly all Corvette - before Alessandro Pier Guidi has something to say about it. He puts the No.12 Playteam Maserati on top at 1:14.605.
With five minutes to go Bertolini is screaming at 1:14.587, but he may gone too far, flat-spotting the tires at Turn 1 of the next lap. Then Pier Guidi ups the ante with a 1:14.214. The order holds across the final three minutes. Montanari fifth, then the #33 Jetalliance DBR9, Gollin in #1, the two Lamborghinis (Bouchut snapping the door shut on Bertolini late on), Hezemans only tenth, the two BMS Astons 11th and 12th. The Citation Cup GT1s are scattered among the GT2s – but slower than most, the Macari MC12 fastest of them, 19th. While the GT periods were not all that thrilling it was a relief to return to safe, sane, and skilful race driving after what he saw earlier. Gosh, even the Dacia Logan Cup race went off well. |
