Marc Basseng On That Daytona GT Win
© Guido Quirmbach – www.projectlemans.de

Marc Basseng has had a brilliant start to his 2007 season. Having been selected by the readers of 20832.com as “The Nürburgring driver of the year 2006 “, he then travelled to Florida and was a key part of the winning GT crew in the Rolex 24 Hours, racing the Alegra Motorsports / Fiorano Racing Porsche 997. Guido Quirmbach caught up with Marc after his return to Germany, to discuss his biggest international triumph so far.

A short time after Christmas Marc received a call from Porsche North America boss Uwe Brettel, who told him that he would drive in the Alegra Motorsports / Fiorano Racing Porsche at Daytona.

This was actually a union of two teams, “but that was no problem. From the first moments, everyone had only the goal of Daytona in their eyes,“ explains Marc Basseng.

He could not drive at the test days in early January, but neither the track nor the car were unknown to him. Marc had his first contact with the Grand-Am spec. Porsche 997 GT3 Cup at the small Moroso racetrack near West Palm Beach. On the tight course they had big set up problems, “but we solved them quickly. I made some correct suggestions, the team converted them well and so we had a good basis for the practice sessions at Daytona.“

His teammates were team owner Carlo de Quesada (USA), Scooter Gabel (USA) and Jean-Francois Dumoulin. The Canadian scored a class win (in the SGS class) at Daytona in 2004, together with Marc Lieb. The four drivers completed a trouble-free practice and qualifying on the Speedway and prepared for the race only. Scooter Gabel had the honour of qualifying, and placed the #22 GT3 Cup car eleventh fastest in the GT class.

In accordance with Grand-Am regulations, the driver who qualifies the car starts the race – and their hopes seemed to evaporate very early on, because at the end of the third lap, Scooter Gabel was in the tyre wall at Turn 1.

“We made our only error here, to run with brand new brake discs and pads, and at the first hard braking the car was ‘over-braked’. Fortunately the damage was not so much,” reveals Marc Basseng, who immediately took over driving duties.

“The car did not have 100% performance at that time, but I was able to drive quick laps, quicker than expected. Then I noticed however, after approximately 20 laps, that the tyre was going away at the right rear. It was loaded by the light damage more strongly than normally, so I headed for the pits: it was already through to the canvas though.“

Despite the tyre problem, the team still managed to move their Porsche forward, with Basseng and Dumoulin taking the lion's share of the work: they moved into the top ten in GT. But while still moving up during the first quarter of the race the next, larger problem appeared: de Quesada was hit by a DP in the chicane, had to drive through the gravel back on the track, and lost his front splitter. The team decided to use the full course yellow to effect an extensive repair.

So they dropped six laps behind the leaders, the Farnbacher Porsche, as they headed into the long night – and began a highly impressive chase of the front-runners. Then the rain came down.

“Jean-Francois and I were really fast in the rain and could close the gap minute by minute.”

Marc Basseng then made a crucial move, when the rain stopped: “Jean-Francois came in and told me I should take slicks. OK, if he says I take slicks, slicks it is! In the first few corners I thought that was a total error. But it was the right decision and it went very well. Until the other teams realized that I was running on slicks, I had gained back nearly two laps.“

They moved up, position by position, until three hours before conclusion the Alegra Motorsports / Fiorano Racing Porsche was on course for a podium. With two hours to go, they were running on the lead lap, the Farnbacher Porsche having met problems.

When it slipped down the order, Marc Basseng took over the lead in the GT Class. But at this point, the water temperature on the #22 car was higher than normal.

“I noticed it, and on the banking the temperature went up – but it was clear that the engine needed water. We had to refill it, always a delicate job with a hot engine.“

Approximately one hour before the conclusion of the race, Marc Basseng handed over to Jean-Francois Dumoulin. Scooter Gabel and Carlos de Quesada (the son of one of the four company founders of the energy drink “Gatorade“) had given up seat time. The team owner wanted to realize his dream to win Daytona and left it to the faster pilots to do the bulk of the work.

“The last hour was terrible for myself,” sums up Marc Basseng. “I left my pits and went to find the Porsche engineers, to ask whether the engine could make it. ‘Either it holds or it doesn’t,’ they said. “Not what I wanted to hear,“ laughs Marc. “About two minutes before the end I was back in our pit.”

Just seven seconds was the gap at the end, the Canadian having defended a slim lead over the #07 Pontiac, to secure for the Alegra Fiorano team the GT victory at Daytona. Dumoulin and Basseng spent approximately 19 quick and error-free hours at the steering wheel between them, the two Americans filling in for the remaining five hours.

The four relieved drivers headed to victory lane, where NASCAR legend Richard Petty presented them with their the Rolex watches.

Before Christmas, Marc Basseng did not even know that he would be racing at Daytona – but now he is a Rolex winner. “We had a very good run and I am pleased above all that the achievement has been recognised. I now hope to get a drive in the other major Grand-Am races.”