FIA GT 2006: STARTING THE SEASON

Less cars but net progress as compared to 2005

June 2 - Entry field at the 2006 FIA GT series is completely different from last year. Stirring is the fact that the Ferrari F550 Maranello and the Ferrari 575 GTC are definitively out, despite the fact that the F550 was last year still the winningest car and despite the fact that Gabriele Gardel (CH) won the GT1 drivers standings with a Ferrari F550. The withdrawal of the GT1 Ferraris made it already five cars less. Their places have been taken by five Aston Martins, although it's only a net addition of three cars: indeed the two works Astons are no longer there but have been replaced by two cars of BMS Scuderia Italia (having been absent at FIA GT racing after their 2004 championship win). The new Austrian team Race Alliance alligns two other Astons, among them one in the Red Bull colours. Last but not least German Phoenix Racing - already involved in 2006 DTM racing - shows with a fifth Aston Martin DBR9. At the opening race there will even be a sixth Aston, entered by Cirtek Racing. This car, however, will go after the opening round in Silverstone to the LMES.
None of the five Saleens S7R will come back this year: Franz Konrad retired his two cars, Graham Nash Racing did the same with its two cars and the Polish R.A.M. Racing retired too. However two new Saleens will be entered in 2006 in FIA GT racing: Zakspeed's very fast #9 and Shaun Balfe's #11. Shortly: the 5 Ferraris, 5 Saleens and 2 works Astons have been replaced by 5 or 6 Astons and 2 Saleens, what makes already a loss of 6 to 7 cars.

Out too is the Corvette CR-5 of GLPK Carsport, now replaced by a Corvette CR-6. The famous #13 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Murcie-lago R-GT will be still there, but now entered by B-Racing SR-line, co-operating with Hans Reiter. Of the four Maseratis MC12-R from last year only the Vitaphone Racing duo comes back. The Red Bull Maseratis of JMB Racing are no longer there, since Jean-Marie Boureche moved into GT2, where he'll enter two competitive Ferraris F430 GTC. Also retired is the Lister Storm, no longer competitive last year.
So, no longer 19 to 20 GT1 cars at the start in 2006, but only 11 or 12. Quantitavilely that's a loss of 8 to 9 cars, but quantitavely the GT1 field of this year is much more competitive than last year's. This year all GT1 cars are potential winners, last year only the four Maseratis, the Corvette and the Larbre Competition Ferraris were potential winners: the five Saleens, the R.A.R. Ferrari F550 Maranello, the two G.P.C. Sports Ferraris 575 GTC, the Lister and the Lambo were field fillers, whilst the two worlks Astons DBR9 were racing off-competition.
Last year no less than 13 teams alligned GT1 cars at the FIA GT series. Of them G.P.C., Larbre Competition, Franz Konrad Racing, JMB Racing, R.A.M., Graham Nash Racing, Lister Racing, R.A.R. Aston Martin works team and Reiter Engineering all retired from GT1 racing. This year there are only 8 GT1 teams, 4 from Germany, 1 from England (against 3 in 2005), 1 from Belgium, 1 from Austria and 1 from Italy.

Most of last year's drivers are no longer involved in GT1 racing. Just as in 2005 the two first ranked racers of the previous year drivers championship are no longer in competition: Gabriele Gardel (CH) and Timo Scheider (D). Out too are Pedro Lamy (8th), Eric van de Poele (14th), Chris Buncombe (17th), Roman Rusinov (18th), Steve Zacchia (19th), Enzo Calderai (21st), Lilian Bryner (22nd), Jean-Philippe Beloc (23rd), Kurt Mollekens (24th), Vincent Vosse (25th), etc. Of the 25 top-ranked drivers we find only back: Michael Bartels (3rd), Karl Wendlinger (4th), Andrea Bertolini (5th), Thomas Biagi (6th), Fabio Babini (7th), Anthony Kumpen (9th), Bert Longin (10th), Mike Hezemans (11th), Philp Peter (12th), Christophe Bouchut (13th), Jean-Dénis Deletraz (16th), and Jamie Davis (20th).
The fact that the very spectacular Pedro Lamy is no longer there - last year the best of all FIA GT racers - is not fully compensated by the newcomers. Among them we note Sasscha Bert (D) and Janek Jaris (CZ) on the Zakspeed Saleen, Fabrizio Gollin (I) and Miguel Ramos (PT) on the BMS Astons, and Frank Diefenbacher (D) on one of the Racing Alliance Astons.
With 8 to 9 cars less seats in GT1 cars were hard to find in 2006. But it's always possible that some new faces do their entry in the course of the season.

New: Group 2 Cars

The greatest progress was made in GT2, last year still an absolute disaster. All Ferraris 360 Modena - already no longer competitive last year - are gone, but six new Ferraris F430 GTC came in, three duos from teams as AF Corse (new), JMB Racing and Scuderia Ecosse. New too is the LNT Racing Panoz Esperante GTLM, already seen last year at the ELMS and AMLS series. Of the Porsches we lost not only the works cars of Gruppe M, but also those of Embassy Racing, Autorlando Sports, AB Sports and Machánek Racing: 7 in total. From the other side Renauer Motorsport, Ebisports and Proton-Felbermayr come this year back with 2 instead 1 Porsche. Back too, but only with one Porsche are ARC Bratislava and Jan Vonka Racing. New is the #99 Porsche 996 GT3-RSR of the Austrian Race Alliance team.
Except for two Porsches of type RS all others are Porsches 996 GT3-RSR. Eventually number of Porsches at the start in 2006 is four less than last year.
The biggest progress is that last year only 4 cars entered all rounds of the FIA GT championship. This year that will be 6 Ferraris and at least 6 Porsches, so that there will be again a competition, no longer a walk-over by two works cars dominating a group of gentlemen drivers.
This year 8 teams enter GT2 cars: 2 from Italy and 2 from Austria; 1 from England, Austria, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia and Monaco.
If we have a look on the GT2 drivers we see that, just as in GT1, the two best ranked racers of last year - Mark Lieb and Mike Rockenfeller - are no longer in. Of the top-25 of 2005 we miss such racers as Sascha Maassen, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Luca Drudi, Joel Camathias, Lucas Luhr, Mauro and Casadei.
Contrarly some of the best GT2 racers are always there. I name Tim Sugden, Emmanuel Collard, Luca Moccia, Emanuele Busnelli, Wolfgang Kaufmann, Lawrence Tomlinson, Nathan Kinch, Andrew Kirkaldy, Tim Mullen, Chris Niarchos, etc.
Among the new faces we note Iradj Alexander (CH, absent last year), Rui Augas  (PT), Luca Riccitelli (CH), Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer (A), Hans Knauss (A), Thomas Gruber, etc. With Brazil Jaime Melo racing against Emmanuel Collard and Tim Sugden, a good show in GT2 may be expected

 [JPVR]