FIA GT 2005 - MONZA TESTDAYS

At the Monza Pre-tests several GT1 cars were missing. Among them the Red Bull Maserati(s) MC12 of Jean Michel Bouresche and his JMB Racing Team. Karl Wendlinger and Philipp Peter are anounced to drive the Red Bull Maserati. If both JMB Maseratis will be sponsored by Red Bull or only one is still unknown at this very moment. Absent too were the two Ferraris F550 Maranello of Labre Compétition. Of the two Saleens S7-R of Graham Nash Motorsport none was seen on the Monza track. The same for Franz Konrad's Saleen. Not ready too was the Belgian Corvette C5-R of GLPK Carsport. GPC Squadra Corsa had only one car present.
Loris Kessel was present with his #22 Ferrari 575 GTC with Brazil's Jaime Melo and Italy's Andrea Chiesa as drivers. There is only a small chance that the car will be seen this year in FIA GT Racing, since Kessel goes after the Italian GT Championship with his cars. His second 575 GTC was only shortly at Monza, since Chiesa tested it also at Imola. Unexpected too was the #28 MenX Ferrari 550 Maranello of Tomas Enge and Robert Pergl. In 2003 both drivers were regular entrants of the FIA GT Championship at the wheel of a Ferrari 360 Modena. Probably the car will not be seen in the 2005 FIA GT Championship, since the Czech aces opted for the LMES Series. The car was prepared by Care Racing.
All Ferraris 575 GTC seen at the Monza Pre-tests [the two of Loris Kessel and the #2 of GPC Squadra Corse] were still following the 2004 specifications, thus equipped with the old motor, lacking too much power to be competitive. [JPVR]

In GT2 things went as predicted by me a week ago: the factory Porsches of Gruppe M will have no concurrence during the whole season. With 1'50"138 for the #66 Porsche 996GTS-RSR and 1"50"239 for the #88 sister car, the Gruppe M Porsches were more than two full seconds faster than the eleven other competitors in their class. Or with the words of Mike Rockenfeller: "Wir haben so gut wie keine Konkurrenz hier". Of the GT2 cars ranked from 3 until 7 none must be expected as a regular starter in the 2005 FIA GT Series. Third was the #83 GPC Sport Ferrari 360 Modena of Rosa/Drudi in 1'52"488, followed by the #84 Sebah Automotive Porsche RSR in 1'52"706, by the #55 Embassy Racing Porsche RSR in 1'52"722, by the #81 JMB Racing Ferrari 360 in 1'53"778 and by Autorlando Porsche RSR with 1'53"882. Only at rank 8 we find the first regular entrant which has to compete (sic) with the Gruppe M Porsches, nl. the #71 Machanek Porsche RS with 1'54"003 as best time (realised at the fifth session). Another regular entrant at the 2005 FIA GT series is the other Slovak Porsche RS, the #57 of ARC Bratislava, with 1'57"248 the one but slowest of all cars. The Mosler MT900R could not convince with 1'55"607 (ninth best time in GT2). The second Machanek Porsche RS, #73, clocked in GT2 the tenth best time in 1'56"108. Ele-venth with 1'56"761 was the AB Porsche (which will not be seen in the 2005 FIA GT series). Slowest of all cars was the #82 JMB Ferrari 360 Modena with 1"57"445, realised during the second session. All this seems to predict how boring GT2 racing will be during the upcoming season. Close Racing? Forget it, that's just publicity. [JPVR]
	#2 Ferrari 575 GTC (Jean-D Deletraz/A. Piccinni) [GPC Squadra Corsa]

#9 Maserati MC12 (Michael Bartels/Fabio Babini) [Bartels Motor&Sport]	#10 Maserati MC12 (Tomas Biaggi/Timo Scheider)[Bartels Motor&Sport]

#13 Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT (Peter Kox/Norman Simon) [Reiter Engineering]	#14 Lister Storm (Justin Keen/Liz Haliday) [Lister Racing]

#17 Ferrari F550 (Christophe Bouchut/Nikolaj Fomenko/Alexej Vasiliev) [Russian Age Racing]	#22 Ferrari 575 GTC (Loris Kessel/Jaime Melo/Andra Chiesa) [Loris Kessel Racing] will be mainly raced in Italian GT Championship
	At the Monza Pre-tests several GT1 cars were missing. Among them the Red Bull Maserati(s) MC12 of Jean Michel Bouresche and his JMB Racing Team. Karl Wendlinger and Philipp Peter are anounced to drive the Red Bull Maserati. If both JMB Maseratis will be sponsored by Red Bull or only one is still unknown at this very moment. Absent too were the two Ferraris F550 Maranello of Labre Compétition. Of the two Saleens S7-R of Graham Nash Motorsport none was seen on the Monza track. The same for Franz Konrad's Saleen. Not ready too was the Belgian Corvette C5-R of GLPK Carsport. GPC Squadra Corsa had only one car present. Loris Kessel was present with his #22 Ferrari 575 GTC with Brazil's Jaime Melo and Italy's Andrea Chiesa as drivers. There is only a small chance that the car will be seen this year in FIA GT Racing, since Kessel goes after the Italian GT Championship with his cars. His second 575 GTC was only shortly at Monza, since Chiesa tested it also at Imola. Unexpected too was the #28 MenX Ferrari 550 Maranello of Tomas Enge and Robert Pergl. In 2003 both drivers were regular entrants of the FIA GT Championship at the wheel of a Ferrari 360 Modena. Probably the car will not be seen in the 2005 FIA GT Championship, since the Czech aces opted for the LMES Series. The car was prepared by Care Racing. All Ferraris 575 GTC seen at the Monza Pre-tests [the two of Loris Kessel and the #2 of GPC Squadra Corse] were still following the 2004 specifications, thus equipped with the old motor, lacking too much power to be competitive. [JPVR]
#28 Ferrari 550 Maranello (Tomas Enge/Robert Pergl) [MenX]

#55 Porsche 996GT3-RSR [Embassy Racing]	#57 Porsche 996GT3-RSR [ARC Bratislava]

#58 Porsche 996GT3-RS [AB Motorsport]	#66 Porsche 996GT3-RSR [Gruppe M]

#71 Porsche 996GT3-RS [Macanek Racing]	#73 Porsche 996GT3-RS [Macanek Racing]

#76 Porsche 996GT3-RSR [AutorlandoSport]	#81 Ferrari 360 Modena [JMB Racing]

#82 Ferrari 360 Modena [JMB Racing]	#83 Ferrari 360 Modena [GPC Sport]

#84 Porsche 996GT3-RS [Sebah Racing]	#88 Porsche 996GT3-RSR [Gruppe M]

#101 Mosler MT900R [Balfe Motorsport]	#23 Ferrari 575 GTC [Loris Kessel]

MONZA MARCH 22-23 TEST DAYS
Maserati dominates - Gruppe M Porsches without competition
	March 25 - We noted hardly any surprise at the six test sessions (3 per day), contested at the Monza track on March 22-23. In total 22 cars showed, several of them not intended to enter the 2005 FIA GT series, but only testing in view of the Italian GT Champion-ship (both Loris Kessel Ferraris 575GTC, the 3 Modena Ferraris), or in view of the LMES (e.g. the MenX Ferrari 550 Maranello). Fastest time over the six sessions was realised during the fourth session by the #9 Vita-phone Maserati in 1'44"596. Here the fastest time of the previous day, set by Christophe Bouchut on the R.A.R. Care Russian Ferrari F550 of 1'45"172 was improved. During that same session the other Vita-phone Maserati MC12 realised 1'45"288, the third best time over the six sessions. By realising 1'45"316 Tomas Enge clocked the fourth best time (the best of the fifth session). Fifth best time went to the #22 Loris Kessel Ferrari 575 GTC in 1'45"700. With 1'46"884 the Reiter Enginering Lamborghini Murciela-go, realised at the fifth session, clocked the sixth best time, more than 2 full seconds slower than the fastest Maserati MC12. Disappointing were the times realised by the #2 GPC Ferrari 575 GTC (still with the 2004 motor), coming no further than 1'48"183 as best time (seventh overall). Having blown up its motor at the first session the Lister Storm was eighth and last among the GT1 cars, with no time at all. The six sessions confirmed that the Maseratis will be very difficult to beat this season. The lonely surprise came from the Russian Ferrari (the Czech one willing be absent in the FIA GT series). The Lamborghini disappointed. There were no Saleens at the start.