MONZA MEDIA DAYS: 24 "FULL SEASON" ENTRIES

MONZA MEDIA TEST DAY TWO. At the second Test Day on the Monza circuit nobody succeeded to improve the 1'45"486 realised one day earlier by Christophe Bouchut in the #3 SRT Corvette C6R. At the last session, on Friday, Darren Turner brought the #10 Gigawave Motors Aston Martin DBR9 into second position with 1'45"585. At the Test Days Turner replaces Australia's Alan Simonsen, racing this week end at the Sebring 2 hours (where the lonely Peugeot 908 was fastest at the night qualifications). Marcel Fässler moved in third position with the #6 Phoenix Car Sport Corvette C6R, realising a fastest lap in 1'45"705. The second Aston Martin, Jetalliance's, clocked the fourth best time in 1'45"854. The first Maserati MC12, Vitaphone's #1, came no further than fifth in 1'45"863, heading the Reiter Lambo (1'45"996). The three Saleens disappointed, since they were more than two seconds slower than the SRT Corvette. Not race worthy is the Rock Media Motors Pagani Zonda, finishing as last, preceded by 5 to 10 seconds by ... all GT2 cars. 
In GT2 the #60 Prospeed Porsche 997 lost its pole position from the first day, and is now headed by no less than three Ferraris F430 GT2. Fastest of them was the Scuderia Ecosse #62 F430 which realised in hands of Jamie Davies 1'50"358. Second time was realised by Chris Niarchos in the #55 CR Scuderia F430 in 1'50"461. Third best time went to Toni Vilander in the AF Corse Motorola #50 F430 in 1'50"461. No less than eightGT2 cars finished within one second, proving how close combat in GT2 is.
At the press conference SRO's Stéphane Ratel declared that at each round he expects 35 cars at the start. That seems a bit too optimistic since only 11 GT1 cars and 13 GT2 cars took a "full season" subscription. In GT1 the Austrian #12 AT Racing Corvette C5R, entered atr the Citation Cup, can function on a race to race base as a potential twelfth entry. A 13th GT1 candidate is the second Jetalliance Aston Martin DBR9, still in search for sponsorship, and also entered on a race to race base. For the Spa 24 hours two Luc Alphand Corvettes may be expected. [JPVR]

March 14, 2008 - MONZA MEDIA TEST DAY ONE. The FIA GT Media Test Days at Monza are over. Now we have a much better view on the several cars involved for the 2008 season. First remark is that in GT1 nor the Reiter Lamborghini Murciélago, neither the JMB Maserati MC12 subscribed. The #36 Jetalliance Aston Martin DBR9 will be not entered on an annual base, but on a race to race base since Robert Lechner has an insufficient budget to do the full year. New is that the Czech Pagani Zonda subscribed for a complete year, but that depends upon the approbation by the Technical Office of the FIA. The ACR Bratislava Sleen will not be raced in GT1 but in G2. Nevertheless there will be three Saleens S7R at the start since the #13 RBImmo/B-Racing will do the complete season. That means that only eleven GT1 cars were entered for a full season: 3 Corvettes C6R, 3 Saleens S7R, 2 Aston Martins DBR9, 2 Maseratis MC12 and the doubtful Pagani Zonda.
In GT2 Scuderia Ecossewill alignonly one car (62), not two. The Gigawave Aston Martin Vantage subscribed for a full season, but is far from ready. The James Watt Automotive similar car didn't subscribe for the FIA GT Series and it is even not sure that the car will be seen at the start of the spa 24 hours. A third Porsche 997 GT3 RSR joined, the #59 Tracspeed Racing. GT2 subscriptions for a full season are limited to 9 Ferraris F430 GT2, 3 Porsches997 GT3-RSR and the uncertain Aston Martin GT2, thus 13 in total. Some cars seen at Monza, such as the #70 Easy Call Ferrari F430 GT2, the #99 Porsche 997 GT3-RSR and the two Edil Cris Ferraris F430 GT will not enter the 2008 FIAGT Series. Some cars were absent the first day, e.g. the "57 Kessel Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 of Silvio Moser. The Pagani Zonda was present, but realised no time at the free qualification sessions. Fastest man on the track was Christophe Bouchut (F) in the #3 SRT Corvette C6R, realising a fastest lap in 1'45"486, followed by the #1 Vitaphone Maserati MC12 in 1'45"863 and the #6 Phoenix Car Sport Corvette C6R. Amongthe GT2s the Belgian #60 Prospeed Porsche 997 was fastest in 1'50"696 letting the #56 CR Scuderia Ferrari F430 GT2 and Scudia Ecosse's similar car behind on the second and third place. [JPVR]

WHICH CARS MAY BE EXPECTED AT THE START?

February 16, 2008 - 2008 will be the last year of the FIA GT Championship under the old rules. 2009 will be a year of transition and up from 2010 there will be a world championship for GT1 cars (with over 5.5-litre engines) and a European championship for GT2 cars (with 5-litre engines). It's still too early to have a clear view on the entrants for 2008, but we already know who'll be the most important entrants. Number of Maseratis MC12 will be at least two lower than last year, since Sarafree comes not back with its Maseratis. The two Vitaphone Maseratis will be again at the start, but the 2007 FIA GT champion Thomas Biagi moves from his GT1 Maserati to one of the AF Corse Motorola Ferraris in GT2. JMB racing will enter at least one of its two Maseratis for gentleman drivers. Number of Corvettes drops from four to three. The PSI Corvette C6R comes not back, and at PK Carsport the switched from their C5-R to a new Saleen SR7. Carsport Holland and Phoenix formed a new team and will show with two Corvettes C6-R. Marcel Fassler, the hero of the Total Spa 24 hours, joins the team, just as Fabrizio Golin. SRT returns with their #18 C5-R.
Number of Aston Martins dropped too since BMS Italia switched from their DBR9s to new GT2 Ferraris. Jetalliance comes with its Astons of last year and Gigawave of Essex - already present at last year's last round with an Aston - will do the whole 2008 season with a DBR9. Philipp Peter and New Zealand's Allan Simonsen will be the drivers. Of the two Lamborghini Murciélagos R-GT of last year, only the #28 of Reiter Engineering, with Jos Menten and Peter Kox as drivers will return.
New are the three Saleens. Much feared is certainly Larbre Compétition's, with Belgium's Vincent Vosse and Gregory Franchi as new drivers. A second Saleen is PK Carsport's with the Belgians Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin as drivers. The third Saleen SR7 at the start will be the Slovak one of Miro Konopka. Up to now 13 GT1 cars are confirmed. Andrea Bertolini, last year on one of the Sarafree Maseratis will replace Thomas Biagi on the #1 Vitaphone. It seems that Christophe Bouchut, Stephan Mucke, Andrea Piccini, Giambatista Giannoccaro, Alessandro Pier Guidi Enrico Toccacelo, Jamie Davies, Fabio Babini and Ferdinando Monfardini will find this year no steering wheel in GT1.

Last year only seven GT2 teams completed the whole season. In 2008 that number will be increased to at least eleven, and that despite the fact that Edil Cris retired its two Ferraris, that Tech 9 and Ebimotors retired their Porsches 997. Up to now only one Porsche 997 subscribed, Prospeed's in a 2008 spec. No less than ten Ferraris F430 GT2 will be seen at the start, several of them in the 2008 spec. AF Corse Motorola comes back with two cars. On their #51 Thomas Biagi replaces Rui Aguas, who moved to the new #59 Ferrari F430 GT2 of Advanced Engineering, where he receives Maurizio Mediani as team mate.  Scuderia Ecosse comes back with its two Ferraris, but has to change its drivers since Chris Niarchos, Andrew Kirkaldi and Tim Mullen all switched to the new CR Scuderia, entering two fresh Ferraris. Two fresh cars too are entered by BMS Italia, letting its both Astons and its Porsche 997 - still winner at the Spa 24 hours - home. It's not already known who'll be the drivers of the two brand new Ferraris. Last but not least Gigawave will enter in GT2 a new Aston Martin Vantage GT2 for Luk Hines and Andy Thompson. However, the team already announced that they'll be not ready for the first round in April at Silverstone. New is the Kessel Ferrari for Henri Moser, one of the stars of the Ferrari Challenge series of 2007.
Concerning G2 it's not sure that the Vertigo Streiff will do the complete season. And if some Moslers or Dodges may be expected, it will be only at separate rounds, not at all ten. Most important round of the season will be, of course, the Total Spa 24 hours, contested on August 2-3, 2008. Curious if the Coupe du Roi - an interesting formula - will have more success than last year, when only two teams - JMB Racing and S-Berg Racing - entered three cars. More info is for later. [JMB]