BELGIAN CORVETTE C5-R WINS FROM POLE

#11 Ferrari 550 2nd - #88 Gruppe M Porsche wins GT2

No doubt, FIA's GT2 championship, with only four regular entrants, is this year an extremely boring business. But in GT1 all rounds up to now where perfect thrillers. After 4 rounds we had 4 different winners: a Ferrari 550 Maranello, a Maserati MC12, an Aston Martin DBR9 and now the Corvette C5-R. Having started in pole position, Holland's Mike Heze-mans pulled away from the rest of the field, building up an advance of a half second per lap. Drama in lap 4 when just ahead of Christophe Bouchut the Cirtek Ferrari Modena spins, so that the Russian Ferrari 550 Maranello went off. Race over and out for the fast Frenchman. In the JMB Maserati - the only one of the four having started without ballast - Philipp Peter has no problem to pass Fabio Babini (#10 Maserati) at the very moment that he tries to pass Pedro Lamy's #11 Ferrari, having stated from the front row. This order remains during the first half hour, for Hezemans enough to build out a 12 seconds lead over Peter's Mase-rati. Meanwhile the GNM #8 Saleen of Paolo Ruberti is already out in the garage after a spin and a slow return to the pits.
During the second half hour Bartels in the #9 Vitaphone Maserati succeeds to pass Lamy at the chicane, but a few minutes later Lamy can conquer again his fourth place. In GT2 Emmanuel Collard leads Mike Rockenfeller in the sister Gruppe M Porsche by 7 to 9 seconds, with Shaun Balfe's Mosler following 10 seconds further. It's boiling hot on the track and several racers suffers from abnormal thirst. The advance of Hezemans over the rest of the field grows continuously. After 16 laps Max Stanco (#20 Saleen) is the first to stop for refuelling, loosing two complete laps in the pits. Andrea Piccini runs in gearbox trouble with the #2 G.P.C. Sport Ferrari 575 GTC and will retire after a spin at Acque Minerali.
Shortly before the end of the first hour the front runners come in for their regular pit stop. Bertolini, sixth behind Bartels, is the first of them to stop and to hand over the car to Wendlinger, followed by Babini handing over the #10 Vitaphone Maserati to Thomas Biagi. Three laps later Bartels comes in to give the wheel to Timo Scheider. But only three laps further Timo crawls with the sick and smoking  #10 Maserati in the pits, where it is retired. A pit stop at lap 33 makes the Peter/Buncombe JMB Maserati dropping from rank 2 to rank 4, especially since Hezemans (Corvette) and Lamy (Ferrari) are still out without having refuelled.  Babini/Biagi are now third, and after a stop and go penalty for the #16 Maserati, now with Buncombe at the wheel, Wendlinger can move unto fourth with the #15 sister JMB Maserati. Then follow Buncombe, the lonely surviving G.P.C. Sport Ferrari 575 GTC and the two Gruppe M Porsches (already 7th and 8th at the one hour mark). The Lister is already out after a misfire.
Still before the two leaders come in, shortly after one hour, for their first pit stop the Belgian Vertigo has already stopped its (few convincing) practice in view of the Spa 24 hours (broken propshaft). Lamy is the first to come in, handing the #11 Ferrari over to Gabriele Gardel, whilst Hezemans does the same two minutes later. When Bert Longin rejoins the track he has still 10 seconds over Biagi (#10 Maserati), being now second ahead of the Lamy/Gardel Ferrari.

In the #3 GPC Ferrari 575 GTC Brazil's Jaime Melo finds at once all the horse power in the new motor and he can move into second position when Biagi is in the pits for refuelling and water. Difference with Longin (Corvette) is now 22 seconds. The carousel GNM Saleen, hanging all the time behind the two GT2 Porsches, is three wheeling to the pits after the loss of a front wheel, and is now even passed by the Mosler, moving up into rank 9. Meanwhile Biagi is rocketing around like a devil, passing the GTC Ferrari, conquering the second place, and closing in twenty minutes the complete gap with Longin's Corvette. At one of the Variantes he attacks the Corvette to see that the torque of the Belgian-American car is much higher than his. When Biagi comes in for his second stop, shortly after mid-race, Melo (in for Belloc) moves again into second place, now 10 seconds behind Longin. Shortly before the end of the second hour positions are: 1. Longin (Corvette), 2. Melo (#3 Ferrari 575 GTC) at 11 seconds, 3. Gardel (#11 Ferrari 550) at 18 seconds, 4. Babini (#10 Maserati) at 58 seconds, 5. Bertolini (#15 Maserati) at 1'27", 6. Rustinov (#16 Maserati) at 1 lap.
Pouring water into his gloves, Anthony Kumpen waits for his final stint in the leading Corvette. After 66 laps Longin brings the car into the pits, where a mechanic makes a mistake on taking off one of the wheels. Since Melo and Gardel come also in for refuelling and since the Corvette's stop takes 20 seconds longer than normal, Babini, having refuelled much earlier is after 67 laps the new leader. Since the Maserati is on a 3-pit-stop-strategy Kumpen doesn't' worry about the Babini/Biagi Maserati.  Initially Kumpen is 27 seconds down to Babini, but once his tyres are at temperature the gap comes slowly down. With 40 minutes to go it is already 19 seconds with Jean-Philippe Belloc (#3 Ferrari 575 GTC) some 12 seconds behind the Corvette. Then Babini has to refuel and the Corvette is again leader, however with Belloc dangerously close behind. With 20 minutes to go order is: 1. Kumpen (Corvette), 2. Belloc (#3 Ferrari 575 GTC) at 15 seconds, 3. Lamy (#11 Ferrari 550) at 31 seconds, 4. Biagi (#10 Maserati) at 49 seconds, 5. Wendlinger (#15 Maserati) at 1'14", 6. Rusinov (#16 Maserati) at 1 lap. In GT2 the Collard/Sugden Porsche has a 45" lead over the Lieb/Rockenfeller sister car, with the Mosler 35 seconds further, leading the carousel Saleen #8. 
With 12 minutes to go the scrutinizers decide to stop the thrill. Belloc's Ferrari is black flagged since too many mechanics worked on the car during its last pit stop. The stop and go cost G.P.C. Sport a certain second place; now the car drops into 3rd position. Kumpen is now 28 seconds clear of Lamy in the Larbre Compétition Ferrari, with Belloc 10 seconds further. Behind him Biagi is pushing like a devil to catch the third podium place. Two from home Belloc runs out of fuel. His car stops and marshals need to help him on his feet when he rolls out of the car. During the last two laps the Maseratis of Biagi and Rusinov seem on their way to pass Lamy. The 3 cars finish close together, but Hezemans/Longin/Kumpen are the winners ahead of Lamy/Gardel and Babini/Biagi. The last ones are the new championship's leaders, followed at one point by Gardel, Wendlinger and Bertolini. [JPVR]

THE ENTRY - At a boiling hot Imola 25 cars show for round #4 of the FIA GT Championship. Of them 15 are GT1 cars. Here the #12 Larbre Compétition Ferrari 550 Maranello of Calderari/Brynner/Zacchia is, just as it was already at the Tourist Trophy, absent. The same holds for the #13 Reiter Engineering Lamborgini Murcielago R-GT. Three of the four Mase-ratis have to start with weight penalties from 60 to 80 kg, so that they are  handicapped in their struggle against the Maranello Ferraris and the Belgian Corvette C5-R. The Saleens, now complete at the start, can use their wider rear wing, so that much is expected from them. The G.P.C. Sports Ferraris 575 GTC are here with their new and more powerful motor, so that they are expected to be able defeating at least the Maranellos, the Saleens and the old Lister.
In GT2 we find only 7 cars, 6 Porsches and the non competitive Ferrari 360 Modena of the Cirtek team. The ARC Bratislava Porsche makes at least its first show. New too is the Porsche RSR of Lammertink Racing. The Ebimotor Porsche RSR was earlier seen at the opening round in Monza. Further we have our four regular GT2 entrants: the two Gruppe M works Porsches RSR, the Porsche RS of the Reids and the similar car of Jan Vonka.
In G2 Shaun Balfe's Mosler MT900R - race after race closer to the unbeatable works Porsches of Gruppe M - has one opponent, the Belgian Vertigo Streiff.

FREE PRACTICE
On Friday, at the first free practice session, we find the four Maseratis within one second among the top-5. It's a pleasure to see that the Saleens, with their wider rear spoiler, are again competiteve, at least the #7 Graham Nash Motorsport, realising the second best time in 1'47"947. Fastest time is for the #16 JMB Racing Maserati MC12. Serious deception comes from the Vertigo Streiff. At the Spa-Francorchamps 24 hours the same car caused at three occasions a stir, so that it was expected that the yellow car could be a serious opponent to the two works Porsches. While they clock times as 1'52"852 and 1'52"864, the Vertigo comes no further than a poor 2'00"969, letting only the Reid Porsche, the Vonka Porsche, the ARC Porsche and the non competitive Russian Ferrari 360 Modena behind.
Despite high temperatures most times go down at the second free practice session on Friday afternoon. Fastest man on the track now is Mike Hezemans. In the Belgian Corvette C5-R he clocks 1'46"481, which is nearly a full second faster than what was done by the second fastest man, Michael Bartels in the #9 Vitaphone Maserati MC12, realising 1'47"298. Nearly all other times are slower than in the morning session. In GT2, however, the two works Porsches of Gruppe M improve their morning-session times, clocking now 1'52"316 and 1'52"324. They are followed by Shaun Balfe's Mosler in 1'54"009. With 1'58"805 the Vertigo remains far from its direct concurrent, the Mosker. It is more than six full seconds per lap slower than the two works Porsches. At the second qualification session the ARC Bratislava Porsche RS is written off with a blown up motor. The car will not start at the qualification and is returned to Slovakia.

QUALIFICATIONS
As usual the first qualification session is the one where the best times are set, especially now, with temperatures over 40° Celsius in the morning session against more than 50° Celsius in the afternoon session. Longtime it looked as if Pedro Lamy in the #11 Larbre Compétition Ferrari 550 Maranello would be the man on the pole, since around mid-session he realised a screaming 1'46"126, faster than any time at the free practice sessions. Midway the session Bert Longin (B) in the yellow Corvette C5-R clocked the third best time. Then the car came in for some adjustments and Mike Hezemans took over the wheel. In the penultimate lap, long after Lamy parked his Ferrari 550 Maranello, he improved Lamy's time, setting a fantastic 1'45"835 on the tables and realising his eight career pole position. Good to know that in four rounds four different makes took TQ.

If one realises that in the AMLS a similar Corvette C5-R is systematically beaten by the two new works Corvettes C6-R, being each time more than a full second per lap faster than the C5-R, that lets expect that at Le Mans the Ferraris Maranello will be no match for the very reliable Corvettes C6-R, having won the two last rounds at the AMLS. Only at Sebring the American machinery was beaten by the fastastic Aston Martin DBR9.
Eventually six cars will finish among the same se-cond. In third position we find Philipp Peter's #16 JMB Maserat (without ballast)i, heading Bartels's Vitapho-ne Maserati, Christophe Bouchut's RAR Maranello 550 and the GNM Saleen, equipped with the wider rear spoiler. The #8 GNM Saleen, where we find Enea Casoni - son of the legendary Mario Casoni - at the wheel has to do with the small spoiler, the wider one costing $49000 what is quite a lot for a simple carousel car the #8 is. Five other cars follow within less than two seconds of the C5-R: the Babini/Biagi Maserati, the two Ferraris 575GTC, the Lechner/Bobbi Konrad Saleen and the poorly driven Bertolini/Wendlinger Maserati. On the 12th place the Lister is already at 4 seconds, on the 13th place the carousel Saleen at 6 seconds. Emmanuel Collard is fastest in GT2 with the Gruppe M Porsche, good for 1'51"082 against 1'52"752 for the Mosler, 1'53"171 for the Ebimotors Porsche and 1'56"144 for the disappointing Vertigo. Very low key is the Cirtek Modena in an ashaming 1'58"165.