round #7 2005 FIA GT: OSCHERSLEBEN (D), August 28

1-2 FOR MASERATI MC12 DESPITE BALLAST

THE ENTRY - Of all rounds of the 2005 FIA GT series the one at small Oschersleben circuit, where passing is nearly impossible, was the most boring. Entry was down to 23 cars. The GNM Saleens didn't start, but the two Konrad Saleens were present after having missed three rounds. Back too were the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT and the Polish Saleen. Regular entrants were the four Maseratis, the two GPC Ferraris 575 GTC, the Russian Ferrari 550 Maranello, the Larbre Compétition #11 Ferrari 550 Maranello in its Spa colours, the Lister and the yellow Corvette. New was the yellow Wieth Ferrari 550 Maranello, however not competitive at all on its unadapted Dunlops. GT2 was even poorer than at the former rounds, now with only seven cars on the grid: the two regular Gruppe M works Porsches, the regular Proton and Vonka Porsche, the Ebi Motors Porsche, the Lammertink Porsche and a non-competitive GPC Ferrari 360 Modena. In G2 the Mosler was again alone. 

QUALIFICATIONS
As usual the sharpest times were realised during the first quali-fication session. Initially the GPC Ferrari 575 GTC of Jean-Denis Deletraz set the fastest time in 1'23"362. However, eventually the two Vitaphone Maseatis were the two fastest cars, despite 90 kg of ballast for Bartels (pole in 1'22"991) and 50 kg for Babini (second in 1'23"072). Once more the Corvette was fast, now good for a third time in 1'23"123. Deletraz's 575GTC was fourth, followed by Philipp Peter in the #16 Red Bull Maserati. Here Chris Buncombe has been replaced (for financial reasons) by Marcello Zani. Roman Rusinov, active in a GT race in Russia, was replaced in the same car by Arjan van der Zwaan. On the sixth place we found the #5 Konrad Saleen, followed by the R.A.R. Ferrari, the #15 Maserati (100 kg of ballast) and the Larbre Competition Ferrari. All Ferraris were struggling with unadapted tyres. In GT2 the Gruppe M Porsches were once more 2"5 seconds faster than the fastest other Porsche.

THE RACE: TWO FIRST HOURS
Start was given under a sunny sky. Already during the first lap the Corvette, with Hezemans at the wheel, could pass Babini in the #10 Vitaphone. During the fifth lap Scheider's #9 Vitaphone was also passed by the Corvette and two laps later even by the sister car. In the Lamborghini Norman Simon was spinning during the second lap, provoking a flat tyre during the following lap. So the car had to continue with a two lap arrear after only five laps. After ten laps the song was over for the Polish Saleen S7-R. Both Konrad Saleens, now equipped with a new rear, the same as on the Acemco Saleen in the AMLS, were in front of the five GT1 Ferraris, all victims of wrong tyres. Especially the #5 Konrad Saleen, where Robert Lechner found Jean-Marc Gounon as team mate, had no problems to follow the pace set by the three front runners.
After 15 laps Timo Scheider could pass the two cars in front to set the pace. During the first pit stop the Corvette could reconquer the lead, since Scheider's car had ignition problems to start from the pits. The #9 Maserati, earlier winner of the Spa 24 hours, had to wait lap 58 to pass the Corvette, exactly at the moment that both cars were lapping the two Gruppe M Porsches involved in a gruelling combat for the first place in GT2. At that moment the Corvette had lost a bit of its speed when Bert Longin collided with the #87 Lammertink Porsche, damaging the left front of the car.The Porsche was beyond repair and abandoned. Twelve laps further, the other Vitaphone Maserati, having had ignition problems too at the refuelling, touched slightly the right front of the Corvette on passing the car for the second place. At mid-race we found still seven cars in the same lap: 1. #9 Mase-rati, 2. #10 Maserati, 3. #6 Corvette, 4. #15 Red Bull Maserati, 5. #16 Red Bull Maserati, 6. #5 Konrad Saleen and 7. #2 GPC Ferrari 575 GTC.
With the Corvette loosing valuable time in the pits for small body repairs, we found the four Maseratis at the four first places after two hours of racing. Fastest car on the track was now the Lambor-ghini, having lost two entire laps earlier in the race. The Lambo was now already eighth, preceeded by the four Maseratis, the #5 Konrad Saleen and the #3 GPC Ferrari 575GTC.

THE RACE: LAST HOUR
Some 30 minutes before the end of the race the #9 Vitaphone Maserati of Bartels/Scheiders - having earlier been passed by the #10 sister car of Babini/Biagi - came in for refuelling. The engine refused to fire up during more than a minute. Bartels succeeded to rejoin the track, but electrical problems became at once obvious. One lap later the car was again in the garage. All efforts to solve the problems were of no avail and the car was retired. The wounded Corvette was now again second, struggling with the #15 Red Bull Maserati of Wendlinger/Bertolini (the provisional championship's leaders) carrying 100 kilogram ballast. Kumpen defended his second place like a lion, but eventually was passed by the Red Bull car. Around the same moment the #5 Saleen of Lechner/Gounon could move up into fourth position by passing the #16 Red Bull Maserati of Peter/Zani/Van der Zwaan. It were the five cars being still in the lead lap. Behind them the #3 GPC Ferrari 550 Mara-nello lost its seventh place after a stupid collosion with the Ferrari 360 Modena of ...the same team. The Lamborghini succeeded unlapping but came one lap short for victory. Positions didn't change no longer and Babini/Biagi won their first FIA GT round of the season, ahead of the championship's leaders Wend-linger/Bertolini in the Red Bull Maserati and Hezemans/Longin/Kumpen in the Corvette. In GT2 the lighter #88 Gruppe M Porsche of Collard/Sugden won from the #66 Porsche of the same team. During the race both works Porsches were 5 full seconds per lap faster than all other Porsches. The Proton Porsche of the Reids finished as third in GT2, 8 laps down to the class winners. [JPVR]