Comentarios de los Ganadores
1st Place - nr9 AutOrlando Sport Porsche 997 GT3 R
- © Blancpain 2011BESMonza_jb_3071.jpg (367.05 KiB) Visto 8191 veces
Gianluca Roda : “I started and had a good start, and was third at the first corner. After that, I controlled the race as I knew that my competitors were very hard. I tried to give the car over in a good condition. A good job for me and I’m very happy.”
Raffaele Gianmaria : “My stint was quite good. At the exit of the pit lane I was P5. I tried to have a good speed but not to stress the tyres too much, because I saw that many cars had problems with tyres. It was important to go fast but not to push too much as fuel consumption was a big problem for the others but not for us. The tyres in the last 20 minutes of my stint were a big problem. I tried to arrive at the end of my stint in a good condition. Then Paolo did a good finish”
Paolo Ruberti : “My last stint was not pushing to the maximum as we knew that other cars would stop to do a splash and dash. I tried not to make any mistakes to get to the end and win. I am very happy, my team mates and team did a great job, the tyre change was very fast. Now we’ll have to see in the next race. I am really happy that we won in Italy, in front of friends and family. I like Monza, I did pole position in the FIA GT here a few years ago. I am very, very happy.”
2nd Place - nr32 Belgian Audi Club Audi R8 LMS
Stephane Ortelli : “Actually my start was not very good, but I knew we had a good car, with perhaps an extreme set-up but very fast, which may be why we had the puncture, we were at the maximum. But I really enjoyed it thanks to the reliability of the car, fighting for the win When I saw Felipe took the lead I was very happy. For Bert and myself it is also very special as we were team-mates before with Porsche and now we are back together and got our first podium together. Felipe is a newcomer and has a tough year with two programmes, so thanks for what he did today.”
Bert Longin : “There was no damage after the puncture – we were just a bit surprised with this puncture, but the set-up was very aggressive to find some speed.. When I took the car back from Stephane I saw p14 on the board so was a bit disappointed. But I set a pace where I could move up to around 5th. The stint was good, with no mistakes, so I could hand over the car in a good shape, and what he did was great. I am very glad that Audi selected me to drive with these two guys, who are very good, very quick, good guys, so I am very happy today, and I hope we can continue like this. For the Total 24 Hours of Spa it will be very important. It was a very nice race with no incidents.”
Felipe Albuquerque : I enjoyed it a lot and was impressed with the pace of these two guys. Stephane came from the back and did a good job and bErt climbed up from p14. We had to adapt the driving style, but didn’t want to have th same as before. Unfortunately we had to do another pit stop. But we couldn’t be happier than this. For my first endurance race, I have a lot to learn from these two fast drivers. We have to congratulate the team, it’s really demanding for two men to change four drivers along is really a big job. This tastes like a victory after all we’ve been through. With three pit stops and a splash and dash it was a lot of work. I’ve never driven in Navarra, but I’m not worried about it, I adapt quickly.”
3rd Place - nr 40 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT
Marcus Palttala : “It’s good to be back on the podium. It was really a good race for us, we also blew out one tyre, so to finish third is almost like a victory for us. It was a really great ending from Max. The traffic was not too bad, everyone was driving fairly. We were defending, fighting, but not a single touch. It’s a bit tricky with the GT4 cars, but it is part of the game and I enjoyed it.”
Bas Leinders :” I had the tyre that blew at the left front after just 20 minutes which was quite surprising. I think maybe a slow puncture as it started to pull to the left a few laps before while braking, which was rather a strange feeling. Then it blew, which was quite surprising, but I managed to continue to the pits. Some cooling ducts were damaged, but I had one new and three used tyres so the balance was a bit awkward. I am personally very happy with third place, and especially happy with the kind of racing we saw today. It was all very fair and sporting, really good fun, and a good show, so I would like to congratulate Stephane Ratel and SRO for this wonderful concept.”
Maxime Martin : “It is completely different from GT1 and GT3; we have to manage a car for three hours, and a lot longer, with 24 at Spa. It’s more difficult than in GT1 but we have to thank the team who did very a very good job – this podium is for them. As for Navarra, we’ll see how it goes but I think it will be even better there.”
Winner GT3 Pro-Am Cup - nr24 Blancpain-Reiter Lamborghini LP560
- © Blancpain 2011BESMonza_jb_2904.jpg (232.45 KiB) Visto 8191 veces
Marc A Hayak : “It was fantastic. I think at the beginning they told me not to overdo it, it was a long race. I’d like to thank the team, the car was great, the pit stop was great, and the racing was great – very fair. It was really perfect. I’m more than happy to finish fourth and first in category. It is great to see the success of the new Blancpain Endurance Series, it’s great sport and a great concept. I am very happy with the organization, fantastic to be part of it.”
Peter Kox : “It’s never easy, but it was a fantastic day for us. The Reiter Lamborghini performed really well. We wanted to get away with points, and to get a win was fantastic. This was Marc’s GT3 second win, but the difference is that in Spa he drove the least, and today he drove the most. Navarra suits the Lamborghini better than this circuit; we outdid our expectations this time, but we should be even better in Navarra.”
Winner GT3 Citation Cup - nr31 Ruffier Racing Lamborghini Gallardo
- © Blancpain 2011BESMonza_jb_1711.jpg (294.85 KiB) Visto 8190 veces
Georges Cabanne : “The start was a bit hot, but I made no mistakes – this was a great win.”
Grégory Guilvert : “ I would like to congratulate the whole Ruffier team – it’s an old car but a good one, we made no mistakes and won the class. Georges knows Navarra, but I don’t know it yet.”
Winner GT4 Cup: Lotus Italia Lotus Evora GT4
- © Blancpain 2011BESMonza_jb_2643.jpg (326.33 KiB) Visto 8190 veces
Eduardo Piscopo: “We had a good start, and I enjoyed the first laps fighting with the Nissan. He was faster in a straight line, and I could catch up on braking. Then he started struggling with tyres, and I started pulling away, and handed over a good car. I am really happy for Lotus and Scuderia Guidici. We were focused on our race and didn’t bother with the GT3 cars. It’s a really nice category, and I really enjoyed being here. “
Leo Mansell : “We had a great battle with the Nissan, all three of us, fighting all through the race . The car was great all weekend, we struggled a bit with tyres, but all did around here. Lotus did an amazing job, giving us a very reliable car. It was a typical sprint endurance race – keep out of trouble and get to the finish. I am very happy for the team and everyone. Fingers crossed we can keep it going through the year.”
Greg Mansell : “It was really good for the first two laps, the Nissan and I swapped four times. Then unfortunately we came together, touched at the Parabolica. Damaged the front left of my car and he got damage too, so then it was trying to survive. But the Lotus held together and we got to the end. It’s a tribute to the series how competitive it was. We all drove 100% through the race. The car held together and it was touch and go until the end. I really enjoyed it.”
