2006
GRAND PRIX MASTERS, GRAND PRIX VOOR EX-F1 PILOTEN Vierde maal Overwinnaar 24uren Francorchamps
2006
Tuesday 4th April 2006 (LONDON) : The Grand Prix Masters World Series is today proud to announce the provisional driver entry list for the opening round at Qatar ' s Losail International Raceway on 29th April. In addition to the legendary names that graced the inaugural race event last November at Kyalami (South Africa), the series is delighted to announce the involvement of ex-Formula One racers Pierluigi Martini (Italian), Eric van de Poele (Belgium) and Alex Caffi (Italian) who will assume the role of Official Test & Safety Car driver for the series.
With less than four weeks remaining between now and the season-opener at the state-of-the-art Losail International Raceway, the organisers are busy undertaking testing and preparation work for the field of 15 race cars that will contest the first four-wheeled motor race ever held in Qatar. Ahead of the move to a brand new purpose-designed facility, the Grand Prix MastersWorld Series is making temporary shared use of a facility at Silverstone (Northamptonshire, UK) and it was from there that last week ' s nine car shakedown was successfully undertaken by the three new driver signings. Bob Berridge, Head of Race Operations: " It ' s been an extremely busy time for us recently as we continue to push hard in preparation for our season opener in Qatar. Signing new drivers, new sponsors, new personnel and preparing for our upand-coming move to a new facility are just a few examples of the behind-the-scenes activity we have all been preoccupied with recently. The most important thing right now, however, is the pre-event testing programme and I am delighted to report a successful two-day test undertaken at Silverstone at the end of last week. Our three new driver signings shared between them a total of nine cars and between them accumulated around 500 miles of trouble-free mileage. It ' s been quite a while since Martini, van de Poele and Caffi hung up their F1 boots and to see them blasting around Silverstone last week in Grand Prix cars was quite something, especially considering how on the pace they were! They were all lapping within a few tenths of each other thereby reminding us yet again of how little raw speed any of our Masters have lost since their glory days in the sport.We will be undertaking more testing this week with six more chassis ' . "
2006 Alex Caffi (Italy): " I actually tested for Grand Prix Masters last October at the first Silverstone test but I am too young to beeligible to race given the 45-years age limit. Too old, yes, but I never believed I ' d see a day when I was considered ' too young' to race! Anyway, they say life begins at 40 right and here I am! I am delighted to be assuming testing duties alongside some of the greatest names in motorsport. I believe immensely in this series and the golden history of Grand Prix racing that it represents and did so well to re-create in Kyalami last year. I have now accumulated considerable test mileage in these cars and I cannot tell you how much fun they are to drive! The speed and grip on offer are on par with what many of these Masters won their world championships with and from speaking to my fellow drivers in the series, everyone is besotted by the machinery Grand Prix Masters have produced. All I have to now do is age by one more year before being in a position to race the machinery that I am so proud to test and develop for this outstanding new series. " Pierluigi Martini (Italy): " The Grand Prix Masters car is better than the last Formula One car I drove back in the mid 1990s! Last week at Silverstone was my first-ever outing in what many other drivers have described to me as a sensational racing car - and they ' re not wrong! I achieved around 60 laps in total but it was certainly enough to have me hooked and signed-up to the series. I have raced against many of these guys in the past including Mansell, Fittipaldi, Patrese and DeCesaris to name but a few and the camaraderie and team spirit amongst us all is ultimately the defining difference between Grand Prix Masters and anything else in motorsport. The rivalry and desire to beat each other, however, will be no different to yester-year, if not even greater this time round! " Eric van de Poele (Belgium): " Signing up for the Grand Prix Masters World Series is the big present in life I never expected! I left Formula One in 1992 and while there were many other race series to keep busy with, nothing was ever as satisfying or as exhilarating as top level single seater racing. Aft er leaving the sport, I tried my hand at sports car racing in North America and alongside Fermin Velez, we took Ferrari to victory at the 1995 12-hour endurance race at Sebring. I now run my own business in Belgium and never ever expected to find myself sitting in a 600bhp Grand Prix car like I was at Silverstone last week. My fellow countrymen will be more surprised than I am! Apart from the fabulous cars we have, the biggest incentive for me was the opportunity to work with and drive alongside these guys in what is a refreshing environment. Our series is not a technology war, political war or spending war as we see in F1 right now. We are therefore under no pressure apart from what we put onto ourselves. It is this personality-driven team spirit which the fans loved so much in Kyalami last year and what we hope to re-create at the fantastic circuits we will be gracing over the course of this year. "
2006 1. Rene Arnoux (France) 2. Eddie Cheever (USA) 3. Christian Danner (Germany) 4. Andrea de Cesaris (Italy) 5. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) 6. Stefan Johansson (Sweden) 7. Jan Lammers (Netherlands) 8. Nigel Mansell (Britain) 9. Pierluigi Martini (Italy) 10. Eliseo Salazar (Chile) 11. Hans Stuck (Germany) 12. Riccardo Patrese (Italy) 13. Patrick Tambay (France) 14. Eric van de Poele (Belgium) 15.Derek Warwick (Britain) Alex Caffi (Italy) Official Test and Safety Car driver
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Eerste race op het circuit te QATAR
TRACK TEMPERATURE/ 52 degrees Ambient temp : 33 degrees Race Day : Sat 29th April THURSDAY 27TH APRIL 2006 (DOHA, QATAR):
2006 A soaring track temperature of 52 degrees greeted the drivers this afternoon as the debut 2006 Qtel Masters of Qatar got underway for the second of today's free practice sessions. The layout of the technically challenging Losail International Raceway circuit has since yesterday become more familiar to the drivers and combined with improved grip, it was Pierluigi Martini (Italy) who set the quickest time of the day at 1.47.549s thereby eclipsing this year's Moto GP pole position time by almost 8 seconds! In second place was Nigel Mansell (Britain), followed by Eric Van de Poele (Belgium), Christian Danner (Germany), Stefan Johansson (Sweden) and Eddie Cheever (USA).
Scott Poulter (CEO, Grand Prix Masters): "We have enjoyed two days of successful and trouble free mileage and one thing is for sure - this Losail International Raceway Circuit is more than prepared for top-level four-wheeled motor racing. On behalf of GP Masters, I just want to say that we are extremely proud to be contesting the first ever racing car event in Qatar and all thanks must go to QMMF President, Mr Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, for having the vision of starting such a phenomenal facility that suits both bikes and racing cars alike. Our drivers have been waxing lyrical about this circuit and it's testament to the ingenuity and commitment of everyone at QMMF. We look forward to what promises to be an awesome debut event in Qatar for both GP Masters and QMMF. 1st Pierluigi Martini (Italy): "I am extremely pleased to have set the best time today but let's see what the rest of the weekend brings. These are extremely quick drivers and it will be far from easy to be in P1 after tomorrow's all important qualifying session. My last race was in Sebring in 2000 and like so many of the Masters, I never expected to see a day when I would be sitting alongside such great friends from the past. It really is a pleasure to share the race track again with such great names and especially in these magnificent racing cars. These GP Masters cars are much better to drive than the last F1 car I drove and quicker too! I used a new set of tyres today for my quick lap and after 15 laps set the fastest time. Tomorrow will be a lot harder for sure and I cannot wait to get back out there." 2nd Nigel Mansell (Britain): "A very testing circuit indeed and one which really pushes both car and driver. I have saved a set of new tyres for tomorrow. Qualifying at the top end will be the key to winning here on Saturday. The extremely long straight here re minds me very much of the Indianapolis straight and if you are behind 4 or 5 cars, you'll benefit from a big tow. The circuit here changes from lap to lap and we still have a fair bit of set-up work to complete in an effort to improve the lap times. Some other drivers have a better set-up and I'll be studying their data this evening to better understand this. There is still more lap time to extract from the car and tomorrow's free practice session will hopefully allow us to find this ahead of qualifying. The circuit here really is something very special. It really has pioneered something new for motor racing in Qatar and I want to congratulate everyone involved in designing, building and hosting this world-class
2006 facility." 3rd Eric Van de Poele (Belgium): "I feel really fantastic about finishing in 3rd place today and I have to thank Scott Poulter (CEO, Grand Prix Masters) and Bob Berridge (Head of Race Operations) for letting me race amongst this field of great names. The experience really is second to none. My first Grand Prix was exactly 15 years ago and while I did four races last year, I certainly never expected to be sitting in a 600 horse power grand prix car alongside names like Mansell, Fittipaldi and so many others. The feeling just gets better after each lap at what is a superb track. The fast corners are very fast indeed and having now learned exactly the lines into each corner, the unfamiliarity of yesterday is behind us. The circuit doesn't benefit from any real reference points and this is what makes it that much harder and challenging in places. Getting 16 race cars prepared to the high standard achieved also deserves credit and I want to thank the technical and engineering team for producing a stunning line-up of perfectly prepared race cars. My only other ambition now is to take this series to Spa in my homeland of Belgium! It is a perfect place for GP Masters to be and I am sure the crowds would be mega. It is a logical progression and I will do whatever I can to help make that dream come true." 4th Christian Danner (Germany): "A pleasing day and a lot of fun too. Everything from the cars, the series and the team spirit amongst us is about enjoying competitive fun. The circuit was really tricky in the beginning but it is now getting faster and faster for us all. The grip was very low to start with but the track isn't so 'green' anymore. The speeds through some of the faster corners are quite astonishing and I am now using higher gears to cope with this. A track temperature of 52 degrees is very high yes, but I don't really find it that much of an issue. Unlike Malaysia where the humidity is extremely unforgiving, this place enjoys baking heat but very dry. In many ways, it's quite pleasant actually! A great deal of credit must go to QMMF for having the vision to host us. A really great idea and one which clearly works as we have all discovered to our joy." 5th Stefan Johansson (Sweden): "The track has certainly changed for the better since yesterday and I am pleased with the set-up gains we have made. In fact, we got a little lost yesterday and we have today returned the car back to its original set-up. These GP Masters cars are very sensitive and the track too changes from lap to lap. Quite a challenge but one we are all taking full advantage of in terms of preparing for tomorrow and ultimately Saturday. In fact, the whole series has got a lot more competitive since South Africa. I was gutted after my retirement at the first race and I guess it's no wonder. We all come from top level motorsport and it just never leaves your system. The desire to keep winning stays with you and I'm not surprised to see the competitive bar raised for this weekend's race." 6th Eddie Cheever (USA): "It's great to be back with these cars racing alongside these guys. I'm doing the Indy 500 later this year and have already done a couple of IRL races to prepare for this. In fact, it all began at the GP Masters South Africa race where I was so embarrassed by my performance! It made me really think about getting back on the pace and after thousands of miles on the bike and in the swimming pool, I'm still only 6th fastest today! Jokes aside, the level has really gone up amongst the Masters and everyone is fast. The circuit too is extremely demanding both physically and technically. You go through some of the faster corners so quick that it feels at times like a video
2006 game! The design has been very thoroughly thought out and the built-in safety margin is high! A great race beckons for Saturday!"
Track temp : 60 degrees Ambient temp : 30 degrees Race Day : Sat 29th April FRIDAY 28TH APRIL 2006 (DOHA, QATAR): It's hard to remember a grand prix race that has ever been hosted with a track temperature of 60 degrees but that's exactly what greeted 15 drivers today as the 2006 Qtel Masters of Qatar qualifying session got underway this afternoon at 15:00 hours local time. The blistering heat of the desert was reflected by the even more blistering pace of the Masters and as was the case at the inaugural round in South Africa, Britain's Nigel Mansell starts tomorrows race from pole position with a fastest lap time of 1.46.926s followed by Christian Danner (2nd, Germany), Derek Warwick (3rd, Britain), Ricardo Patrese (4th, Italy), Pierluigi Martini (5th, Italy) and Emerson Fittipaldi (6th, Brazil). The 5.8km Losail International Raceway will host Qatar's first ever four-wheeled motor race and with Mansell obliterating the Moto GP qualifying time from three weeks ago by almost 9 seconds, tomorrow's 24 lap race promises to be nothing short of an ultimate test of endurance and speed. Mr Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (President, QMMF): "I would like to welcome the Masters to Qatar and to the Losail International Raceway circuit. It has been our dream to host such great and iconic names from grand prix racing and we are extremely happy to have this opportunity. GP Masters adds huge value to our racing vision here in Qatar and it really is a dream come true for everyone at QMMF. We hope for a long future together and look forward to a good and action
2006 packed race here tomorrow." (1st) Nigel Mansell: "I am of course delighted to be on pole for tomorrow's race but it got a bit worrying out there today for a moment as one of my earlier best laps was aborted because of a red flag. In the end, however, it came to me and it was simply awesome. The heat, however, was something else! It will be one hell of a race tomorrow, especially when you consider how close the lap times today were with just under a second being the difference between P1 and P6. Again, I want to thank and express my congratulations to everyone responsible for bringing this show to Qatar. Both GP Masters and QMMF have done an amazing job and we are extremely proud to be contesting Qatar's first ever grand prix race tomorrow." (2nd) Christian Danner: "I feel very happy and have no complaints. In fact, I am as happy today as I have been all the way along as part of this fantastic series. The track changed from this morning and it was therefore difficult to rely completely on that knowledge. I pushed very hard throughout the session and at one point came off the track but that's the good thing about this circuit in that the safety margin is very high and there are no walls to smash into! Qatar has made us all extremely welcome and tomorrow we will aim to deliver a first class racing event in what are for sure very tough and fast conditions." (3rd) Derek Warwick: "You come here for only one thing and that is pole position but starting from the second row will do me. I will simply have to chase Nigel into the first corner and hope for an opening somewhere. Nigel did a stunning job today to set that pole time and even though the grip level was somewhat worse than this morning, this track really is up there as one of the most demanding we have ever seen. P3 is a much improved start position from my first race in South Africa and I hope I can carry that form into tomorrow." (4th) Ricardo Patrese: "What a great afternoon and one I am very proud and happy to be a part of. Again, I was surprised by the pace of these gentlemen and as for the heat, it was something else out there today it really was. We had to adapt quickly to the changing track conditions compared to the morning but in the end, second row is fantastic and I know we are in for a really hard battle tomorrow. The atmosphere at this circuit today was great and as in South Africa, the desire to beat each other tomorrow will be no different. A truly amazing pace was set today and I know I'm in for a tough time tomorrow from these guys." (5th) Pierluigi Martini: "Given that I only entered the series for the first time last week, I could not have asked for better than P5 amongst these great names. Just fantastic! My lap times got better and better over the session and apart from one small mistake, I don't think I could have pushed any harder out there today in what are very unforgiving conditions at a very quick race track. It will be a wonderful but testing race tomorrow." (6th) Emerson Fittipaldi: "What a beautiful job they have done with this track and without doubt one of the most demanding race tracks I have ever driven during my career! It's very technically demanding and to be honest, I wish I had a GPS system on my car! It will be a historical first race for Qatar tomorrow and the world will be
2006 watching, especially Brazil given the free-to-air TV deal we announced alongside Brazilian broadcaster SBT last week. I want to thank everyone at QMMF and all the lads who have worked so hard to get my car prepared after the issues we had yesterday. I also want to congratulate Nigel for grabbing the P1 spot today. What a blinding pace he showed out there! He clearly has no respect for age!"
Track temp : 58 degrees Ambient temp : 39 degrees RACE DAY - SATURDAY 29TH APRIL 2006 (DOHA, QATAR): Britain's Nigel Mansell took 1st place today at the Losail International Raceway in Qatar at what many have described as the hottest race in living memory. The Doha desert heat produced almost unbearable conditions as a track temperature of 58 degrees was recorded at the start of the event. A cock-pit temperature of 77 degrees was recorded with the highest previously known to be 68 degrees! Mansell, who started from pole, led the incident packed race from the beginning and recorded his second consecutive victory following his win at the inaugural round in South Africa. Germany ' s Christian Danner finished in second place and Belgian debutant Eric Van de Poele came home in 3rd. Eddie Cheever (USA) was fourth, Warwick (Britain) fifth and also making his GP Masters debut was Pierluigi Martini who finished in 6th.
Th e six fastest laps overall were split by a mere tenth of a second in a race that produced drama in the way of overtaking, safety cars, retirements and at times four cars running abreast down Losail ' s 1068m main straight. Out of the15 that started, 12 cars finished with De Cesaris (Italy), Salazar (Chile) and Stuck (Germany) retiring. (1st) Nigel Mansell: " A brilliant result but an incredibly tough race out there today. It was a tactical race right from the very start and the pace was really quick out there. I was pleased with the set-up strategy we had adopted on the car because as you saw, I had problems going with turns one and two but the last four corners is what we specially set the car up for and that ' s what ultimately won me the race. About three laps into the race, I suffered a seat installation problem which must have been caused by the high g-loadings but in the end, it came good. These guys were catching me down the main straight and as you saw, I was weaving around
2006 the place to avoid anyone getting a tow off me. The first re-start after the safety car was great as I caught everyone unaware and got a great head start. A fantastic weekend all round and my congratulations to everyone involved in staging a truly stunning event. Qatar has made us all feel extremely welcome and we very much look forward to racing here again in the near future. " (2nd) Christian Danner: " It ' s great to finish 2nd behind Nigel but unfortunately, it could have been better today. Eddie (Cheever) who was in second place at the time seemed sound asleep when the safety car went back in and Nigel by that point had got a huge lead on the re-start. I saw it coming and knew exactly what Nigel was doing but there was nothing I could do. I did have a chance to maybe beat Nigel today but I never really got into a rhythm with my car. It took a few laps before the grip really kicked in and by then, we had a safety car period again. I am, however, very happy with what we have all achieved this weekend and second place will do me - this time. " (3rd) Eric Van de Poele : " It ' s been nearly fifteen years since my last grand prix and to be on the podium again today was simply awesome! I can still hardly believe it. The race was certainly not short of action and there were so many battles going on up and down the pack but I was lucky as on each lap I found less and less cars in front of me. My race set-up was also the correct one as we put on more wing to compensate for understeer. This worked a treat and really played to my advantage on this super fast and enjoyable circuit. This track really has proved its worth this weekend and for sure more cars need to come racing here. We ' ll certainly be back I hope and in the meantime, my thanks to everyone at GP Masters for producing this amazing show. " (4th) Eddie Cheever: " I was really in with a great chance today but it all went to pot after the first safety car with what has to be the worst green flag drop I have seen in 30 years of racing. During the safety car, I was really looking forward to making a charge towards the last ten laps but the green flag dropped way too early. Nigel put his foot down and got a massive advantage on me. I couldn ' t believe it! I don ' t blame Nigel for taking full advantage of what was clearly a shocking judgement call from the marshal. Nigel did what any driver would do and today he got away with it. The car felt really good and I made up a lot of places today to prepare myself for what would have been a serious charge towards the front but there you go. Happy I am not! " (5th) Derek Warwick: " The car was fantastic today and had loads of grip from the start. It was clear that Nigel was having problems and we were all backed up behind him. Pierluigi then went on the inside of me at one of the corners but I kept the pressure up. He ran wide at the hairpin and I went up the inside and cut straight back but spun! From there it was simply flat out playing catch-up. I passed about four or five cars and got a good jump after the two safety car incidents. I kept up the fight and in the end managed to get my own back on Pierluigi. Fifth place is what came at the end of the day but had it not been for the spin, a podium position would have definitely been mine today. It ' s been a great weekend of racing and no doubt we ' ll look to settle some scores at Silverstone in a few weeks from now. "
2006 (6th) Pierluigi Martini: " A great experience for me and one which I hope to recreate very soon with this superb GP Masters series. I was extremely happy in the car today and drove a really enjoyable and hard race. I remained close at all times to the front runners but was losing some speed down the main straight. I also made a mistake during the safety car period and lost position but in the bigger scheme of things, I am very happy to have finished 6th given that I never ever thought I would be racing grand prix cars with these guys again. Nobody appears to have lost any of the speed, competitiveness or tenacity from yester-year and that ' s what is so amazing. Thank you to everyone who has worked so tirelessly on my car this weekend and congratulations to GP Masters and QMMF for pulling off a historical event in this fabulous country. "
Felicitaties voor winnaar Mansell
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Op het podium met Christian Danner en Nigel Mansell Tekst en beelden gebruikt van de officiële website van de GP masters www.gpmasters.com
In actie tijdens de race te Qatar
2006 11-06-2006 12U van SPA Dit jaar komt Eric weer uit voor het Jaguar team tijdens de 12uren van SPA.De Jaguar behoort eigenlijk tot de categorie van de silhouetten.Deze uithoudingsrace werd georganiseerd in het kader van de BTCS. Eric reed dit jaar samen in de wagen met Chouvel en Mathieu,tijdens de race kwam hij kort aan de leiding tijdens een eerste interventie van de safety car,maar moest al vlug naar de pits met een kortsluitin om uiteindelijk op te moeten geven met alternator problemen. Uiteindelijk werd de race gewonnen door Thiry-Deman & Corthals met de andere Jaguar Silhouet.
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18 juni 2006 Nurburgring Nordschleife 24 uren Op 18 juni werden de 24uren van de Nurburgring verreden op de Nordschleife,het orginele circuit. Eric reed er met een Maserati Gran Sport Laboratorio Chassis nr 2340 wagen nr 7 samen met Andrea Bertoli-Michael Bartels en Giani Giudici,deze wagen werd ingeschreven door het Vitaphone racing team met wie Eric ook de komende 24uren van Francorchamps gaat rijden. De wagen heeft dezelfde specificaties als de wagens die meerijden met de Gran Sport Trofea,dit zijn bijna seriawagens met als grootste aanpassingen rolbeugels,kooi,brandblussers en een speciale set-up voor deze baan.
Er gingen 230 wagens van start en na 4.5 uur reed Eric op de 5de plaats na op de 10de start positie te zijn vertrokken. Tijdens een gele vlag situatie werd Eric door een andere deelnemer geramd waarbij de motorkap opensloeg,de beschadiging was zo zwaar dat er op het circuit niet voldoende gerepareerd kon worden om de wagen terug in de pits te krijgen en jammer genoeg betekende dit de opgave.Gelukkig geen gekwetsten.
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2006 Presentatie 24uren van Spa Francorchamps In het kasteel van Terhulpen te Brussel werd een pers vorstelling gegeven door het Vitaphone racing team voor de komende 24uren van Spa Francorchamps.
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Tijdens de donderdag training van de 24uren Foto AvB
2006 VOOR DE VIERDE MAAL WINNAAR VAN DE 24u VAN FRANCORCHAMPS
Een snelle pitsstop Foto AvB
2006 24 Spa - Eric Van de Poele en Maserati winnen in de sprint! 20:17 30-07-2006 Minder dan een uur voor de finish kwam Eric van de Poele aan de leiding met de Maserati MC 12 en in de sprint won onze landgenoot, samen met de Duitser Michael Bartels en de Italiaan Andrea Bertolini, voor de vierde keer de Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. Daarmee evenaart "Kuifje", na zijn zeges in 1987, 1998 en 2005, het recordaantal overwinningen van Jean-Michel Martin en Thierry Tassin. Deze overwinning werd behaald in de sprint na een subliem duel met een Aston Martin. Een mooie revanche voor de editie 1992, toen van de Poele op het nippertje de zege verspeelde aan Steve Soper. De strijd in deze editie was in elk geval adembenemend... Van de eerste tot de laatste meter was deze etmaalrace bijzonder spannend. Na de vroege opgave van de Maserati nr. 2 van Davies-Vosse-Biagi (die het snelste van start ging en als troostprijs de snelste rondetijd in de race neerzette), draaide de strijd om de leidersplaats al snel uit op een duel tussen de Aston Martin van Phoenix Racing, bestuurd door PicciniFässler-Deletraz-Lémeret en de Maserati van de latere winnaars. Het verschil tussen de twee bolides bedroeg nooit meer dan een ronde. De DBR9 en de MC 12 wisselden voortdurend van positie door het spel van de bevoorradingen. Het ballet van de twee koplopers werd nooit verstoord, hoewel de beide tenoren voluit in de aanval gingen en veel meer risico's namen dan hun rivalen. Uiteindelijk werd de race misschien wel beslist door een lichte aanrijding, op het moment dat iedereen aan het ontbijt zat, tussen de Aston Martin en de Spyker. De stuurinrichting van de Britse bolide werd daardoor licht verwrongen. De DBR9 werd plots een prooi... Meer was er niet nodig om de Italiaans-Duitse clan van Maserati een extra stimulans te geven. Hoewel het nipt was twee ronden voor het einde, vlak voor een ultieme tankbeurt van Fässler, bedroeg het verschil tussen de twee koplopers amper een tiental seconden is deze zege terecht. "Dit is duidelijk mijn circuit en mijn wedstrijd. Ik wil deze race elk jaar winnen!" juichte Eric van de Poele, dolgelukkig met deze zege. "Ik ben heel trots op het feit dat ik met vier zeges het record van Jean-Michel en Thierry evenaar in de 24 Uren. We moeten in de toekomst absoluut eens samen rijden, om onze drie namen voor een vijfde keer op het palmares te zetten." De tweede, Stéphane Lémeret, kon zijn ontgoocheling moeilijk verbergen: "Het is heel hard om te verliezen, zeker wanneer je er zo dicht bij bent. Misschien moet ik in de toekomst eens samen met Eric rijden om te winnen..." De derde plaats op het podium was voor Longin-Kumpen-Hezemans-Mollekens, die lange tijd de debatten animeerden. In de vroege uurtjes maakten ze zelfs nog kans op de zege. De Corvette lag op vinkenslag, een ronde achter de leiders, maar een motorprobleem (overmatig olieverbruik) deed de Amerikaanse bolide tijd verliezen. Gelukkig kon de BelgischNederlandse combinatie toch de finish halen. De Aston Martin van de BMS Scuderia Italia, bestuurd door Babini-Pescatori-Enge-Kox, werd vierde, voor de Corvette C6-R van PSI Experience, bemand door Bouvy-Menten-Belloc-Bornhauser. De Zakspeed Saleen, lang in strijd voor een podiumplaats, moest met de finish in zicht de rol lossen, eerst door problemen met de ophanging en later door motorstoringen. In GT2 werd het podium volledig ingenomen door Ferrari's 430 GT2. De bloemen gingen uiteindelijk naar voormalig F1-piloot Mika Salo, gekoppeld aan de Portugees Rui Aguas en de Duitser Timo Scheider, die vorig jaar de race won met een Vitaphone Maserati. Nog een piloot die zich goed voelt in Francorchamps! Het trio versloeg in volgorde Bobbi-MeloOrtelli en Kinch-Kirkaldy-Franchitti, terwijl de prachtige Spyker van Bleekemolen-CrevelsKane op de 4de plaats strandde na een probleem met de transmissie. In dezelfde categorie stuurden Duez-Goossens-Lambert-Lefort hun Porsche naar de 7de plaats en de 16de plaats in het algemene klassement.
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Klaar om de Maserati over te nemen Foto AvB
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2006 GRAND PRIX MASTERS TE SIVERSTONE
STEADY EDDIE CHEEVER WINS IN THE WET 2006 GP Masters of Great Britain - Race Track temp: 17 degrees Ambient temp: 17 degrees SUNDAY 13 TH AUGUST 2006 (SILVERSTONE, UK): Wet tarmac, 650 horsepower and no traction control. Today's GP Masters race was always going to be a belter, and it delivered in spades. The lead changed seven times during the 26 lap race, with pole sitter Christian Danner surrendering his position to Stefan Johansson at the start. The lead was then seized by Eddie Cheever. Cheever and Eric Van de Poele had an exceptional battle for supremacy, but the conditions would get the better of Eric, and he dropped back after a couple of thrilling 360s. Cheever's racecraft was faultless throughout, giving the 48 year-old American his first GP Masters victory.
"The lead changed seven times during the 26 lap race, with pole sitter Christian Danner surrendering his position to Stefan Johansson at the start..." 1st Eddie Cheever (USA): "I kept looking in my mirrors thinking 'I know Nigel's going to be up here any minute', but then I saw him sat in the garage on one of the big TV screens and thought 'Okay, I have a crack at this today'! It was very slippery and
2006 very busy at the start. I was lucky that Warwick and Danner both spun out in front of me, and then had a really exhilarating race with Eric Van de Poele where we swapped the lead several times. It's a testament to the commitment of the British fans that they showed up in the rain. I have always loved driving at Silverstone, ever since I first came here as a 17 year-old, and hope to be back soon." 2nd Eric Van de Poele (Belgium): "For me it was incredible. I couldn't see anything! I actually spun twice out there, so this is a good position to finish in. For a long time, even when I was in the lead, I didn't know what position I was in because I was concentrating so hard on keeping the car pointing forwards. I was afraid to look at the pit board or press the radio button." 3rd Christian Danner (Germany): "I was running second up until the end of the first lap when I was hit up the bum by Mr Warwick. We both spun and had to wait for most of the field to go by before we could rejoin, putting me right down the order. I had to overtake a lot of cars and had a wonderful battle with Hans for third. It's easy to overtake in these cars. There are no pitstops, no traction control, no tactics - it's just your right foot that matters and that's why this series is so good."
"There are no pitstops, no traction control, no tactics - it's just your right foot that matters and that's why this series is so good." 4th Hans-Joachim Stuck (Austria): "For me, fourth place is like a win considering the problems we've had this weekend and the fact that I've had so little running. Thank you to GP Masters for getting all the cars to the grid. A lot of people forget that there is only one team here. An F1 team only has to field two cars, these guys look after 16. And that's 16 totally crazy drivers to organise. We're having so much fun. The camaraderie between us is just so fantastic and it's exactly how motor racing should be. I want more!" 5th Alex Caffi (Italy): "Having not done the qualifying session yesterday or spent much time in the car, this was an unexpected result. I had some good fights out
2006 there. It was a good show, and the best race so far." 6th Riccardo Patrese (Italy): "If two years ago anyone had said to me that I'd be racing a single-seater at Silverstone in 2006 I would have told them they were crazy! The race was fantastic, and I was very happy to bring the car home without any spins. I think overall we gave the public some great entertainment this afternoon." Scott Poulter (CEO, GP Masters): "I'd like to thank all the mechanics and engineers for making it all happen today and getting all the drivers out there. Thank you also to Dr Raghbir Sian and his team who really turned it on at the last minute. The boys on the shop floor made a Herculean effort on the engine front. The race was pretty unpredictable the whole way through, very challenging and brilliant entertainment. The next GP Masters race will be in South Africa in November, and we've been made an offer to race in Qatar next year which we're hoping to finalise in the coming weeks. RET Nigel Mansell O.B.E (Britain): "First
of all, congratulations to Eddie he did a superb job. I think there should be a special prize for how many spins you can have in one lap. I spun three times going to the grid! Unfortunately the differential had exploded and I lost drive at the rear. That's just the reality of motor racing - it's not an easy sport to do. Occasionally these failures happen, and today it happened to me. I went out again in the middle of the race for one more lap, which I hope the fans enjoyed - I certainly didn't! I spun three times again, but I made it back to the pits and I think that deserves a round of applause!" View images from the weekends event View final Silverstone Race lap times - end -
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Tijdens de warming –up
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Gespind tijdens de race
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Duel met Eddy Cheever
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Champagne voor de tweede plaats
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Met Christian Danner (3de)
Eddy Cheever (1),Nigel Mansell (uitgevallen) en Christian Danner
Een fraai podium
2006 30 September 2006 Road Atlanta Samen met Didier Theys en Lienhard een 12de plaats algemeen tijdens de race te Road Atlanta en 2de in de klasse.
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Road Atlanta
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2006 FIA GT DUBAI
Maserati
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De skyline van Dubai als decor
