Brno: SRT preview

SRT lines up Cloet and Casadei for Brno

For the first time this season Tom Cloet will be joined by an old acquaintance. This weekend the sixth race of the Citation Cup is being held in Brno, and sharing the SRT car with Tom we find once again the Italian gentleman Mauro Casadei in the C5-R. Casadei had already had the opportunity to get to know the Belgian team's Corvette C5-R earlier this year at Monza. Together with Tom Cloet he convincingly won the race on his home track. In Brno SRT have a major assignment. To retain all hope of ending high up in the final rankings of the Citation Cup Patrick Selleslagh's team should ideally end ahead of the JMB-Maserati of Ben Aucott.

Mauro Casadei knows the Brno circuit.

Mauro Casadei: "Back in 2001 I drove at Brno with a Porsche 911 GT2 and had an incredible duel in the rain with Tomas Enge, who at that time was still in a GT2 996. I'm really pleased to be back with SRT again. The experience in Monza was fantastic and the Corvette is a truly great car to race. I hope I can bring SRT somewhat closer to JMB in the championship, and the Maserati MC12will be the car to fear in Brno."

SRT Brno is the fifth mission of the season in the Citation Cup. Up until now the Belgian team has walked away with three victories and one second place "An excellent track record were it not for our withdrawal from Oschersleben - (due to a clash of dates in the calendar with the French FFSA-GT championship) - and 'only' holding second place in the points rankings. But we are fully prepared for the last round of the championship, which is in fact being held at Zolder. It obviously won't be easy to clinch victory, the JMB Maserati MC12 is fitted out with the latest updates, But we'll do everything within our power to end up on the highest step of the podium in Zolder. Retirement is a word which doesn't figure in our dictionary and certainly not with the final being held on our own home ground", Patrick Selleslagh commented.

All those travelling on down to Brno should also make sure they have a warm pullover with them. "They are already experiencing autumn there; it's reasonably cool and this could also play a part in the race", Tom Cloet explained. "We're not using the same tyres in the Citation Cup as the cars in the FIA GT1, but in fact a rather hard compound from Michelin. These types of hard compound don't reach racing temperature that quickly, a factor that a driver should take into account. In other words no crazy actions during the first few laps..."

There are still a further two races after Brno; exactly one week after Brno the FIA caravan will be heading down to Nogaro in the south of France and on 20th and 21st October the fastest GTs in the world will be landing at Circuit Zolder for the final race of the season.

-credit: selleslaghracing.com