Dubai: Post-race quotes

1st in GT : Gabriele Gardel - nr 1 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello : "First of all, I have to thank everybody who made this victory possible. It was a fantastic race. To win the first race here in Dubai is really a dream! The fight with the Maserati at the end was really nice, very clean. I tried to do my best, but he did a good job to protect his position. In the end, it all worked out. I don't really know what else to say. It's fantastic!"

1st in GT : Matteo Bobbi - nr 1 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello : "It has been a really perfect weekend for us. We set the best lap in the free practice, were ahead in qualifying and now we've won the race. We had a really bad season this year, and today we proved that we are able to win once we have a weekend without any problems coming up. I had to push really hard in my stint, then Gabriele got into the car and he did a really good job. It was maybe the best race of his career. I'm so proud for the team and would like to thank everybody as well. My ex-teammate [Thomas Biagi] is here this weekend as well - it seems that whenever he's with me, I'm having good races, so I have to thank him as well!"

1st in N-GT : Lucas Luhr - nr 99 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS : "It was very, very hot! During my first stint, I had a problem with the cooling system. In these conditions, it is nice to have a cooling system in the first place - but if it doesn't work, it's worth than not having the system at all. I had to come in early because of that. I couldn't see anything anymore! Sascha had the same problem and did his stop early as well, so I decided to drive without the cooling system in the last stint. The only way to make it was to push really hard at the beginning of the stint. It was physically really hard in those conditions, though."

1st in N-GT : Sascha Maassen - nr 99 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS : "The heat was really bad! Lucas was coming in early and was totally shattered, and I had to end my stint earlier than planned as well because I wasn't feeling all that good as well-- Lucas did a fantastic job, though. Early in the season, we shared up the work, and he wanted to have the main part of the work here in Dubai, both in qualifying and during the race, and I'm really thankful for that! For the Championship, things don't look so good. So far, both Porsches have finished all the races and never had a technical problem, and I don't expect that to change during the final race - nor do I hope so!"

2nd in GT : Johnny Herbert - nr 34 AF Corse Maserati MC12 : "The race was okay. Fabrizio started and settled down into a nice pace. By the time I took my turn in the car, we had a nice lead over the Ferrari. But our strategy didn't work out. We didn't expect the darkness to fall so quickly, and that messed up our final pit stop."

2nd in GT : Fabrizio de Simone - nr 34 AF Corse Maserati MC12 : "It was a really beautiful race. We had a very good fight with Ferrari, very close. We were able to keep our pace throughout the race, which is good. I think without the final pit stop, I might have been able to hold Gabriele Gardel up for a couple of more laps. It would have been very hard to carry on to the end, but I would have managed. "

3rd in GT : Thomas Biagi - nr 3 Care Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello : "The race was very nice for me! I really enjoy being back in the Championship again. It's great to be here for the first race at Dubai! It turned out to be a really good race for us, after we had some troubles in qualifying. To start from 12th position and finish second in great, I think. I also have to congratulate the Dubai track, the organization and Stephane Ratel, because they put a lot of effort in and everything was just perfect in this first race here!"

3rd in GT : Lilian Bryner - nr 3 Care Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello : "I would like to thank Thomas [Biagi] for the fantastic first stint, and Enzo. I was in the car for the second, and it was really, really hard - especially because of the heat. I'm really happy that we finished second. We are now fighting for third place in the Championship, which is very important to us."

3rd in GT : Enzo Calderari - nr 3 Care Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello : "We had a nice strategy. We only made two pit stops - but that was very hard. In the end it paid off, even though we had a couple of misfires. But doing three one-hour-stints was the right strategy for us, as it brought us on the podium. It was not easy for all of us, though."

4th in GT : Michael Bartels - nr 5 Vitaphone Racing Team Saleen S7 : "Congratulations to Matteo [Bobbi] and Gabriele [Gardel]. They deserved the victory; their performance today was incredible! As for our result, I'm quite pleased actually. It's not exactly been a fantastic weekend for us. We had a fire in the car twice, and had to put in a lot of work to get it back to the track in good condition. The fire was also the reason why we had to change the engine, which put us to the back of the grid. I'm quite happy we still managed to finish on podium. Now we have to do our homework for Zhuhai and hope we will be able to make it to the podium again."

2nd in N-GT : Emmanuel Collard - nr 50 Freisinger Yukos Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS : "The fight with Lucas [Luhr] and Sascha [Maassen] was really close. We were leading the race, but there was no way we could stop Lucas when he was on new tyres. We also lost quite some time during the pit stop. We had a problem with the left rear tyre. But anyhow, we finished right behind them, which is good for the Championship. We can now finish third in Zhuhai and still win the title [even if they win the race]."

2nd in N-GT : Stephane Ortelli - nr 50 Freisinger Yukos Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS : "The race was as hard on the mechanics and the pit crew as it was on the drivers. We basically lost the race in the pits, but the heat gets to everyone's concentration. We had the chance to make progress in the Championship, but didn't - but I still think we're quite safe. I was pushing a lot, but it was not enough. I also had to control the Ferrari behind me. The grip of the track was getting better and better the more laps we were doing. Emmanuel [Collard] did a fantastic job!"

3rd in N-GT : Christian Pescatori - nr 62 GPC Giesse Ferrari 360 Modena : "We tried to stay in front of the Porsches, but it was just not possible in this race. They were too fast in the slow corners. So I think third position is a good result for this race. I have to say a big thank you to Jaime. It was his first race in the car, and he stayed out a very long time for his stint."

3rd in N-GT : Jaime Melo - nr 62 GPC Giesse Ferrari 360 Modena : "It was a very hard race. Very, very hot! We tried a different strategy to get the Porsches, but it didn't work out. It got too hot in the car, but I did my best. Still, I have to thank the team for the great job. I will just have to wait and see what the next race brings."

-fia-