Estoril: First qualifying summary

WEATHER : Sunny

BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA AND FREISINGER MOTORSPORT ON PROVISIONAL POLE
The nr 23 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello of Andrea Piccini and Jean-Denis Deletraz claimed provisional pole position for the final round of the 2002 FIA GT Championship at Estoril today, with a time of 1m37.285s, two-tenths of a second quicker than Jamie Campbell-Walter in the nr 14 Lister Storm. Jean-Marc Gounon, who shares the nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello with Enzo Calderari and Lilian Bryner, qualified third fastest, a further six hundredths of a second behind. However, the car was later to fail a ride-height test, losing its best time, which demoted the car to sixth place, but still retaining a position in the Superpole qualifying session.

This decision meant that the nr 15 Lister Storm, driven this weekend by Bobby Verdon-Roe, David Warnock and Ian McKellar, improved from sixth to fifth. The remaining two cars to take part in the Superpole session for the GT class will be the nr 4 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R, driven by Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari, and the nr 12 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper, driven by Portuguese driver Ni Amorim and Fabio Babini.

Neither of the two Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs made it into the Superpole session, team manager Jack Leconte stating that he was working for the race rather than concentrating on qualifying. However, the nr 1 Larbre Viper of Christophe Bouchut and Vincent Vosse failed a ride-height test and will have to qualify this afternoon. "The best we can hope for is seventh on the grid," said Leconte. "Realistically, though, I think we will be ninth or tenth."

Mike Hezemans did not make the Superpole session in the nr 3 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper, the Dutchman struggling with a lack of grip. "We are on softer tyres than yesterday, but they are still quite hard," said Hezemans. "We are losing a lot of time on the uphill sections."

Luca Riccitelli and Dieter Quester were ninth quickest in the nr 32 Dart Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello. The team replaced the engine yesterday, borrowing a replacement from the car entered by Philippe Alliot and David Hallyday in the first half of the season.

Stephane Ortelli set the fastest time in the N-GT class, with a lap of 1:42.159s in the nr 54 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche that he is sharing this weekend with Sascha Maassen. Ortelli, who claimed the N-GT Drivers Championship at Donington, spent the last part of the session trying to help his team-mates Bert Longin and Stephane Daoudi make it into Super Pole. "I went in front of them to help them on the straight, and to give them a target to pass. I hope it worked," he said. The nr 55 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche eventually finished fifth fastest and will take part in the Super Pole session.

Both of the Veloqx Motorsport Ferrari 360 Modenas made it into the Superpole session, continuing the fine qualifying form that they showed at Donington two weeks ago. The nr 83 Ferrari of Tim Sugden and Andrew Kirkaldy was fourth fastest in the class, with a time of 1:42.284s, while Ivan Capelli was sixth in the Ferrari that he shares with Jamie Davies.

Adam Jones was second fastest in the nr 62 Cirtek Motorsport Porsche that he shares with Romain Dumas. "We were just working on the setup yesterday," said Jones. "There was no need to go for a good time then." His time of 1:42.176s was less than a tenth of a second faster than the nr 58 Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R of Philipp Peter and Toto Wolff.

Johnny Mowlem, fastest in yesterday's second practice session in the JvG Racing Porsche shared with Ian Kahn, was seventh fastest after a fuel pump problem. "We changed the fuel pump, but on Johnny's second set of tyres, he met traffic," explained team manager Jurgen von Gartzen. "It is amazing, but we are four tenths of a second off pole position, and seventh in class!"

SESSION RUNDOWN

10:00 Green flag

10:06 GT : 14 -- 22 -- 15 -- 32 -- 9 -- 11 -- 9 -- 11 -- 31 -- 16 N-GT : 76 -- 52 -- 77 -- 74 -- 64 -- 51 -- 53

10:09 nr 23 BMS Scuderia Italia takes provisional pole with a lap of 1:37.285

10:13 GT : 23 -- 14 -- 22 -- 15 -- 1 -- 5 -- 12 -- 2 -- 32 -- 3 -- 11 -- 9 -- 34 N-GT : 83 -- 76 -- 58 -- 50 -- 52

10:16 Romain Dumas in the nr 62 Cirtek Porsche is fastest in N-GT pole with a time of 1:42.195

10:20 nr 54 Porsche goes faster to claim provisional N-GT pole with a 1lap of :42.159

10.22 GT : 23 -- 14 -- 22 -- 4 -- 15 -- 2 -- 1 -- 3 -- 5 -- 12 -- 3    2
N-GT : 54 -- 62 -- 83 -- 76 -- 58 -- 60 -- 55 -- 51 --50 -- 5          2

10:27 Lister nr 15 receives black and white warning flag after crossing pit lane exit line

10:28 nr 32 Ferrari improves to 7th overall

10:37 GT : 23 -- 14 -- 22 -- 12 -- 4 -- 15 -- 2 -- 3 -- 32 -- 1 -- 5 --9 -- 11 -- 34 -- 31 -- 16 - 17 N-GT : 54 -- 62 -- 83 -- 82 -- 76 -- 58 -- 60 -- 55 -- 51 -- 50 -- 52 -- 77 -- 64 -- 74 -- 53

10:39 nr 3 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper improves to 8th

10:42 nr 58 Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R sets a time of 1:42.243 to go 3rd in N-GT nr 60 JVG Racing Porsche goes sixth fastest in N-GT with a time of 1:42.547

10:44 nr 4 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R sets a time of 1:38.130 to gain one place to 4th nr 55 Freisinger Motorsport improves to 1:42.407, fifth in N-GT

10:45 Chequered Flag GT : 23 -- 14 -- 22 -- 4 -- 12 -- 15 -- 2 -- 3- 32 -- 1 -- 5 -- 9 -- 11 -- 34 -- 31- 16 -- 17 N-GT : 54 -- 62 -- 58 -- 83 -- 55 -- 82 -- 60 -- 76 -- 51 -- 50 -- 52 -- 77 -- 64 -- 74 -- 53

After the session, cars 1, 12, 14 and 22 had times disallowed due to failing the ride height

GT : 23 -- 14 -- 4 -- 12 -- 15 -- 22 -- 2 -- 3 -- 32 -- 5 -- 9 -- 11 -- 34 -- 31 -- 16 - 17

N-GT : 54 -- 62 -- 58 -- 83 -- 55 -- 82 -- 60 -- 76 -- 51 -- 50 -- 52 -- 77 -- 64 -- 74 - 53

Cars qualified for the Superpole
Nr 23 & 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari Maranello 550
Nr 14 & 15 Lister Storm
Nr 4 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R
Nr 12 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R

Nr 54 & 55 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R
Nr 62 Cirtek Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R
Nr 58 Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R
Nr 82 & 83 Veloqx Motorsport Ferrari 360 Modena

-fia-gt-