Munnich Motorsport event summary

First podium placing for ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport at the season opening of the FIA GT1 World Championship - Markus Winkelhock and Marc Basseng third at Abu Dhabi - Reni Munnich: "That's just sensational"

Friedersdorf/Abu Dhabi (rol/ot) The so far biggest success is perfect: The German Team ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport from Friedersdorf scored his first podium placing of this championship at all at the season opening of the FIA GT1 World Championship 2011 on Saturday evening (26th of March) at Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). Newbie Markus Winkelhock (Berglen-Steinach) and Marc Basseng (Neusalza-Spremberg) have been third on the track Yas Marina in the Lamborghini Murciilago LP670 RS-V with the starting number 38 in the one hour Championship Race. Before the Duo placed six in the one hour Qualifying Race and caught the first championship point of the new season.

"That result is just sensational. That is what the whole team was working for. All of us are overhappy", told Reni Munnich, the team principal and owner of the racing stable from Saxony. He was very happy as well about the catch up race of the sister car #37 with Nicky Pastorelli (Italy/Netherlands) and Dominik Schwager (Munich) from the end of the field to place eleven. "The sad thing about that is that they didn't get any points for that great effort. Because after a perfect pit stop the main fuse dropped out when Dominik wanted to start. That cost 40 seconds and the possible fourth place", explains Reni Munnich.

Pastorelli already caused furor at the time training on Friday being on pole position. Certainly he had to start the Qualifying Race together with Schwager from position six - because at the first part of the Qualifying they didn't follow a flag signal so they have been reset five positions. In the race Dominik Schwager has been involved in a crash at start where the Munnich-Lamborghini has been damaged. The mechanics did everything they could to fix the car until the next race and they did a really good job. "Only for that they deserved championship points", underlines Munnich.

And already the night to Saturday the team had a lot to do on the Lamborghini #38 of Basseng/Winkelhock because the gear box had to be changed. Marc Basseng, who is the team manager of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport as well, started from position 14 at the Qualifying Race and assigned the car after half an hour on position seven to Markus Winkelhock, who came to the finish line on place six. Even bigger than the happiness about the first point has been the jubilation a few hours later about the first podium placing after the ups and downs at the starting of this new season. "That's just fantastic. For me everything has been new. Thanks to Marc and the whole team", told Winkelhock. And Basseng added: "It's unbelievable. After all that trouble we are on the podium - that feels like a victory. Markus showed a fantastic start off. Big gratitude for all the mechanics and the whole team for that great work."

Team principal Reni Munnich is optimistic after this opening of the championship. He thinks his racing stable is able to be one of the teams to fight about the championship title this year. After a weekend with one eye crying and the other one laughing the team is looking forward to the next races on 9th and 10th of April at Zolder (Belgium). "That is where we want to be at front with both cars at the finish line. " Winners of the races at Abu Dhabi have been Maxime Martin/Frederic Makowiecki (Belgium/France) in the Ford GT Matech at the Qualifying Race and Clivio Piccione/Stef Dusseldorp (Monaco/Netherlands) in the Aston Martin DBR9 at the Championship Race.

-source: Munnich Motorsport