Spa 24: Post-race press conference quotes

Lilian Bryner - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello
"At the beginning we didn't push the car for the safety of the mechanical parts, so that strategy worked. At the end there was a problem with the radiator so we lost some water and it was lucky it was just at the end, so we finished the race."

Luca Cappellari - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello
"We had big problems with aquaplaning so through the rain we had to concentrate hard and now we are all very tired. The car was very good and we didn't have any problems until the last five minutes."

Enzo Calderari - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello
"It's very good for the team and I think they did a great job because the Biaggi/Bobbi car crashed on Thursday and they worked through the night to six o'clock in the morning. We have to thank all of them because for them it was a 48-hour race. They did a very good job. We had a few problems because the car was too low and we had some aquaplaning and we lost a lot of time during the rain. The Freisinger Porsche was a problem - they did a very good job and we could not catch them during the race. I would have liked to win overall but we have had a good result with second in this race."

Christophe Bouchut - nr 1 Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper GTS-R
" Everything was working well even though we had some small problems during the night. However,when we had the problem with the gearbox of course our hopes of winning were over. After that, it was just a case of pushing to try to get back on the podium. It would be nice to come back to the Championship, but I will see what will be happening over the next few weeks, or maybe I will concentrate on looking for a good drive for next year."

Patrick Huisman - nr 1 Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper GTS-R
"I haven't had too many starts in the FIA GT Championship, mainly because I have been concentrating on other things like Porsche Supercup and last year the DTM, but I really wanted to win this race so badly. I have been here on a couple of occasions but it did not work out. The team did a good job, especially during the night when we had such a lot of rain. The Michelin tyres worked fantastically, we gained a lot of places and we were right up there until the gearbox broke but fortune looked upon us today and we were very lucky to finish second in the GT class."

Vincent Vosse - nr 1 Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper GTS-R
"It's always disappointing when you know you have the possibility to win the race. We were pushing quite hard, the team did a fantastic job. The car was very competitive - our car was the quickest on the straight so this is a bit different from last year and the year before. The car was very nice to drive until the gearbox problem but the team did a very good job changing it. Then we tried very hard to push to the end to catch third place but we were missing a couple of minutes. The Freisinger Porsche did a fantastic job, they did not have any problems and the team and drivers did not make any mistakes. We did not make any either. In the last four or five hours after we broke the gearbox the Porsche slowed down quite a lot so we do not what we could have done, but we do know that at the end we were 24 minutes behind and we lost 47 minutes in the pits. So who knows ?"

Paul Belmondo - nr 24 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R
"The car was very good during the night when it was very tough, and good in the wet especially when it was raining. We were catching the Larbre Viper, but we had the same problem as them, with the gearbox ."

Pierre-Yves Corthals - nr 24 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R : "The Viper is a really good car - I had never driven it before, I only raced in touring cars, but it is really easy to drive in the wet and the dry. My only problems were in reaching the controls as I am just a small guy."

Stéphane Ortelli - nr 50 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS
"It is going to be difficult to talk about anything right now. The race started very, very well for us because we were not fighting with the other N-GT cars. They were much quicker in the dry. I was just quicker in the rain, so I tried to stay in control of the situation. We were second when the rain came. At that time I came back to the pit and Marc took the car. The Porsche was just unbelievably good in the rain and the Dunlop tyres were fantastic too. They compromised for the fact that we have less horsepower than the big cars. Without the rain I do not think we could have won."

Marc Lieb - nr 50 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS
"There is nothing more to add really, it was an incredible race. We have made a big step in the championship during this race by taking full points, which is very good for us. Stephane said after our Donington win we have a chance to win this race overall. I said 'You're crazy! It's impossible', but we did it ! It is quite unbelievable. I realised it was possible yesterday evening when all the rain came and didn't stop. Our car, the tyres and everything were just perfect."

Alex Caffi - nr 72 Seikel Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS
"First of all I want to thank Porsche for saving my career after the great disaster in F1 with the Footwork Porsche. Now I am getting a lot of results with Porsche cars and that is very good. Secondly I want to say thank you for the weather because for me it was not possible to get a result like this without the rain in the night. I would also like to thank the Seikel team for a great time."

Gabrio Rosa - nr 72 Seikel Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-RS
"The weather was so important for us in the N-GT class. We are a totally private team so the best result we can make is second place in N-GT. Thanks to all the drivers for a great race."

Robert Pergl - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena
"We are really delighted because we are newcomers to N-GT and we have never raced in a 24-Hour event. We have never tested at Spa either so taking into account all these facts it is for us an amazing success. We really enjoyed it and found it so funny to be passing the big cars. We only had minor problems with the car and I would like to thank Ferrari for supplying us with a car which was so reliable."

Yannick Schroeder - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena
"For me everything was new - the team, the car, racing in GT and racing in a 24-Hour event. The team was just great and I enjoyed it a lot."

Jaroslav Janis - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena
"I was very happy that we finished this race. I think it is very difficult to finish a 24-Hour race, so it was good to get on the podium. For me, it was a very good experience and I learned a lot for the future."

-fia-