The International GT Open second half of the season begins in Le Castellet with the fifth round of the series. One week only from Brands Hatch, on July 20th to 22nd the aabar Abu Dhabi Villorba racing with Ferrari Team will get back on track with race drivers Andrea Montermini and Juan Manuel Lopez behind the wheel of their Ferrari 458 of Super GT class. At the Paul Ricard circuit two months ago the former F.1 driver and the fast Argentine carried on an intensive testing session of simulating race conditions, however the changing weather conditions did not allow them to complete the effort, which would have been particularly useful for Lopez as he never raced in Le Castellet before. Therefore, more demanding effort is expected by the Italian squad during the free practice in order to develop the best possible feeling with the powerful super car from Maranello on the French track.
After a stunning win at the Nurburgring and third places at Spa and Brands Hatch, the first half of the championship the aabar Abu Dhabi Villorba started a tough comeback and the whole team needs to perform positively to stay among the major competitors. At Paul Ricard on Friday, July 20th there will be two free practice sessions and qualifying is scheduled to be on Saturday 21st at 9:55 and 12:05. Race-1 will take place at 14:55. On Sunday, July 22nd race-2 will start at 12:55. Both races will be broadcasted live by RaiSport 2 and Primocanale in Italy.
“Honestly - says Raimondo Amadio, Team Principal - we hoped to collect some more points at Brands Hatch but in any case that weekend has been positive for our championship. Now in Le Castellet we have to try to get even more points to confirm our comeback in the standings even if we know that it will be another very difficult round. This year the level of the GT Open is much higher than last season and we are proud to always be among the strongest contenders”.
“Despite the weather contitions - says Montermini -, the testing session held on May allowed us to gather some useful data about the Ferrari 458 behavior following the 2012 updates. Although now everything is different, starting with the track conditions, we must be good at interpreting them in perspective of the two races ahead of us because it could help. Given the fierce competition, however, for us the key factor will be to remain on top with the whole package. We are motivated and ready to give our best.”
Source : Villorba Corse