The FIA GT Championship may be in Portugal this weekend, but it was South America which dominated qualifying !  Enrique Bernoldi took pole position in the nr 8 Sangari Team Brazil Corvette Z06, while Matias Russo claimed his second GT2 pole in the all-Argentine nr 95 Pecom Racing Team Ferrari 430 GT2.  The first visit to the new Autodromo Internacional Algarve, with its spectacular 4.65 km roller-coaster ride, is proving extremely popular with the FIA GT drivers this weekend !`

 
FIRST POLE FOR SANGARI TEAM BRAZIL – CORVETTE FRONT ROW

This may only be the third race for Sangari Team Brazil in the FIA GT Championship, but the nr 8 Corvette Z06 has proved to be competitive from the start, and today that promise turned into pole for Enrique Bernoldi. The former F1 driver set a fastest lap of 1:40.664 around the 4.6528 km track.  Early in the session, it looked as if a Maserati one-two-three was on the cards, but Bernoldi took provisional pole after nine minutes, improving his time on the following lap, and securing his first FIA GT pole.  This will be the first time that a Brazilian has started from overall pole position since Ricardo Zonta in 1998.  “After everything went wrong this morning, to get pole position is great,” he commented. “This is an amazing track. There is so much excitement; it is one of those tracks that gives you so much pleasure.  It’s like a roller-coaster, and you can’t see where you’re going – it’s going to be one of my favourites !”

 
There will be an all-Corvette front row for Sunday’s race, with James Ruffier qualifying second in the nr 3 SRT Corvette.  This was the Frenchman’s first qualifying session in the Corvette, and the reigning FIA GT3 European Champion proved that this circuit suits his driving style.  His lap of 1:40.754 was only 9 hundredths slower than Bernoldi’s, promising much for tomorrow’s race. “Anything can happen, but I hope we’re going to have a lot of fun,” James commented.

 
Alex Müller, who has started from pole for the last three rounds, qualified third today in the nr 2 Vitaphone Maserati MC 12, after suffering technical problems in pre-qualifying. “We went in the wrong direction for the qualifying set-up,” the German admitted. ” But I think that the race is long, and we are pretty happy with the race set-up that the other two cars did, and we have a strong package.”

 
Kumpen qualified the nr 4 Pekaracing Corvette Z06 fourth, the fastest of the cars carrying serious handicap weight, making three Corvettes in the front four.  The nr 33 Vitaphone Racing Team DHL car qualified fifth, ahead of the nr 1 Maserati of Bartels and Bertolini, carrying 60 kg and 100 kg respectively.   “We are pretty happy with the race set-up that the other two cars did, and we have a strong package,” Müller said of his fellow Maserati drivers.  The top six were within seven tenths of a second in a very close session.  However, the nr 2 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC 12 will drop behind tomorrow, Alex Müller having received a five-place grid penalty during the previous round in Budapest, promoting the nr 4 Pekaracing Corvette to third on tomorrow’s grid.

 
The nr 40 Marc VDS Racing Ford GT was seventh, the only  2010 generation car here this weekend. “We have an underpowered car compared to the current cars, so here with the long straights, and going uphill, it is not so easy for us,” Bas Leinders commented. “But we’ll try to have a good race and make no mistakes.  And who knows, we may have some rain …”
The nr 11 Full Speed Racing Saleen did not go out in pre-qualifying or qualifying due to gearbox problems, but has been given permission to take part in warm-up and the race.
 
 

PECOM ON POLE IN GT2

Brand-new circuits appear to suit Matias Russo !  Having claimed pole position for his home race in San Luis last year, he claimed his second pole position in the Algarve today, with a lap of 1:45.998 around the undulating circuit, at the wheel of the nr 95 Pecom Racing Team Ferrari 430 GT2.  “I am very very happy with this pole, which is very important to me,” he commented.

 
The younger drivers in the category, who generally have less crew handicap weight and success ballast, were much in evidence during qualifying, with an average age of 22 for the top three drivers.  Russo will start alongside the nr 97 Brixia Racing Porsche of Martin Ragginger tomorrow; the 21-year-old Austrian, who took his first pole in Adria, originally set the third-fastest time, but was promoted to second after Marco Holzer’s best time was cancelled due to driving outside the lines.  But Holzer’s second-fastest time was still good enough for third.  The three drivers had put up a spirited battle during the session, with Ragginger and Russo swapping best times and provisional poles.  Holzer, who finished fourth here last weekend in the FIA GT3 European Championship, recovered after losing much of the first session and quickly set good times.

 
Martin Ragginger commented:  “We have a little advantage compared to the drivers like Bruni and Collard as we have less weight in the cars, so this is why the younger drivers are at the front.  I am happy with this result; in Budapest I was fourth and at the first corner I took the lead, so who knows what will happen ?” Holzer agreed : “This is a good result for us.  The circuit is very good, you have everything here, up and down, slow and fast corners.”

 
Behind them, Matteo Malucelli was fourth in the nr 77 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 430 GT2. The third row will belong to AF Corse, with Gianmaria Bruni qualifying fifth just ahead of Alvaro Barba Lopez. 

ROUND 6
Tomorrow’s race will start at a slightly delayed time of 14:20 local time, 15:20 CET.  If today’s sessions are a sign, excitement is guaranteed !

Source : FIA-GT