Ferrari detail. Ferrari Owners' Club
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Ferrari Happenings
 
*Victory in Valencia GT
by Arthur Beattie
*19.4.04
A close and interesting race around the tight and technical Valencia circuit saw BMS Scuderia Italia claim their second one-two of the season, with Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari (Ferrari 550M) extending their Championship lead with their third consecutive win. Their team mates, Matteo Bobbi and Gabriele Gardel were second. In N-GT, the Ferrari 360 M of GPC Giesse Squadra Corse finished second in the category, to put the drivers Christian Pescatori and Fabrizio De Simone in the joint lead in the N-GT classification.

The circuit configuration ensured some very close competition throughout the event. Two of the the light and nimble Saleens qualified on the front row and led the race. However, after three hours, BMS Scuderia Italia triumphed once again, despite the very different track configuration to Monza, the venue for their previous win. This was the direct result of their speed, reliabily and team work - all of the the bits have to be in place to win consistently. Five different types of car finished in the top six - the two Ferrari 550 Maranellos were followed by a Lamborghini Murciélago (which lead the race and took its first international podium), a Ferrari 575 M, a Lister Storm and a Saleen S7.

Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari took the lead after the second set of pit-stops, having opted to change only two tyres on their Ferrari 550 Maranello. They were followed by their team-mates Matteo Bobbi and Gabriele Gardel, who finished a rather distant 23.8 seconds behind. Gollin said : "We're very happy; the championship is looking good so far." Cappellari agreed : "We were somewhat lucky today, but luck is always important in motor racing. I have to say that the car is fantastic to drive with the power steering - very comfortable!"

After a difficult time in Monza, JMB brought its three cars home in the points. The 575 Maranello of Wendlinger/Wolff/Lechner finished fourth, after some close fighting on the track, with the nr 18 car 8th overall and 7th in GT, while the JMB 575 M of Gosse, Garbagnati and Daoudi finished 8th in GT to take the final point. Karl Wendlinger explained "The goal for us for this race was to finish, and we got that. We learned a lot this weekend, I think, and I hope we can use that experience for the next races. It was a good weekend for us. I think we will be well prepared for Magny-Cours, and we should be able to use everything we have learnt here for our team's home race. We will aim to improve each time".

GPC Giesse Squadra Corse had a bad weekend, with neither of their 575 Ms finishing the race, one retiring with front suspension failure and the other with alternator problems. They did however have their second place in N-GT to lighten the gloom.

There was further attrition of the Ferrari ranks with Care Racing retiring the 550 M of Livio/Calderari/Bryner after 33 laps after a trip into the gravel. The Darro Motor Racing N-GT 360 M of Vivancos/Reyes went out after 45 laps of a fraught race with repeated tyre problems, a drive-through penalty and finally the car catching fire! The Wieth Racing 550 M managed 58 laps before retiring with chassis problems.

Reigning Champions BMS Scuderia Italia now have a 25 point lead over GPC Giesse Squadra Corse in the GT Teams' Championship. Gollin and Cappellari having a four-point lead over their nearest rivals in the Drivers' title race. In N-GT, GPC Giesse Squadra Corse's Fabrizio de Simone and Emmanuel Collard are in the joint lead of the Drivers' Championship, with the team five points clear in their championship.

The next race is at Magny-Cours in France on 2nd May.

 

 

 

 


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