FIA GT Championship

Mike Rockenfeller wins Brno FIA GT GT2 class

Mike Rockenfeller recorded his sixth victory of the 2005 season, topping the GT2 class in an FIA GT Championship race in Brno, Czech Republic. Rockenfeller and Lieb have scored class wins in three of the five FIA GT races this year, and finished second in the others.

The pair combined with Leo Hindery Jr. for the GT2 class win in les 24 Heures du Mans, and Rockenfeller also has two wins in the “Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring” (VLN) endurance series.

Lieb qualified the No. 66 GruppeM Racing Porsche 996 GT3 RSR on the GT2 pole for the June 26 FIA GT race with a time of two minutes 2.7 seconds on the 5.403-kilometre Brno Masaryk Circuit. He led the class for the first 55 minutes of the three-hour race and set the fastest GT2 race lap (2:04.5). The team switched to intermediate tires as Rockenfeller started his 80-minute stint, but they were no match for heavy rain conditions. He settled into second place, then took the class lead when the leader retired with a mechanical problem at 1h20. Lieb drove the final 45 minutes to the GT2 win.

“It was really difficult on intermediates. We nearly thought I might have to come in again [for rain tires] because there was such a lot of water on the track,” Rockenfeller said. “I just tried to drive as long as possible on the intermediates.”

The win increases the pair’s lead in series GT2 standings, but the next race is critical for the championship chase. With double points for the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium, Rockenfeller and Lieb are hoping for a strong finish. Following the Spa race, their car will be hampered by 75 kilograms of additional ballast, required because of their Brno win.

“The key race will be Spa. Hopefully, we’ll be nearly as lucky as we were in Le Mans! If we are close to that and can stay out of trouble and drive the car around without any major problems, that’s the race we have to win,” Rockenfeller said.

© 2005 Planetlemans.com.