FIA GT Championship

Vilander and Bruni win GT2 at Paul Ricard for AF Corse

© Planetlemans

The risk of opting for a different car configuration, with wider tyres, a heavier car and bigger restrictors, really paid off this weekend for AF Corse, when their nr 50 Ferrari 430 GT2 of Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni took a fine win at the Paul Ricard HTTT. Dominant throughout, they crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of the second-placed car, their nearest Championship rivals Westbrook and Collard in the nr 60 Prospeed Competition Porsche. This places the reigning Champions with a three-point lead going into Zolder.

“In this race, we found what we’ve been looking for the whole season,” Toni Vilander commented. “Normally, halfway through the stint, we start losing power and going slower in the lap times. Our strategy was to try and solve the problem and I think today we did it. Michelotto, Ferrari and our team did great work and I know the guys have been working all week without sleep. We came here knowing that we had a chance and uncertain how it would go, and it was a bulls-eye. It was great.”

Despite a good second place, the nr 60 Prospeed Competition Porsche nevertheless finished well behind the winners. “It was pretty depressing if I’m honest,” Westbrook commented. “I must congratulate AF Corse for their decision to go up in weight and to go on a bigger tyre, because it really worked for them. The extra weight didn’t really hurt them and they were in a completely different form from us today. To get beaten by 38 seconds is pretty humiliating. If it’s like that in Zolder, then we’ve got no chance. We can hope that their decision to go up in tyre size won’t be so good in Zolder, but at the moment it’s just a hope.”

Third today was the second AF Corse Ferrari, of Cadei and Barba Lopez, the Algarve winners. “It’s been a great weekend, we’ve been working on the car all week. We started the race with a car that was completely different to the free practice and we’re very happy with third place. It’s important to go in the same direction for Zolder and to get another podium,” Niki Cadei commented.

Russo and Perez Companc were fourth, with Mullen and Niarchos fifth - the two leading Citation Cup drivers finishing close together. Ragginger and Lucchini finished sixth in the nr 97 Brixia Racing Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, ahead of the nr 77 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 430 GT2 of Ruberti and Malucelli, who had a puncture, and the nr 56 CRS Racing Ferrari 430 GT2 of Kirkaldy and Bell, who lost time due to a problem with a wheel during a pit stop.

The nr 59 Trackspeed Porsche had a time penalty due to David Ashburn not completing a full 35-minute stint, while the nr 61 Prospeed Competition Porsche was excluded from the results due to getting a push start.

GT2 teams title:

A double podium for AF Corse today, with the nr 50 and 51 cars finishing in 1st and 3rd positions respectively, gave the team a grand total of 81 points, meaning that they now have an unassailable lead in the GT2 Teams Classification. This gives the team the GT2 Teams Championship for the fourth consecutive season. Prospeed Competition are second, with CRS Racing third, ten points behind, meaning that the fight for second will go on to Zolder.

In the GT2 Manufacturers Cup, Ferrari has secured the title, with currently 164 points ahead of 78 for Porsche. Aston Martin scored 10 points.

Citation Cup:

Luis Perez Companc took his fourth Citation Cup victory today at the Paul Ricard HTTT, after another fine race from the two Argentine drivers. “It was a very good race. We started 8th. Matias gained a lot of positions and gave me the car in 4th. Then I started my stint and started to catch up to Niarchos and I fought with him and closed the gap. I braked on the limit, he braked on the straight, and I could overtake him. It was a very good fight and a very good race.”

However, Chris Niarchos, finishing one place behind the nr 95 Ferrari, scored sufficient points to secure the 2009 Citation Cup. “I had a great race today,” said Niarchos. “I got swamped by a few pros at one point but I stayed right with them so that was a lot of fun. It’s a good feeling to win the Citation Cup; a bit of silverware never goes astray. It means a lot to me as any championship is hard to win. It’s satisfying to beat other drivers; of course it is, that’s why we do it!”