GT3 Europe

Geipel and Alessi take Brno GT3 pole positions

© Planetlemans – Brecht Decancq

Philip Geipel and Diego Alessi secured the pole positions for races three and four of the 2010 FIA GT3 European Championship. The Argo Racing and Chad Racing drivers were quickest in their respective sessions on a sunny Brno circuit.

Saturday started with the announcement that the #4 Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS had been withdrawn from the event due to the heavy damage it suffered in practice yesterday. The German team was unable to repair the car at the track and will only run one car.

At 9:10, ten minutes later than planned, the first session got underway and all cars left the pit lane. Philip Geipel, in the #24 Argo Racing Lamborghini now instead of the #25 he raced at Silverstone, was quickest. The German shone at Silverstone and was again very quick here in the Czech Republic. His fastest lap time was 0.804s quicker than the second fastest car, the Team S-berg Racing BMW Alpina B6 GT3 of Nikolaus Mayr-Meinhof. Third quickest in the session, 0.073s behind the BMW Alpina, was the Callaway Competition Corvette Z06R GT3 of Daniel Keilwitz.

As the chequered flag came out the #2 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DBRS9 of Luc Paillard went off and into the gravel, but the Frenchman was able to get back to the track and to the pit under his own power.

A few minutes later the second qualifying session got underway. Most teams remained at their positions in the pit for the first few minutes. The results after twenty minutes were completely different compared to the first session.

Quickest was Diego Alessi in the #87 Chad Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia, securing the first ever pole position for the car in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The Italian was also the only one breaking the 2-minute barrier, setting a fastest time of 1:59.910.

Second fastest was the #101 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06R GT3 of Christian Hohenadel, in 2:00.240. Frederic Makowiecki was third quickest in the Hexis AMR Aston Martin DBRS9.