FIA GT1: Aston Martin sweep podium in first and third place at Interlagos, Nissan Sumo GT-R take hard fought second

Interlagos- Brazil, Nov 27th 2010 –  Aston Martin proved to the car to beat in race trim as the Young Driver AMR DB9 of Tomas Enge and Darren Turner took their second Qualifying Race win of 2010 to move into 3rd place in the driver’s championship.  The nr10 Hexis AMR Aston Martin of Jonathan Hirschi and Clivio Piccione claimed their second top 3 finish of the season, finishing 0.7 seconds behind the nr23 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R of Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck.  The nr2 Vitaphone Maserati of Xandi Negrao led for the first half of the race but lost out in the pitstops, with Enrique Bernoldi emerging in second behind Enge before losing further places due to a drive through penalty for a mechanic throwing a tyre during the pitstop.  Bernoldi finished just outside in 4th place after passing the nr38 All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini of Dominik Schwager in the closing stages of the race.

Championship leaders Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, who started back in 19th, will start tomorrow’s Championship Race in 8th place while their nearest rival Thomas Mutsch will start at the back of the grid after a first corner tussle with the Reiter Lamborghini of Frank Kechele forced the Matech Ford GT into retirement on lap 3.

Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini (130 pts) maintain their 35 point lead over Thomas Mutsch (95pts), with Tomas Enge and Darren Turner (86pts) a further 9 points behind with a total of 58 points still available.

The Championship Race is due to start at 15:00 (18:00 CET) tomorrow afternoon.

CLICK HERE for the result from Round 9 Qualifying Race

CLICK HERE for the Race Facts

CLICK HERE for the Championship Positions

Darren Turner – Nr7 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9

“It appeared that the Maserati had a little more pace in the first stint but Tomas is a great driver they were unable to pass him after we got them in the pit stop. Tyre performance was key and very good for us. The guys did a fantastic pit stop and got us out two seconds ahead of the Maserati.  I tried to close the gap to the lead as much as I could before the stop. The team has done a great job in setting up the car and it really shows.  The most important thing is that we are in a good position for tomorrow’s race.”

Tomas Enge – Nr7 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9

“It was a really exciting race but very hot. The car was perfect and Darren did a great job in the first stint.  The Young Driver team did a fantastic job in the pit stop – we got the jump on Maserati because of the great team work.  I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race from pole”

Peter Dumbreck – Nr23 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R 

“We were racing in very hot conditions out there today.  I was under a lot of pressure from the chasing Aston Martin and plus the tyres started to fall off in performance which made it tough.  Michael did a great job at the start of the race and managed to keep away from trouble.”

Michael Krumm Nr23 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R 

“It was a very tough first stint for me.  I had to give away a few places at the start to stay away from trouble which was frustrating.  It was a very aggressive race from everyone but we came through. Peter and the team did a great job, and the pit stop was good.  I am really looking forward to a great race tomorrow.”

Jonathan Hirschi and Clivio Piccione claimed their second top 3 finish of the season

Jonathan Hirschi Nr10 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9

“This is the second podium of the season, which is very good for us and the whole team.  The car was very good during my stint and the team a very good job on the pitstop.  Thanks to the mechanics at Hexis and also to Clivio. After our first podium at Silverstone the middle of the season hasn’t been so good for us.  We’re now at the front of the grid, we’ll see what happens tomorrow and I hope we’ll be on our first podium for the Championship Race.”

Clivio Piccione Nr10 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9

“The car was going pretty well, we knew the stint was going to be long and I had to keep my tyres safe for the whole run.  I drove steady for all my laps and tried to push to make some ground on the cars ahead. I followed the Nissan for the last bit of the race, just trying to keep the pressure on and waiting for a mistake, but it didn’t happen.  It’s going to a long race again tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be in the top three again.”

Thomas Mutsch Nr5 Matech Competition Ford GT Matech

“The podium was the least we could have expected today because the car had very good speed. But when you have someone turning in at the braking zone like that there is not much chance. I am happy to hold my hands up and say that Navarra was all my fault but here I had my race ended by something that I had no control over.  I am really very annoyed to have my race ended like that and our championship chances badly affected. I am disgusted to be honest.”

Richard Westbrook – Nr5 Matech Competition Ford GT Matech

“What a dreadful way to end our race. It’s a really bad day for us and the championship hopes. We had our best Qualifying position when we had been playing catch-up in previous races when we’ve had good results. The car was fantastic and then our race is ended by a really amateurish move. Thomas (Mutsch) goes for the regulation pass down the inside and he (Frank Kechele) turns in at the braking zone. I’m not sure what he expected Thomas to do – hit the ejector button and go over the top of his car? As it turns out he put both cars out of the race so what was he trying to gain? It’s very difficult to take.”

Frank Kechele –Nr25 Reiter Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-SV

“It was a short story for us today. The way I saw the incident with Thomas (Mutsch) was that he came from way back to make the move on the inside and braked late. I turned in and we hit each other. It’s a shame for both of us but I didn’t do anything on purpose.”

Michael Bartels Nr1 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12

“With 40 kilos this is the best we could hope for today. Tomorrow we have to be patient and make sure we keep the championship chase going by scoring more points. We have to protect our 35-point lead as best we can.”

Enrique Bernoldi Nr2 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12

“The car felt very good although we have gone a bit aggressive on set-up today so we might be a bit more conservative for tomorrow to be a bit easier on the tyres. We have some good tyres for the race tomorrow so I guess we just have to be clever about when we use them. But I’m confident of a good finish from fourth place. Xandi (Negrao) has done a great job in the car so it’s looking good.”

Xandi Negrao Nr2 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12

“It was a great shame that we got the drive-through. We lost a place at the pit stop but we still got the penalty so it was tough. Still we secured fourth and we hope to be competitive in the Championship Race tomorrow.”