24
June
2007
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

FIA-GT: Pirelli teams unlucky at Monza

 

FIA GT: PIRELLI TEAMS
UNLUCKY AT MONZA

A technical problem on the Playteam Maserati-Pirelli of Bertolini that relegated it to the back of the grid, and an off-road excursion for Monfardini's Aston Martin-BMS while running third, clips Pirelli's wings in Monza. In GT2, Ruberti was third with his Edil Cris Team's Ferrari- having contested the entire race on a single set of tyres.


Milan, 24 June 2007- A sixth place for the AMR BMS Aston Martin DBR9 of Babini and Davies in GT1, plus third in GT2 for Ruberti and Pasini in the Edil Cris Ferrari 430 GTC are the major results for Pirelli-equipped cars in Monza. The much-fancied Playteam Maserati MC12-Pirelli of Bertolini and Piccini finished eighth after starting from the back and getting involved in an accident in the closing stages that cost the crew seventh place.

A "technical red alert" on the number 11 Maserati during the morning warm-up forced the team to swap the unit - and this led to a mandatory 10-place penalty on the grid. The Playteam MC12-Pirelli therefore had to start from the ninth row, which more or less ruined every chance of a strong performance on home territory. By contrast, the Toccacelo-Monfardini Aston Martin DBR9 run by AMR-BMS was in contention for a strong class finish, but the car ended up in the gravel trap while Monfardini was driving - losing several places.

In GT2, Malucelli and Collard's Pirelli-equipped BMS-Scuderia Italia Porsche 997 GT3-RSR retired with engine failure. Meanwhile the Edil Cris Ferrari 430 GTC driven by Ruberti and Pasini was third in class, having contested the entire race on just one set of PZero Racing tyres. The similar Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari used harder compound tyres due to the difficulty in finding an appropriate set up. This clearly made life a lot more difficult for its drivers.

Nonetheless, all Pirelli's FIA-GT teams will get a lot of benefit out of the trip to Monza. Some test sessions are planned on the Italian track that will be helpful for the future - such as the next race on the German circuit of Oschersleben on July 8.




Download the PDF (PDF, 78,3KB)