Roadracing Mustangs

[omicron]

OmiDude:   Fabulous pics!  I love that '70 especially!  And you're right--it wouldn't be complete without Geoghegan and Moffat!

[Sigma Projects]

Sigma Projects:  They do in Europe's GT1--GT4 classes, too, but the limitations of that method became apparent--the Lotus Exiges and other lighter-but-less-powerful cars in the GT4 class had the same power-to-weight ratios as the Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Mustangs in the GT4 class but the heavier-but-more-powerful cars ran away from all of them all season long.  Hence, in 2008 they have a sub-class called "GT4 Light" that runs races with the "regular" GT4 cars, but the "Lights" have a separate championship (much like GARRA's GS class and ST class). 

In NASA i believe it's not a linear set like that, they also modify the power to weight ratio by the car's setup like so

Body Type: 4-door Sedan or 5-door Wagon = +0.4
Transmission: Dog-ring/Straight-cut gears (non-synchromesh) = -0.2
Sequential/Tiptronic-like/paddle shift/semi-automatic = -0.2
Drivetrain: AWD = -0.5
FWD = +1.0
Tires: Non-DOT approved tires = -0.75
Size 275 to 250 (or 10.5? to 9.5? for non-DOT approved) = +0.4
Size 245 or smaller (or less than 9.5? for non-DOT approved) = +0.8

I mean different cars should be in different classes because of their very apparent architectural differences. I think for at least amature racing it works out well here.

[Nethead]

In NASA i believe it's not a linear set like that, they also modify the power to weight ratio by the car's setup like so

Body Type: 4-door Sedan or 5-door Wagon = +0.4
Transmission: Dog-ring/Straight-cut gears (non-synchromesh) = -0.2
Sequential/Tiptronic-like/paddle shift/semi-automatic = -0.2
Drivetrain: AWD = -0.5
FWD = +1.0
Tires: Non-DOT approved tires = -0.75
Size 275 to 250 (or 10.5? to 9.5? for non-DOT approved) = +0.4
Size 245 or smaller (or less than 9.5? for non-DOT approved) = +0.8

I mean different cars should be in different classes because of their very apparent architectural differences. I think for at least amature racing it works out well here.

Sigma Projects:  Well-written, well-documented posting, SigmaDude!  The NASA folks have given some thought to their regs!  In Europe's GT4, just about any production vehicle can compete--front-engined, mid-engined, rear-engined, FWD, RWD, V8, I4, opposed 6, and so on.  A representative model of each is driven & evaluated by professional drivers at the start of the season to determine an amount of weight to be carried by each model for the races.  It is a complex process--I've omitted a lot--which has worked well (lots of different makes & models have had podium finishes) but at the same time it hasn't worked well--maybe the "splitting off" of the "Lights" will make things work better.

[Sigma Projects]

Thanks for the compliment =) I think I see what you're saying, yea starting to sound a lot more complex, got a link to the rules? Sounds interesting to read in full detail.

I started reading into NASA rules because I feel for a real amature racing league it's doing a bit better job than SCCA around here, mainly because in SCCA they have a lot of nitpicky regs that make you have to buy specific parts when off brands just aren't allowed even if they are crappy parts and I think because my car has the firewall modified I think it pretty much makes my car excluded from all classes, but in NASA I believe there are quite a few classes I could still compete in if I chose to.

[Nethead]

Thanks for the compliment =) I think I see what you're saying, yea starting to sound a lot more complex, got a link to the rules? Sounds interesting to read in full detail.

I started reading into NASA rules because I feel for a real amature racing league it's doing a bit better job than SCCA around here, mainly because in SCCA they have a lot of nitpicky regs that make you have to buy specific parts when off brands just aren't allowed even if they are crappy parts and I think because my car has the firewall modified I think it pretty much makes my car excluded from all classes, but in NASA I believe there are quite a few classes I could still compete in if I chose to.

Sig, I haven't been in touch with the GT4 websites because of the long, long layoff the series took before the new season began.  www.gt4cup.com is a good place to start.  www.fiagt3.com is good, too, but not surprisingly it is highly tilted towards GT3.  Still, diligent googling will find good stuff about GT4 and links to GT4 stuff, too. In the "non-Lights"--Aston Martin Vantage N24s (the factory comp model retailing last year for about $163,000 US if you buy it in the UK), the Maserati Trofeo, the Mustang FR500GT4 (mostly an FR500C, with some details adapted to Europe, retailing for about $129,900 US if you buy it in the US), Corvettes, Nissan 350Zs, BMW Z4s, Opel GTs, Lotus Exiges, and doubtless others--only the Vantage, the Trofeo, and the Mustang have actual "specs"--the others have few rules since they are not sold as a package from their manufacturers.  The general rule for the others is essentially:  Some tuner homologates one of these cars that he has built himself--then that car becomes the "spec" model and others racing that specific make/model must conform to the spec model that was originally homologated by that tuner.  Go figure.  That being said, there is a very competitive BMW Z4 and a coupla very competitive 350Zs that were homologated by European tuners.  Hopefully, this process will improve...

[Sigma Projects]

I see. Thanks for the links. I'll be checking them out

[Nethead]

Ashley , Robert, and Mike want it all.  And they want it now.  From themustangnews.com:

Force Racing Team Goes To Mustang Driving School
TMN Staff

The John Force gang heads to Miller Motorsport Part to learn the turn

05-01-08: With the snowcapped Oquirrh Mountains as a picturesque backdrop, Funny Car points leader Ashley Force along with John Force Racing teammates Robert Hight and Mike Neff completed the two day Ford Racing High Performance Driving School at the state-of-the-art Miller Motorsports Park recently.

?One the first day I was not in my comfort zone at all. I missed by Castrol GTX Funny Car but after I got with the instructors by the end of the day I didn?t want to get out of these Mustangs. This morning I was excited to get back on the course and work on getting better,? said Ashley Force the current Funny Car points leader . ?This facility reminds me of some of my favorite tracks on the NHRA circuit like Las Vegas or Sonoma. You have everything you need here and it is totally clean and well laid out. There is lots of open space around the track so you never have to worry about getting into anything.?

All three drivers were put through a variety of driving courses as well as classroom review. The driver made their laps behind the wheel of high performance Miller Mustang GTs, Mustang Challenge cars, and they even took some time to work on their handling skills inside the Ford Skid Car.

?More than anything I wanted to go out there and get quicker and faster with each lap. I?m new at this so I am going to make mistakes but I know with every session we get behind us I get more confidence,? said Hight, the fastest Nitro driver to reach 100 career round wins. ?Just when you start thinking you have these Mustang GTs figured out an instructor gives you a tip or pointer that shows you how much better you can be. One thing that is cool is Ford Racing has made us feel like we are part of their family.?

The goal of the two day course was to give the drivers a new driving experience as well as expose them to the superior handling and acceleration of the Mustang GT as they took it through the paces at the impressive Miller Motorsports Park.

?This experience was better than I expected it to be. This is an awesome facility. This is something that most people never get the chance to do. It has just been a thrill and I want to thank Dan Davis and Ford for giving the three of us this chance,? said rookie Funny Car driver Mike Neff. ?I?ve driven go-karts and that is an extreme measure of this as far as the precision you need. What we have picked up is the importance of picking the right line or apex through the corners, when to brake and when to accelerate. We are just learning to be smooth with the fundamentals that apply to any type of racing.?

The drivers also took time to meet with Salt Lake City media members to talk about their experiences at Miller Motorsports Park as well the NHRA POWERade season.

Miller Motorsports Park, home of the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School, is a 511 acre multi-use motorsports facility that has a main course which is 4.5 miles long and features 23-turns making it the longest lap in North America. The John Force Racing drivers spent the majority of their time on the 2.18 mile, 10-turn West Course.

In addition to the massive loop Miller Motorsports Park boasts a race paddock that is twenty-four paved acres, a KART Track, the Larry H. Miller Auto Museum, and a premium level clubhouse that can be used for corporate and group events.

[Nethead]

16/05/2008 De Doncker leads first free practice

The teams and drivers taking part in the GT4 European Cup were set loose on the fast Italian power-circuit of Monza on the Friday morning for their first free practice session.  Eric De Doncker led a close session, setting a fastest lap of 2:03.554 in his Mustang FR500 , three tenths ahead of the nr 24 Aston Martin N24 of Hugenholtz and Miller.

The BMW Z4 of Kenis and Udalenkov was third, making three makes in the top three.

The leading Sports Light car was the nr 100 KTM X-Bow of Catharina Felser, in 14th position.

Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza
Free Practice 1
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 1
GT4 Eric DE DONCKER Mustang FR500C 2:03.554 15  168.79
2 24
GT4 Hugenholtz/Miller Aston Martin N24 2:03.914 18 0.360 168.30
3 6
GT4 Kenis/Udalenkov BMW Z4 2:04.064 20 0.510 168.09
4 8
GT4 Engelhorn/Mayr-Melnhof Aston Martin N24 2:04.632 21 1.078 167.33
5 32
GT4 Michael MALLOCK Aston Martin N24 2:04.663 9 1.109 167.28
6 9
GT4 Konig/Jakoubek Aston Martin N24 2:05.573 22 2.019 166.07
7 3
GT4 Jurgen VAN HOVER Aston Martin N24 2:05.855 18 2.301 165.70
8 7
GT4 Leo WILLERT Aston Martin N24 2:07.916 17 4.362 163.03
9 5
GT4 Vitus ECKERT Aston Martin N24 2:08.096 13 4.542 162.80
10 23
GT4 Pearson/Palmer Nissan 350Z 2:08.263 16 4.709 162.59
11 16
GT4 R VAN DER STRATEN Mustang FR500C 2:08.412 13 4.858 162.40
12 18
GT4 Andre GRAMMATICO BMW Z4 2:09.409 13 5.855 161.15
13 66
GT4 Raed CHARAWI Aston Martin N24 2:09.489 19 5.935 161.05
14 100
SL Catharina FELSER KTM Xbow 2:12.417 16 8.863 157.49
15 101
SL Haase/Retera KTM Xbow 2:12.633 3 9.079 157.23
16 11
GT4 Provornov/Adonyev BMW Z4 2:13.144 14 9.590 156.63
Session notes
Weather cloudy
Track conditions dry



16/05/2008 De Doncker does the double

With the weather remaining mostly dry - although heavy rain is forecast - Eric de Doncker continues to dominate in GT4 at Monza, setting the best time in the second free-practice session.  His Mustang FR500 lapped the 5.7930 km circuit in 2:03.688, four tenths ahead of nearest rival, the  Aston Martin N24 of Michael Mallock.  Mallock, whose car was unrepairable after a heavy crash in race one at Silverstone, set a time of 2:04.146, just hundredths of a second ahead of the G&A Racing BMW Z4 of Kenis and Udalenkov, meaning that three different makes topped the session for the second time this weekend.

The nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM X-Bow of Christophe Haase and Dennis Retera was fastest in Sports Light, ahead of Catherina Felser.

Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza
Free Practice 2
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 1
GT4 Eric DE DONCKER Mustang FR500C 2:03.688 12  168.60
2 32
GT4 Michael MALLOCK Aston Martin N24 2:04.146 8 0.458 167.98
3 6
GT4 Kenis/Udalenkov BMW Z4 2:04.164 11 0.476 167.96
4 8
GT4 Engelhorn/Mayr-Melnhof Aston Martin N24 2:04.237 10 0.549 167.86
5 3
GT4 Jurgen VAN HOVER Aston Martin N24 2:05.406 8 1.718 166.29
6 9
GT4 Konig/Jakoubek Aston Martin N24 2:06.114 13 2.426 165.36
7 24
GT4 Hugenholtz/Miller Aston Martin N24 2:06.222 10 2.534 165.22
8 18
GT4 Andre GRAMMATICO BMW Z4 2:07.102 11 3.414 164.07
9 66
GT4 Raed CHARAWI Aston Martin N24 2:07.559 9 3.871 163.49
10 16
GT4 R VAN DER STRATEN Mustang FR500C 2:08.214 8 4.526 162.65
11 7
GT4 Leo WILLERT Aston Martin N24 2:08.365 10 4.677 162.46
12 11
GT4 Provornov/Adonyev BMW Z4 2:08.879 11 5.191 161.81
13 101
SL Haase/Retera KTM Xbow 2:10.193 12 6.505 160.18
14 100
SL Catharina FELSER KTM Xbow 2:10.305 14 6.617 160.04
15 23
GT4 Pearson/Palmer Nissan 350Z 2:16.632 6 12.944 152.63
Session notes
Weather cloudy
Track conditions dry

[Nethead]

17/05/2008 Ford GTclaims Monza win - Stewards exclude Marc Sourd Corvette

Three races, three wins for the Ford GT - the Blue Oval has made the perfect start to the 2008 FIA GT3 European Championship. Victory in the first race at Monza was claimed by the No.21 Matech GT Racing Ford GT of Alex Mortimer and Bradley Ellis after an action-packed race. They finished less than two seconds clear of the No.28 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3 - but four hours after the race finished, the stewards excluded the Corvette for having raced on the wrong tyres.

That handed second place to the No.47 Tech 9 Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 of Christopher Haase and Dimitris Deverikos, with the No.1 Martini Callaway Corvette of Peyroles and Ruffier moving up to third. Fourth was the No.29 AutoGT Morgan Areo 8 GT3 of Lesoudier and Scheier - a remarkable achievement, since they started from the pit lane. The No.8 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 of Mena and Accary was fifth, ahead of the No.22 Matech Mustang Racing Ford Mustang FR500 GT of De Doncker and Maxwell.
Ian Khan and Thomas Mutsch still lead the Drivers' Championship after winning both races at Silverstone in the No.20 Matech Ford GT; Khan crashed out of the race early after a bold overtaking move went badly wrong. Peyroles and Ruffier move up to second in the points standings. Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza

Race 1 Result
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 21 FGT Mortimer/Ellis Ford GT 1:00:46.605 29  165.54
2 47L Deverikos/Haase Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 1:01:04.642 29 18.037 164.72
3 1 C Peyroles/Ruffier Corvette Z06R GT3 1:01:04.758 29 18.153 164.72
4 29 M Lesoudier/Scheier Morgan Aero 8 GT3 1:01:18.217 29 31.612 164.12
5 8 AM Mena/Accary Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:29.820 29 43.215 163.60
6 22 FMS De Doncker/Maxwell Ford Mustang FR500 GT 1:01:31.289 29 44.684 163.54
7 12 F Rambeaud/Misslin Ferrari F430 GT3 1:01:32.157 29 45.552 163.50
8 4 F Hyman/Warren Ferrari F430 GT3 1:01:36.890 29 50.285 163.29
9 10 AM Lagniez/Makowiecki Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:37.170 29 50.565 163.28
10 37 C Matzke/Skula Corvette Z06R GT3 1:01:43.616 29 57.011 162.99
11 44 AS Greenhalgh/Thiry Ascari KZ1R GT3 1:01:50.912 29 1:04.307 162.67
12 9 AM Rodrigues/Rodrigues Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:55.170 29 1:08.565 162.48
13 39 P Thomas/Jirik Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S 1:01:56.764 29 1:10.159 162.41
14 33 J Hall/Bellm Jaguar XKR 1:01:58.393 29 1:11.788 162.34
15 5 F Balbiani/Tonoli Ferrari F430 GT3 1:01:59.120 29 1:12.515 162.31
16 40 P Bergmeister/Cloet Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S 1:01:59.522 29 1:12.917 162.29
17 3 F Kralev/Iliev Ferrari F430 GT3 1:02:13.320 29 1:26.715 161.69
18 18 AM Mantovani/Zumerle Aston Martin DBRS9 1:02:14.426 29 1:27.821 161.65
19 35 P Lamot/Penders Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 1:02:19.434 29 1:32.829 161.43
20 7 P Nuttall/Shelley Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S 1:02:34.270 29 1:47.665 160.79
21 16 AM Zenere/Prette Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:05.847 28 1 LAP 158.98
22 31 M Laffite/G-A Sturdza Morgan Aero 8 GT3 1:02:08.520 28 1 LAP 156.31
23 15 L Polato/Kuzminykh Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 57:53.997 27 2 LAPS 161.76
24 13 F Ballay/Sicart Ferrari F430 GT3 1:02:09.361 27 2 LAPS 150.68
25 30 M Neill/Laffite Morgan Aero 8 GT3 1:02:23.359 27 2 LAPS 150.12
26 2 C Meir/Bert Corvette Z06R GT3 52:07.885 23 6 LAPS 152.99
Not Classified
-- 42 D Sabatini/Mancini Dodge Viper Competition Coupe 16:31.904 6 D.N.F. 125.02
-- 26 AS Rich/Thompson Ascari KZ1R GT3 8:15.549 4 D.N.F. 166.08
-- 14 L Knauss/Kraihamer Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 6:19.561 3 D.N.F. 161.89
-- 19 FGT Pirri/Von Gartzen Ford GT 6:20.137 3 D.N.F. 161.64
-- 11 F Petit/Lorgere-Roux Ferrari F430 GT3 4:12.871 2 D.N.F. 160.53
-- 20 FGT Khan/Mutsch Ford GT 13:48.543 7 D.N.F. 174.84
-- 36 P Loix/Lemeret Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 13:46.648 7 D.N.F. 175.24
-- 6 P Ashburn/Williams Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S 27:59.270 8 D.N.F. 98.68
-- 43 D Vannelet/Lunardi Dodge Viper Competition Coupe 25:01.175 11 D.N.F. 152.07
-- 25 AS Dymond/Zwart Ascari KZ1R GT3 26:51.296 12 D.N.F. 154.62
-- 17 AM Giraudi/Zani Aston Martin DBRS9 33:07.474 14 D.N.F. 146.34
-- 28 C Charpilienne/Sourd Corvette Z06R GT3 1:00:47.831 29 DQ 1.226
-- 45 AS Bonaldi/Gabbiani Ascari KZ1R GT3 3:30.743 1 D.N.F. 93.66
Session Notes
Weather Warm, humid, overcas
Track conditions Damp at first, then 
Stewards Decisions No.28 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette excluded - contravened tyre regulations

What naturally-aspirated 5.0L engine is this in the Mustang FR500GT3 and those Ford GTs that they are faster than even last year's supercharged 5.4 Ford GTs????

WooHoo!  That little 5.0 liter Mustang (Well, BIG Mustang actually--compared to the Ford GTs, Ferrari 430 GT3s, Aston Martin DBSR9s, Porsche 997 GT3 Cups, Corvette Z06R GT3s, Dodge Viper Competition Coupes, Morgan Aero 8 GT3s, Jaguar XKRs, Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s, and Ascari KZ1R GT3s that composed the competition) has a lot to be proud of in a field of big dawg competitors like these!  Including the fact that the Mustang had to face off against the Ford GTs using the identical engines (except for the intake manifolds, which are modified for mid-engined application in the Ford GTs and have thirty pounds-feet of additional torque)!  AND at Monza, no less!! Hot damn! 

That little (big) Mustang averaged only 2 KPH less than the winning Ford GT--which had the additional advantage of being mid-engined, much lighter (by 100 kg), more aerodynamic, and much much smaller (229 mm lower, for one thing)!  And of course, the Ford GT also had IRS for the solid-axle-phobic in this forum   And yet Maxwell & DeDoncker's Mustang finished less than one minute behind the winner! (Well, this is not truly a valid comparison, since Mortimer & Ellis backed off to cruise speed once they secured the lead, whereas there can be no doubt Maxwell & De Doncker stood on it every last inch of the way!). OTOH, the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 of Deverikos & Haase that finished second no doubt was pedal-to-the-metal every last inch of the way and they finished less than 27 seconds ahead of Maxwell & De Doncker in the Mustang... 

I gotta get one of these naturally-aspirated 5.0s in my '66 Bronco

[Nethead]

16/05/2008: Double pole for Motorsport98 and Eric de Doncker

Reigning Champion Eric De Doncker started the second meeting of the 2008 GT4 European Cup in style, setting pole position in both qualifying sessions, and ensuring that he will start all three races from the best possible position !

The Belgian driver, in his Mustang FR500, set the fastest time in both wet qualifying sessions, which had been delayed after torrential rain interrupted the earlier British F3 International Series session.

In the first session, he set a lap of 2:18.882, ahead of Silverstone pole man Michael Mallock, who improved right at the end with a lap of 2:19.709 to claim a front-row spot for his RS Williams Aston.

Klaus Engelhorn was third in the Jetalliance Aston Martin N24 with the Speedlover Aston Martin of Jurgen van Hover fourth.

Catherina Felser was ninth and the best of the Sports Light cars in her KTM X-Bow.

In the second session, five minutes after the first, which will set the grid for the first race, De Doncker was once again fastest.  This time, however, Van Hover moved up to second, with Silverstone race-one winner Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof third.

Felser was again the best Sports Light driver, improving to eighth. 

Times were slightly faster, although conditions were still extremely wet.

[Nethead]

Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza

Race One Result
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 3 GT4 Jurgen VAN HOVER Aston Martin N24 25:24.658 11  149.73
2 1 GT4 Eric DE DONCKER Mustang FR500C 25:35.392 11 10.734 148.68
3 32 GT4 Michael MALLOCK Aston Martin N24 25:47.013 11 22.355 147.56
4 66 GT4 Raed CHARAWI Aston Martin N24 25:50.450 11 25.792 147.23
5 6 GT4 Vladimir UDALENKOV BMW Z4 25:54.905 11 30.247 146.81
6 5 GT4 Vitus ECKERT Aston Martin N24 25:58.051 11 33.393 146.52
7 100 SL Catharina FELSER KTM Xbow 26:05.117 11 40.459 145.85
8 9 GT4 Thomas JAKOUBEK Aston Martin N24 26:27.284 11 1:02.626 143.82
9 23 GT4 Derek PALMER Nissan 350Z 26:54.158 11 1:29.500 141.42
10 11 GT4 Sergey ADONYEV BMW Z4 27:22.703 11 1:58.045 138.97
11 24 GT4 Hanz HUGENHOLTZ Aston Martin N24 27:28.254 11 2:03.596 138.50
12 18 GT4 Andre GRAMMATICO BMW Z4 27:34.999 11 2:10.341 137.93
13 101 SL Christopher HAASE KTM Xbow 25:52.952 10 1 LAP 133.57
14 16 GT4 R VAN DER STRATEN Mustang FR500C 21:10.735 9 2 LAPS 146.82
Not Classified
-- 8 GT4 N MAYR-MELNHOF Aston Martin N24 2:52.951 1 D.N.F. 114.12
Session notes
Weather cloudy
Track conditions dry

[Nethead]

Eric De Doncker, already having the FIA GT4 European Driving Championship points lead after the first race at Monza, Italy now extends his points lead with a win in the second race at Monza:

18/05/2008 Victory to Eric De Doncker in Race 2

Another exciting GT4 race saw Eric De Doncker take his first victory of 2008, crossing the finish line with a comfortable lead of 13 seconds after a wet race in Monza.  His Mustang FR500 finished ahead of the Aston Martin N24 of Michael Mallock and the BMW Z4 of Guino Kenis - three makes on the podium!

Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza
Race Two Result

Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 1 GT4 Eric DE DONCKER Mustang FR500C 25:11.186 10  137.26
2 32 GT4 Michael MALLOCK Aston Martin N24 25:24.298 10 13.112 136.08
3 6 GT4 Guino KENIS BMW Z4 25:30.371 10 19.185 135.54
4 8 GT4 Klaus ENGELHORN Aston Martin N24 25:37.504 10 26.318 134.91
5 66 GT4 Raed CHARAWI Aston Martin N24 25:43.817 10 32.631 134.36
6 24 GT4 Mark MILLER Aston Martin N24 25:43.853 10 32.667 134.36
7 18 GT4 Andre GRAMMATICO BMW Z4 25:45.756 10 34.570 134.19
8 101 SL Dennis RETERA KTM Xbow 25:46.025 10 34.839 134.17
9 3 GT4 Jurgen VAN HOVER Aston Martin N24 25:52.906 10 41.720 133.57
10 5 GT4 Vitus ECKERT Aston Martin N24 25:57.465 10 46.279 133.18
11 100 SL Catharina FELSER KTM Xbow 25:57.774 10 46.588 133.15
12 16 GT4 R VAN DER STRATEN Mustang FR500C 26:09.598 10 58.412 132.15
13 23 GT4 Rick PEARSON Nissan 350Z 26:49.910 10 1:38.724 128.84
14 7 GT4 Leo WILLERT Aston Martin N24 25:35.575 9 1 LAP 121.50
Not Classified
-- 11 GT4 Sergey PROVORNOV BMW Z4 10:09.088 3 D.N.F. 100.88
-- 9 GT4 Philip KONIG Aston Martin N24 6:47.500 2 D.N.F. 99.61
Session notes
Weather rain
Track conditions wet

[Nethead]

18/05/2008: Eric de Doncker wins the first GT4 50-minute race

Eric de Doncker made it two out of three this weekend in Monza, winning the first GT4 'endurance' race in his Motorsport98 Mustang FR500.  The Belgian was delighted with his weekend in Monza, as with one second place and two wins, he has taken the lead in the Championship points.

Andr? Grammatico finished in second place in the 50-minute race, which took place in the pouring rain.  His BMW Z4 finisihed 13 seconds behind the Mustang.

In third place was the nr 101 KTM X-Bow, the leading Sports Light car, in an excellent result for the new car.  Dennis Retera and Christophe Haase put in a perfect race despite the conditions.

Jurgen van Hover, in his Aston Martin N24, was third in GT4, finishing ahead of the second Sports Light car of Catharina Felser.  Raphael van der Straten was an excellent fourth in GT4 in his Mustang.

Eric de Doncker was the 'Silver' driver of the meeting, while Raed Charawi was the leading Bronze driver after a very consistent weekend.  He was delighted with his trophy.

In the Teams classification, Motorsport98 have taken a narrow lead over Jetalliance.

On to round three in Oschersleben !

Results: 2008 Round 2 - Monza
Race Three Result

Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg speed
1 1   GT4 Eric DE DONCKER Mustang FR500C 51:45.907 20  133.93
2 18  GT4 Andre GRAMMATICO BMW Z4 51:59.164 20 13.257 133.36
3 101 SL Retera/Haase KTM Xbow 51:59.538 20 13.631 133.34
4 3   GT4 Jurgen VAN HOVER Aston Martin N24 52:19.252 20 33.345 132.50
5 100 SL Catharina FELSER KTM Xbow 52:49.214 20 1:03.307 131.25
6 16  GT4 R VAN DER STRATEN Mustang FR500C 53:07.229 20 1:21.322 130.51
7 8   GT4 Engelhorn/Mayr-Melnhof Aston Martin N24 53:07.964 20 1:22.057 130.48
8 6   GT4 Kenis/Udalenkov BMW Z4 53:18.019 20 1:32.112 130.07
9 66  GT4 Raed CHARAWI Aston Martin N24 53:34.811 20 1:48.904 129.39
10 32 GT4 Michael MALLOCK Aston Martin N24 51:49.324 19 1 LAP 127.07
11 5  GT4 Vitus ECKERT Aston Martin N24 52:11.667 19 1 LAP 126.17
12 24 GT4 Miller/Hugenholtz Aston Martin N24 52:14.136 19 1 LAP 126.07
13 9  GT4 Konig/Jakoubek Aston Martin N24 53:43.440 19 1 LAP 122.57
14 23 GT4 Pearson/Palmer Nissan 350Z 52:00.341 18 2 LAPS 119.94
15 7  GT4 Leo WILLERT Aston Martin N24 46:39.973 15 5 LAPS 111.32
Not Classified
-- 11 GT4 Sergey ADONYEV BMW Z4 30:51.609 10 D.N.F. 112.02

[Nethead]

Davis Rides Podium in Utah

Tommy Archer may have changed teams from 2007 to 2008, but the result at Miller Motorsports Park was the same - a win in SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT, part of the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix.
Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., completed the podium.

Through much of the race, Archer avoided lapped cars spinning in front of him to keep Davis' No. 10 ACS/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang at bay and score a 1.148-second win, averaging 93.284 mph.

Davis started fifth, but moved to third by turn one. He moved to second on lap six and closed on Archer at least twice, but was unable to make a bid for the lead. The Long Beach winner took over the point lead with his runner-up finish.
"We had a lot better start than we did at Long Beach, gaining positions instead of losing them," Davis said.

"We've worked really hard to get our traction control working well on the start. The car just hooked up and I was able to get around Cindi [Lux], I saw Andy to the inside but I realized if I hugged the inside I'd be able to take the position."

"From there, I kept pushing and pushing and pushing and people fell away. I thought we might be able to get a shot at Tommy [Archer], but we couldn't quite do it. Overall, it was a great race and it feels good to leave with the championship lead."

Ford took over the hotly-contested SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT Manufacturers Championship Presented by RACER lead, with 21 points to Porsche?s 19, Cadillac?s 17, Dodge?s 13 and Chevrolet?s one.

The Utah race will be broadcast on SPEED Wednesday, May 28 at 1 p.m. (EDT), 11 a.m. locally. The series travels next to Watkins Glen, NY, on June 8.

[Nethead]

This is an English translation (well, sort of...) of the three FIA GT4 races held in Monza, Italy last week-end.  Some of the phrases are strange, but the translation of some of the Belgian expressions spoken in French do not necessarily have a direct English translation.  Muddle through!

   
GT4 European Cup & FIA GT3 European Championship 2008 / 2. Monza

Two victories and a silver medal in GT4 Cup, a top 6 in FIA GT3, Eric De Doncker is one of the big winners of Monza

Following on from the spectacular start at Silverstone, the GT4 European Cup set up camp at Monza this weekend, and once again the weather conditions proved to be temperamental. However in no way did this deter, neither during the free practice sessions held in the dry, nor during the qualifying sessions on a water logged track, from the Ford Mustang FR500C GT4 of the Insulco Motorsport 98 team being inflexible and Eric De Doncker being permanently out on top.

Even though the American power beast, the title holder in the GT4 European Cup, handles perfectly in the dry or on a water logged track, the situation can become more complicated when race conditions are ever changing. Having set off on Saturday with rain tyres for the first of the... three heats scheduled on the programme, Eric De Doncker restricted the damages, gathering up points from his 2nd place.

Weather conditions deteriorated before the second heat, to the delight of the Mustang. Uncompromising in these conditions the Belgian driver had a faultless race, clinching his first victory of the 2008 season. During qualifying, also held under these conditions, there were moments when I found myself with a 4 seconds lead per lap on my nearest rivals. ", De Doncker explained.?For this second race this heavy rain suited me down to the ground, and I didn?t let the opportunity pass me by to climb up on to the top tread of the podium..."

The third heat, a 50 minutes race this time, with a compulsory pit-stop, awaited the GT4 European Cup competitors this Sunday. As the cars were lining up on the grid a violent downpour occurred, forcing all drivers to fit grooved tyres. And as with the second heat, Eric De Doncker found himself at the wheel of a Mustang FR500C evolving... like a fish in water! "Having said that, the conditions were atrocious and the car was aquaplaning all over the place!? the Insulco Motorsport 98 driver continued. "Had the radio worked I would have screamed out for someone to neutralise the race, but in the end I had to come to terms with the downpour. I immediately built up a lead and then made sure I didn?t make any mistakes. The pit-stop was perfectly handled, and I won a second consecutive race. Outcome: I?ve taken the lead in the championship after an almost perfect weekend. The Insulco Motorsport 98team did a great job, the Mustang handled perfectly and on top of that I really enjoy the Monza circuit and the rain ! OK I?m fully aware that matters will probably be less simple at our next meeting in Oschersleben, but they can?t take away what has already been achieved..."

And as a cherry on top of the Italian cake, Eric De Doncker and his Canadian team mate Scott Maxwell finished the first of the two races of the FIA GT3 European championship in 6th place, providing the Ford Mustang FR500GT3 an excellent initial result... "The timing was really ideal, seeing that there were various top brass Ford Racing individuals present at Monza", the driver told us, overjoyed by this performance "Obviously we took advantage of certain race facts but all in all the car is evolving perfectly. In fact highly promising for the future. This 6th place was unexpected, and I must say it really rounded off a highly positive weekend. The atmosphere in the Matech team was truly great at Monza, and I?m delighted to have been able to offer them, together with Scott, this result, and the points that are linked to it..."

[Nethead]

HEMI666:  HemiDude, I found some info on the naturally-aspirated 5.0L V8 used in Ford GTs to win all four FIA GT3 races so far this year, and in the Mustang FR500GT3 that got a sixth place finish in one of those races.  Matech Racing's website sez that these engines are:

Ford Racing 5.0L Cammer V8 race engine (that would be the R50 version of the 5.0 'Cammer) mapped for 102 octane unleaded fuel
Bosch engine management system
Baffled anti-surge wet sump
Tuned tubular exhaust manifold
Power output 550 hp @ 7200 rpm
Torque output 600 Nm (newton-metres) @ 6000 RPM

The Mustang's version of this engine, naturally having a different manifold for its front-engined application, has the same horsepower but 570 Nm instead of the 600 Nm of the Ford GTs.

A pic on the Matech website shows "RoushYates Engines" on the top of the manifold.  Otherwise, the engine looks like a 5.0L 'Cammer with a black plenum chamber manifold unlike the R50 dual-plenum-with-runners manifold used by all 'Cammer 5.0s found in FR500Cs.  Find a pic of the "Aluminator" 4.6L V8 available in a crate from Ford and you'll see what this engine and its manifold look like.  I'll see if I can google the pounds-feet conversion for newton-metres and update this posting with the converted torque figures.

Update: 
600 Nm = just over 442.5 pounds feet
570 Nm = just over 420.3 pounds feet

 

[Nethead]

Polesitters Maxwell & Foster duel with Plumb & Canney for a Mustang One-Two punch at the Mosport Koni Challenge race.  It would have been an all-Mustang podium if third-place finisher Billy Johnson had not wrecked second-place qualifiers Martin & Roush with three laps remaining.

June 14, 2008

Maxwell, Foster Defend Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Race at Mosport

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (June 14, 2008) -- Nothing was going to keep Scott Maxwell, Joe Foster and the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT from claiming the team's second consecutive Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport track victory Saturday at Mosport International Raceway.

On the race's fourth and final restart, with nine minutes to go, Maxwell got a great jump on Plumb, and won by 3.013 seconds over Plumb in the No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT. Maxwell had slipped past Hugh Plumb on Lap 66 - with just over 35 minutes remaining in the 82-lap, two-and-a-half hour race - as the pair approached Turn 1. The pass came just before the race's third caution, which involved the No. 171 APR Motorsport Volkswagen GT of Ian Baas.

Foster, who started on the pole, led the opening 40 laps before the race's first caution period, which occurred on Lap 37 for two cars that had spun. Foster passed through the pits but did not stop, as confusion mounted as to whether the pits were open. Foster returned to the pit area on the next lap for routine service and a driver change, and Maxwell returned to the track in ninth place.

But Maxwell didn't stay there long. The Toronto native moved into the top five on Lap 57, and jumped to third on a restart following the second caution period on Lap 63. He took second from fellow countryman Jean-Francois Dumoulin on Lap 64, then pulled alongside Plumb as the pair drove out of Turn 11 on Lap 65. He completed the pass into Turn 1, and was only challenge thereafter on the restarts. The victory was the first for Maxwell and Foster since last year's race at Mosport, when Maxwell led the final 15 laps after passing David Empringham.

Plumb and Mike Canney followed up a strong Fresh From Florida 200 performance at Daytona International Speedway with a season-best second-place finish in the No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT, one of six cars from the team's fleet. Canney started 17th and ran near that position before handing the car off to Plumb on the first start. Plumb also led laps and battled Maxwell and Jean-Francois Dumoulin for several laps.

Billy Johnson and Tom Milner filled out the race's podium, as the pair took third in only their second race in the No. 18 Motorsport Technology Group BMW Z4. Johnson was battling with Dean Martin with only three laps remaining before the two made contact, spinning Martin and the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT into a 360-degree spin coming out of Turn 11. Martin and Jack Roush Jr. finished 19th in the GS class.

Dumoulin and Tom Nastasi, who switched from the Ford Mustang to the BMW M3 earlier this year, were fourth in the No. 5 Blackforest Motorsports BMW M3, while defending series champion Jeff Segal weaved through the field during his stint to give himself and co-driver Jep Thornton a fifth-place finish in the No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3.

While Segal and Thornton left the track as the only two drivers with a share of the point lead, as another incoming leader, Craig Stanton, suffered from an earlier race incident. Co-driver Jon Miller lost a left-rear tire after another car made contact with the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997 only 10 laps into the race, and Stanton completed 74 laps to earn a 19th-place finish. Stanton is now tied for third in points with Canney and Plumb, 14 points out of first.

Four caution periods slowed the race's average speed to 81.235 mph.

POS NO. CLASS CLASS POS. DRIVER TEAM/CAR LAPS BEST LAP (#) AVG MPH SPONSORS
1 55 GS 1 Foster / Maxwell Hyper Sport / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:30.738 53 81.268 
2 60 GS 2 Canney / Plumb Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:31.223 79 81.241 Sunset Hills Vineyard
3 18 GS 3 Johnson / Milner Motorsport Technology Group / BMW Z4 M  82 1:31.459 73 81.206 Morris Animal Foundation, Meisha's Hope
4 5 GS 4 Dumoulin / Nastasi Blackforest Motorsports / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:31.409 50 81.202 USG Sheetrock, DeWalt
5 09 GS 5 Segal / Thornton Automatic Racing / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:30.828 78 81.200 Imported Car Store, Land Air, Engine Studios, Rogue Engineering
6 39 GS 6 Ende / Pumpelly TRG / Porsche 997  82 1:30.957 50 81.197 The DigiTrust Group, Adam's Polishes, Fox River Coffee, Sherab-Khandro.com
7 37 GS 7 Gue / Seafuse JBS Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:31.327 78 81.194 Trumansburg Shursave
8 97 GS 8 Ortiz / Salama Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:31.237 80 81.192 Turner Motorsports
9 19 GS 9 Aschenbach / Davis Motorsport Technology Group / Porsche 997  82 1:31.494 78 81.186 MAH 720 Property Management
10 52 GS 10 Mason / Pecorari Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:30.947 72 81.164 Columbus Truck & Equipement
11 28 GS 11 Boden / Jenkins Playboy Racing/ Fall-Line / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:31.821 72 81.145 Playboy, Verve, Taser, Palms, Aprilia, Original BMW Parts, Fall-Line
12 41 GS 12 Ludwig / Schroeder TRG / Porsche 997  82 1:31.865 72 81.138 Cohen Financial, Wolf-tec Inc., www.WTInc.com, Ludwig-Motorsports, Pillers
13 96 GS 13 Alhadeff / Auberlen Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:31.362 52 81.109 Turner Motorsports
14 11 GS 14 Kossmann / Lacey Emerald Hill Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:33.294 81 80.983 Stateyouridentity.com, Gold Coast Parasail
15 17 GS 15 Ackley / Snyder CMA Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT  82 1:31.534 72 80.866 ACKCO, INC. CONSULTING GROUP
16 99 GS 16 Cameron / Finlay Automatic Racing / BMW M3 Coupe  82 1:31.641 12 80.077 Mobile Shop, Imported Car Store, Land Air, Engine Studios, Rogue Engineering
17 21 GS 17 Eversley / Levitas Motorsport Technology Group / Porsche 997  81 1:32.843 64 80.101 MAH 720 Property Mgmt, TPC Racing
18 01 ST 1 Curran / Holtom Georgian Bay Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS  81 1:34.302 77 80.001 Chev Cobalt SS, TTL
19 111 ST 2 Hemmingson / Skavnes ICY/ Phoenix Racing / Subaru Legacy  81 1:34.786 77 79.993 Subaru of America
20 29 ST 3 Beede / Plumb Bill Fenton Motorsports / Honda Civic SI  81 1:34.731 78 79.965 Honda Cirtified Used Cars
21 32 ST 4 Wittmer / Wittmer i-MOTO Racing / Acura TSX  81 1:35.160 81 79.962 Cybernation Solutions, Alpinestar, Acura
22 74 ST 5 Burrows / Hopwood Compass360 Racing / Acura TSX  81 1:35.027 9 79.944 Skunk2, Sunday Group Mgmt, Fischer Skis, C360R.com
23 76 ST 6 Miller / Thomson / Walker Compass360 Racing / Acura RSX Type S  81 1:35.174 81 79.939 Skunk2, K&N, Compass 360 Marketing
24 22 ST 7 Lewis / Schmitt HART / Honda Accord  81 1:35.139 77 79.912 Red Line Oil, Honda of America
25 31 ST 8 Bocchino / Cunningham i-MOTO Racing / Acura TSX  81 1:35.612 4 79.905 Cybernation Solutions, Alpinestar, Acura
26 181 ST 9 Pobst / White APR Motorsport / Volkswagen GTI  81 1:34.718 64 79.900 APR, BBS, Motul, Status, IAV, Team Janica
27 14 GS 18 Pacione / Shep Emerald Hill Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT  81 1:33.369 6 79.892 Emerald Hill Motorsports
28 27 ST 10 Lamb / Thilenius Bill Fenton Motorsports / Honda Civic SI  81 1:35.671 51 79.867 Southern Auto Auction
29 86 ST 11 Grahovec / Kleinubing Classic BMW - Plano / BMW Z4  81 1:35.985 77 79.858 Classic BMW
30 59 GS 19 Martin / Roush Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  81 1:30.936 78 79.824 Roush Performance Products, Valvoline
31 24 ST 12 Arnold / Schultz V-Pack Motorsport / BMW 330  81 1:36.220 5 79.744 Trackmasters, AMI, Arai, Automobilsport, www.garra-fans.com
32 141 ST 13 Aquilante / Knowles ICY/ Phoenix Racing / Subaru Legacy  81 1:35.181 5 79.729 Subaru of America
33 00 ST 14 McCalmont / Spencer Georgian Bay Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS  80 1:34.609 80 79.807 TTL
34 138 ST 15 Danyliw / Schmidt GS Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS  80 1:34.871 5 78.879 C&P Cross Border Law, Sun Sport
35 89 GS 20 Kofskey / Rossi Ranger Sports Racing / Porsche 997  80 1:33.617 11 78.774 Hop A Jet Worldwide Jet Charter
36 16 ST 16 Brumbaugh / Stuard Meyer Motorsports / Mazda RX-8  80 1:36.512 29 78.765 RAM TECH, Stewart Engines
37 196 ST 17 Smalley / Trinkler / Zacharias RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S  80 1:34.962 78 78.711 Cruise America, 4 Winds RV, Casetech
38 73 ST 18 Wilden / Willard Compass360 Racing / Acura TSX  79 1:36.130 77 77.883 Pure Hair and Body Care, C360R.com
39 63 ST 19 Carbonell / Herr Roar Racing / Mazda RX-8  79 1:35.533 53 77.881 Mazda Speed, Red Line Oil, Go Pro Camera, Discovery Parts
40 85 ST 20 Lamb / Maia Classic BMW - Plano / BMW Z4  79 1:35.618 62 77.801 Classic BMW
41 33 ST 21 Davis / Smith Kinetic Motorsports / BMW 330  79 1:37.795 76 77.746 
42 46 GS 21 Borkowski / Constantine Playboy Racing/ Fall-Line / BMW M3 Coupe  78 1:31.786 72 80.531 Playboy, Verve, Taser, Palms, Aprilia, Original BMW Parts, Fall-Line
43 95 ST 22 Bell / Mirzayan Turner Motorsport / BMW 330  78 1:35.498 48 78.625 Turner Motorsports
44 08 ST 23 Leverone / McHaffie Flatout Motorsports / Mazda MX-5  78 1:38.046 75 76.757 Flatout Motorsports
45 51 ST 24 Ott / Rivera Brass Mitchell Racing / Mazda RX-8  78 1:34.765 6 76.696 Haljoy Renewable Fuels
46 146 ST 25 Long / O'Doski Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5  76 1:35.889 66 74.918 Freedom Autosport, Mazda
47 198 ST 26 London / Smalley / Trinkler RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S  75 1:37.284 45 73.656 Cruise America, CaseTech
48 83 GS 22 Miller / Stanton BGB Motorsports / Porsche 997  74 1:31.576 57 73.225 Performance Drink
49 150 GS 23 Click / McGovern Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  74 1:31.908 73 73.217 Jim Click Racing, Valvoline
50 140 GS 24 Anis / Wojteczko SG-Motorsport / Nissan 350Z  72 1:33.369 3 70.963 SG-Motorsports.com
51 197 ST 27 Congleton / Smalley / Zacharias RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S  71 1:36.546 9 79.476 Cruise America, 4 Winds RV, Del Frisco's Steakhouse
52 127 ST 28 Buisson / Gramisci Fountain Motorsports / BMW 330  64 1:36.342 5 63.001 Hawk Brakes, Rogue Engineering, Marren Fuel
53 171 ST 29 Baas / von Moltke APR Motorsport / Volkswagen GTI  62 1:35.203 11 81.814 APR, BBS, Motul, Status, IAV, Team Vomo USA
54 49 ST 30 Mitchell / Robinson Brass Mitchell Racing / Mazda RX-8  62 1:36.671 13 60.965 Haljoy Renewable Fuels
55 183 ST 31 Bovenberg / Rashleigh GS Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS  59 1:36.397 59 58.140 C&P Cross Border Law, Sun Sport
56 25 GS 25 Riddle / Wilson CMAX/ Unitech Racing / Porsche 997  54 1:31.776 48 86.517 C-MAX/UNITECH RACING
57 53 ST 32 Boyer / Pritiko Predator Auto Sport / Chevrolet Cobalt SS  53 1:35.152 9 81.553 Auto Tech
58 145 ST 33 Daniels / Whitis Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5  49 1:36.032 5 48.290 Freedom Autosport, Mazda
59 189 ST 34 Blanchette / Hebert 89 Racing Team / Honda Civic SI  31 1:35.327 26 90.425 Trois-Rivieres Honda, TVA-CHEM, Auberge Godefroy
60 91 GS 26 Espenlaub / Putman Automatic Racing / BMW M3 Coupe  29 1:31.960 12 40.506 Imported Car Store, Land Air, Engine Studios, Rogue Engineering
61 88 GS 27 Ellis / Wellon Ranger Sports Racing / Porsche 996  2 1:41.949 1 82.114 Hop A Jet Worldwide Jet Charter
62* 30 ST 0 Meyer / Wilson Meyer Motorsports / Mazda RX-8  0  0 0.000 Meyermotorsports.com, Stewart Engines
63* 26 GS 0 Riddle / Wilson CMAX/ Unitech Racing / Porsche 997  0  0 0.000 C-MAX/UNITECH RACING
64* 38 GS 0 Murry / Selznick BGB Motorsports / Porsche 997  0  0 0.000 
65* 58 GS 0 Martin / Rehagen Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  0  0 0.000 
66* 154 GS 0 Click / McGovern Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT  0  0 0.000 Jim Click Racing, Valvoline
67* 75 ST 0 Miller / York Compass360 Racing / Acura TSX  0  0 0.000 Goenzo.com, 034 Motorsport, C360R.com
68* 128 ST 0 Gramisci / Rowen Fountain Motorsports / BMW 330  0  0 0.000 Hawk Brakes, Rogue Engineering, Marren Injection

* - Withdrew

[Nethead]

 
Caddell Withstands Late Restart Pressure to Win Mosport Mustang Challenge Race

Andrew Caddell survived a late-race restart charge from fellow front-row starter Pratt Cole to win the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup race at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday. Tony Buffomante converted third on the starting grid into his first Mustang Challenge podium appearance with a run to third place at the finish of the 45-minute race for round two of the 2008 championship.

Caddell, who grew his championship points lead with the race win and the pole position points he scored on Saturday, didn?t get the lead at the start as Cole took the point. But Caddell showed some patience as he moved to the front after three laps and grew the gap over the field to nearly five seconds before the only caution period of the weekend regrouped the field and set the stage for a final dash for the checkered flag.

Before the race, Cole and Caddell were talking restarts at the Fathers Day Breakfast that the Mustang Challenge hosted in Series hospitality, with Caddell admitting that they were not his strong point, while Cole was hoping that he?d get the chance to teach the youngster something new. He got exactly that opportunity with just three laps remaining, but Caddell was able to old on and take a 1.710-second win for his second Mustang Challenge win in as many races.

?I couldn?t believe there was a yellow after I?d built that lead, I was thinking this was the last thing I need!? said Caddell. ?I saw that Pratt (Cole) got a good run on me on the restart but I was able to hold him off. I love racing with Pratt and I trust him and he trusts me, so it was really fun out there and I?m really happy to have my dad here to see this win on Fathers Day!?

Despite getting the lead at the start, Cole didn?t expect to take it to the checkered flag up front as Caddell has shown strength all weekend.

?I got the timing just right at the start and got by him, but I was sure it was going to be a short-lived thing,? said Cole. ?But I bobbeled the entry of turn three and left the door open and he took it right to me. It was fun to see some open track for a few laps! On the restart, I had a great run going again and had probably 20 miles an hour on him, but it was too much and I had to hit the brakes and then he just took off.?

The third place result was a big boost for Buffomonte?s championship aspirations after a tough outing at Road Atlanta saw him take home a 14th place finish.

?I lost third at the start to Carlo, but I was able to get back by later on,? said Buffamonte. ?I was hoping he was going to leave me a little more room than he did, but I we went side by side and didn?t touch, and still got through! Its great to get a podium on fathers day here this weekend, and we learned a lot here and I can?t wait to race next weekend at Mid-Ohio. I have a lot of experience there so we can put these lessons learned to good use. I want to thank PeirSpeed, Levy Racing and TeamBRE, they did a great job this weekend.?

The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup will return to competition again in just one week as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio on June 21.

Special Post-race Awards:

In addition to the traditional podium ceremonies, three drivers earned special awards in the post-race awards.

Mike Harvison won the Barbasol ?Closest Shave? Award and a check for $250 with his 8th place finish, which was just .022-seconds ahead of Joe Lee Middlebrooks

Andrew Caddell won $250 from Zantrex-3 by leading the most laps and taking the Zantrex-3 Insta-Shot Award.

Leo Capaldi netted two BFGoodrich Tires for use in his next round of Mustang Challenge competition by scoring the BFGoodrich ?Take Control? Award after moving up from 12th to take seventh at the checkered flag, making more upward progress than any other racer in the field.

?I?ve been racing here since I was 16 years old,? said Capaldi, who started the day with a $250 check from Sunoco Fuels for the Road Atlanta round. ?I knew that I just needed to be patient, and that I?d be able to move forward because I saw some guys trying to make some passes where you just know its not going to work! Plus, with a race just next week at Mid-Ohio, we were a little conservative and that paid off today.?

Rehagan Racing picked up the ?Sunoco Setting The Standard Award? as the team stood out from the crowd with teamwork, sportsmanship, and a strong measure of both camaraderie and competitiveness thorough the Mosport Race weekend.

For additional information, please visit: www.mustangchallenge.com

Race results, Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup Mosport International Raceway, Round 2 of 8 June 15, 2008:

Pos No. Name Laps Total Tm Diff Avg. Speed Team Start Pos Gap

1 9 Andrew Caddell 24 45:24.7 - 77.976 TC Motorsports 1 -
2 61 Pratt Cole 24 45:26.4 1.71 77.927 RP Motorsports 2 1.71
3 34 Tony Buffomante 24 45:27.3 2.636 77.9 Team BRE 3 0.926
4 6 Jamie Slone 24 45:27.6 2.909 77.893 Rehagen Racing 6 0.273
5 55 Mike McGovern 24 45:28.4 3.744 77.869 Jim Click Racing 5 0.835
6 43 Jeff Humberson 24 45:33.4 8.704 77.727 StableOne Racing 9 4.96
7 0 Leo Capaldi 24 45:34.8 10.147 77.686 FRMC Media Ride 12 1.443
8 11 Mike Harvison 24 45:36.2 11.536 77.647 Rehagen Racing 10 1.389
9 18 George Winkler 24 45:36.5 11.857 77.638 Winkler Racing 15 0.259
10 7 D Rick Edwards 24 45:37.4 12.711 77.614 TC Motorsports 13 0.854
11 4 Taylor Bush 24 45:38.1 13.423 77.593 StableOne Racing 14 0.712
12 54 Jim Click 24 45:39.4 14.729 77.556 Jim Click Racing 17 1.306
13 17 Dan Aweida 24 45:43.1 18.457 77.451 Flying Horse Motorsports 7 3.728
14 5 Andrew Hendricks 24 45:44.9 20.222 77.401 StableOne Racing 16 1.765
15 60 Chris Kaufman 24 45:47.5 22.812 77.328 Kaufmann Racing
16 25 Joe Lee Middlebrooks 24 45:36.3 11.598 77.645 Metro Motor Sport
17 8 Carlo Sparacio 24 45:47.9 23.271 77.315 TC Motorsports
18 2 Bruce Stover 23 45:51.2 1 Lap 74.006 StableOne Racing 18 2.59
19 92 Kent Jordan 17 27:23.2 7 Laps 91.585 BlakeBrett Industries 4 0.459
20 514 Gene Martindale 20 0 -.--- 0 Mustang

[Nethead]

HEMI666:  The August 2008 issue of Grassroots Motorsports  is all  Mustang from page 38 through page 69, with emphasis on The Mustang Challenge spec series for The Miller Cup.  Also for decent prize money and the chance to get a GARRA Koni Challenge GS Class ride in 2009. 

An ad for The Mustang Challenge on page 38 has a background graphic entitled "The Heritage of Champions" which lists just some of the roadracing championships won by Mustangs over the decades--there wasn't even room to list the very first Trans-Am Championship, won by Mustangs in 1965.  There is a technical error--Eric De Doncker won the FIA's first-ever European GT4 Driving Championship in a Mustang last  year instead of in 2005.

There's even a six-page section on some of the tuner Mustangs and roadrace Mustangs you can buy, with one subsection on the FR500 you build from your own Mustang using FRPP's parts catalog and a deep credit card.  Excellent articles, well worth the $4.99 US (no Canadian price given) charged to my gift certificate! 

The cover is a full frontal of Grassroots Motorsports own Mustang FR500S entry driven by J.G. Pasterjak to tenth overall in the season opener at Road Atlanta.

[Nethead]

Report: Race 1 Report, Oschersleben 2008
Engelhorn and Mayr-Melnhof win the first race at Oschersleben.

One race down and two to go, and if they?re anything like this one, they?ll be thrilling to watch. After a bit of a slow start, the nr 8 Jetalliance Aston Martin N24 came out on top, coming just ahead of Alex Buncombe, in the nr 14 RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z, and Eric de Doncker in the Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C. Catharina Felser in the nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM  Xbow came first in the Sports Light category. The new entry, the nr 211 Lotus Sport Lotus 2-Eleven came second, with the nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow finishing third.

The race got off to a busy start with cars nudging each other in all directions and causing a few spins. There weren?t any problems in the GT4 category, but in Sports Light, the nr 211 Lotus Sport Lotus 2-Eleven spun and rejoined, managing to keep the pace, and the nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow got stuck in the gravel, losing many places in the process. Michael Mallock, in the nr 32 RS Williams Aston Martin N24, was out ahead, leading the race for most of the way, followed closely by Alex Buncombe. Behind them, a battle for third was going on between the nr 8 Jetalliance Aston Martin N24, the nr 3 Speedlover Aston Martin N24, and the nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C.
After the pit stop, the lead finally changed. Michael Mallock was the first to pit, just stopping at the end of the lane to pause. Soon after his pit stop, the nr 32 crashed heavily, bringing out the safety car. Before the crash Alex Buncombe took over the lead, with Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof catching up to him in the nr 8. When they pitted, the nr 8 was faster, and overtook Buncombe in the pit lane, keeping this advantage into the safety car time. The race was red-flagged with just over 8 minutes remaining.

Mallock was taken to the hospital for checks after his crash and released later.

Race Quotes

1rst Place
Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, nr 8 Jetalliance Aston Martin N24:
?It was a tough race, but we?re lucky at where we ended up. At the beginning, I took it easy, maybe a bit too easy; I was looking at what was going on at the front and saw that I had fallen back a bit. Then I saw that the car that was in front of me was a KTM, which was definitely slower and couldn?t drive the speed I could. I overtook it, then I went off when overtaking the KTM because my brake pedal went through and I didn?t have any brakes, and I hit the barrier. So I told myself to take it a bit easier now and was able to make good times, even with the car a bit broken. I caught up to J?rgen Van Hover, and just didn?t overtake Buncombe, but in the pits, we managed to overtake him, but it was a really tough race and I?m happy to have won.?

Klaus Engelhorn, nr 8 Jetalliance Aston Martin N24:
?I got into the car in leading position, I think Mallock was still out, I feel sorry for him, he?s had really bad luck this season, he deserves much better of course. I?m happy I could hold my position against the Nissan, which was very strong. I was just trying to not let him pass. Then the safety car came out and it was all over. It was an easy race for me, hard for Nicky.?

2nd Place
Alex Buncombe, nr 14 RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z:
?I got a fairly good start. I thought I was going to pass Michael in the first corner, but he held me out between turn 1 and turn 2, which was fine, and I nearly dropped down to 3rd and 4th. I held my place and stayed behind him for about 7 or 8 laps, unfortunately on the second to last corner, the right-hander, I got the rear wheel in the dirt on the way in and it pitched me sideways and I went through the gravel, rejoined, and ever since then the car hasn?t been great. Unfortunately, I left the pits behind the nr 8, making me 2nd, and then the safety car came out, so I basically had to stay where I was. I just hope Michael?s okay.?

3rd Place
Eric de Doncker, nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C:
?I?m quite happy with the result, because I?m not very strong here with the Mustang. I had an excellent start, but I got punted into the wall in the straight by J?rgen Van Hover, and shoved into the first corner and nearly spun. A few cars overtook me, including a KTM, which bothered me because it was slower and blocked the way for me for a while, especially since it?s running in a different category. When I came in from my stint, I had too much pressure in my tyres, so we let them down a bit and suddenly I was racing much better, the times were much better too and I set my best time. I?m happy with third place. I maybe could have done better, but I really want the points here. I know that the Mustang, although she?s a great car, doesn?t run here very well, especially in these conditions.?

Sports Light

1st 
Catharina Felser, nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow:
?The race was heavy but fun. It was really, really good. I won the race so it should be good! I?m really happy because I started last, but my start was really good and I managed to pass lots of people. There were a lot of crashes on the first lap, and I was lucky that I didn?t crash into another car. I was really swerving a lot to avoid them all. We also made very good time in the pits, two laps before the safety car came out. It was really a perfect race for me!?

2nd
Gavan Kershaw, nr 211 Lotus Sport Lotus 2-Eleven:
?This has been the first time the Lotus has actually raced with KTMs, and I?m looking forward to tomorrow. I got a good start and then a Mustang got in the side of me and I spun. But I just kept my head down and kept on going. I really enjoyed it, it?s a good circuit.?


3rd
Christopher Haase, nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow:
?My start was really good, and I was very fast in the first laps. But then I made a mistake in the first corner and I went off the curb and got stuck in the gravel, which was a big problem for us. But we still managed to finish the race.?

Dennis Retera, nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow:
?My race was basically 2 short laps, and then a go behind the safety car. It was quite short. Tomorrow will hopefully be better. We?re starting from a reasonable position. It?s a new race with new chances.?

2008-07-05

[Nethead]

From The Chrome Pony website:

   
De Doncker Finishes Second in FIA GT4

by CP Staff, photos courtesy of SRO

A suspension failure ended the chances for Belgian Eric de Doncker to continue his winning ways this weekend in FIA GT4 competition, at Oschersleben, Germany.
The Belgian, who ended the season last year by taking the GT4 championship, is determined to maintain his leadership and repeat his success. Although the German circuit - a tight and twisting track - promised to be spectacular for spectators, it was challenging for teams and drivers.

De Doncker put up a good fight, tailing the eventual winner, Alex Buncombe driving a Nissan 350Z, and holding off second place finisher, Klaus Engelhorn for most of the race in his Aston Martin N24. Just after half way, de Doncker went out with what was reported to be a suspension failure.

In the second race of the weekend, de Doncker finished second in the Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C. He remains comfortably ahead in the series points chase.
De Doncker was cautiously optimistic before the race weekend. "My primary objective is to score as many points as possible in order to retain the title but I know it won't be easy because this is a tough circuit," said De Doncker.

"The races will be absolutely fantastic to watch because competitiveness is at top levels, and my adversaries are all first class drivers."

In addition to his GT4 duties, de Doncker is assisting with the development of the Ford Mustang FR500GT3 with the Matech Racing team, along with Canadian Scott Maxwell.

2525

[Nethead]

Caddell Gets a Full Time Ride

Without a full season budget in place, Andrew Caddell (above left) has been racing for his future at every turn, converting his Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup race winnings and the BFGoodrich Tires he received with each win into a chance to compete in another race with TC Motorsports.
The effort netted remarkable results, as Caddell scored victories in the opening two rounds and backed that up with a run to second place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to hold on to his Mustang Challenge championship points lead.

That dedication, and the three podium appearances that went with it, got the attention of StableOne Racing.The team has signed Caddell to a two-year Mustang Challenge driving contract beginning with the Barber Motorsports round on July 20.

"It is tough for me to leave TC Motorsports because they really stuck their neck out to run me at the start of the season, but this opportunity with StableOne was just too good to pass up," said Caddell.
"I want to thank Carlo Sparacio for his faith in me. I know that TC Motorsports will find someone to run with them soon because it?s a great team and showed that they are capable of winning races. I?m really looking forward to being a part of StableOne Racing and helping any way I can."

The Barber Motorsports Park round of Mustang Challenge competition will kick off with a promoter test day on Thursday, July 17th, with round four of the 2008 championship slated for a 1:00 PM green flag on Sunday, July 20.

It's working:  The Mustang Challenge is intended to get enthusiasts a foot in the door of auto racing.  Three races later, points leader Andrew Caddell has a two-year contract to drive for a team that competes in several roadracing venues.  Good luck to Andrew Caddell!

2527

[Nethead]

Meanwhile, back in the US of A:

Mustang Dominates at Barber

Scott Maxwell passed James Gue on Lap 86 of the 89-lap KONI Challenge race Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, and cruised to a 20.530-second victory on the 2.3-mile track.
This was the second GS victory of the season for Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. It also marked the eighth overall KONI Challenge Series victory for Maxwell, moving him into sole possession of third on the all-time list.

The victory came in fuel conservation mode, as Maxwell and co-driver Joe Foster had about a lap-and-a-half left of fuel in the tank of the #55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. The #37 Mustang of James Gue and Bret Seafuse was followed by the #59 of Dean Martin and Jack Roush Jr. to complete a podium sweep for the Ford Mustangs.

Maxwell's co-driver Joe Foster led the opening 43 laps from the pole and was slowly pulling away from Gue's teammate Bret Seafuse before Seafuse pitted for the first time on Lap 41.
Four laps later, Foster pitted and turned the car over to Maxwell, more than 12 seconds behind Gue. He started charging shortly after and caught Gue with about 15 minutes to go.

Gue - who led 40 laps - beat Martin by about eight seconds at the checkered flag. Martin ran in the top five for his entire stint, as co-driver Jack Roush Jr. moved from 11th to third during the first ninety minutes of the race.

The result marked the first time in GS history that Mustangs swept the top-three positions.

Barber Motorsports Park is a tight, twisting "technical" track.  The track packs 16 turns in only 2.3 miles so there are five straights--all of them short. There's one nearly 180-degree turn, one greater than 180-degree turn, one greater than 180-degree turn with a dogleg in it, two sharp 90-degree turns, as well as a varying-radius turn.
Race day temps were in the 90s, and the track surface was over 100 degrees.
It's a handling & braking track, often raced in only first and second gears since the next turn comes up so quickly at speed.

Good show, Mustangs!

Scott Maxwell in the HyperSport Mustang #55 set the fastest lap of the Grand-Am race at 1:39.537 @ 81.290 MPH and Terry Borcheller in the Stable One Mustang #4 set the fastest lap of the Mustang Challenge race at 1:41.270 @ 74.429 MPH. Note that the Mustang Challenge Mustang's fastest lap took only 1.733 seconds longer than the Grand-Am Mustang's fastest lap and was 6.861 MPH slower. Projecting those times and speeds, the Mustang Challenge Mustang would lose about three laps per hour to the Grand-Am Mustang on Barber's 2.300-mile track. That's a big advantage to the FR500C, but it costs $129,900 with some spare parts whereas the FR500S costs only $85,000 with some spare parts. That extra $44,900 is worth an extra three laps per hour. Also, the Grand-Am Mustang was prepped for a 2.5 hour race whereas the Mustang Challenge Mustang was prepped for a .75 hour (45 minutes) race. And the Mustang Challenge cars race without penalty weight...

 

[Nethead]

I'd say this kid is a force to be reckoned with:

From www.themustangnews.com:

Mustang Challenge: StableOne Racing Signs Borcheller and Caddell
Ford News Services

New Mustang racing series gains momentum.

07-16-08: With the fourth round of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup quickly approaching at Barber Motorsports Park, July 20, StableOne Racing signed Andrew Caddell to their driver lineup.

Caddell will drive one of the black FR500S Mustangs for StableOne Racing for the remainder of the season. Caddell spent the first three races with TC Motorsports where he won two races and had another 2nd place finish.

StableOne has also signed Terry Borcheller to drive the number 4 car in Alabama in an effort to add even more solid talent to their racing lineup.

Andrew Caddell started his racing career in karts. In 4 years Andrew compiled 24 wins, 3 Championships, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 Driver of the Year, 1 Sportsman of the Year and 5 track records. Andrew competed in a Spec Miata in 2005 and 2006. There he racked up 16 wins, 5 track records, 1 SCCA National Championship, 2 Regional Championships, 1 Regional Novice Driver of the Year, 1 Regional Driver of the Year and 1 National Rookie Driver of the Year.

In 2007, Andrew competed in the Mazda MX-5 Cup and scored 2 wins, 2 pole positions, 2nd in season points and Rookie of the Year. He made a smooth transition into the Ford FR500S winning the first two races and coming in second at the third.

?Andrew caught our attention from the first time we competed against him in Atlanta? said Bruce Stover, StableOne?s COO. ?When we found out Andrew was looking for a full time ride for the rest of the season, we believed he could give our team a great chance to build brand awareness with podium finishes. With five races to go, Caddell will look to extend his championship form all the way to the final checkered flag, which drops in Utah on September 21st at Miller Motorsports Park.

Terry Borcheller will also compete for StableOne in Alabama. Terry brings a wealth of experience to StableOne including six pro racing titles, two Rolex 24 hours of Daytona victories and a podium finish at LeMans. Andrew Hendricks, StableOne executive and driver of S-1 team car #5 added, ?I am really excited about driving with these guys. They have a wealth of talent and bring great experience to the team.?

The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup continues on July 20, from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. StableOne is the automotive arm of Hendricks Investment Holdings LLC of Silver Spring, MD. StableOne is in the process of putting together ultimate automotive experiences for automotive enthusiasts.

[Nethead]

From the official FIA website for the GT4 class:

13/09/2008 First Race Win Goes To De Doncker!

With the sun setting on Brno, the GT4s took to the track for the first race of the weekend. After a very long battle with Alex Buncombe, Eric De Doncker in the nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C claimed the first win of the weekend.

Having lost a few places at the start, Eric de Doncker came flying back up the grid to eventually take first place after a well placed pit stop. Second went to Alex Buncombe, in the nr 14 RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z, although he kept very close to De Doncker throughout the second half of the race. Third went to newcomer Mikko Heino, in the nr 22 Madeno Racing Aston Martin N24, who was surprised at this podium finish so early in his GT4 career.

The race was quite eventful with a number of incidents. Michael Mallock spun and finished in the pits, while it was an unlucky race for Jetalliance, with none of their three cars finishing the race.

In the Sports Light category, Dennis Retera came shooting up the field in the nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow, after starting at the back of the grid further to missing qualifying after yesterday?s fire. Having received authorisation from the Stewards to bring in a new car to replace the original, Retera and Christopher Haase ran away the win, setting amazing times around the track,  improving on yesterday?s best Sports Light time by a full five seconds. Second place went to Denis Donkervoort in the nr 103 Donkervoort D8GT, who kept up a good pace at the start, until tyre and clutch problems set in. In third, after a good battle with the other Donkervoort, came Catharina Felser in the nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow.

GT4 Quotes Race 1

1st Eric De Donker: "I?ve been stuck in 2nd and 3rd for the last few races, so it?s good to come out on top at last. My car?s been working well during the free practices, so I?m quite confident here. My qualifying didn?t go well though because I had a bad set of tyres, and my start went a bit wrong this race because I got trapped in the first corner, and missed a gear change, so I lost a few places at the start. The car went well though, and I managed to catch up to Buncombe and Kenis, and have a good pit stop, where I came out just behind Buncombe, and I was close enough to overtake him. We had a really good fight between the two of us. This has been a good victory for me and it?s good for the championship points, but there are two more races tomorrow, so we?ll wait and see for them."

2nd: Alex Buncombe: "It was a very close race. I stupidly let Guino through early on in the BMW Z4, and unfortunately, he?s got a better speed in the straights, whereas I?m faster in the corners, which makes it very difficult to pass him. By the pit window, Eric had caught up to us, and I needed to pit, but I wasted about two seconds in the pits, leaving slightly too late, which let Eric catch up to me. Two corners into our first lap, he had overtaken me and that was it; I couldn?t do anything else than stay behind him for the whole race. We?ll try and do better tomorrow."

3rd Mikko Heino : "It was a very good first race. I really wasn?t expecting a podium, but this is great. I?ve had fun. The series is very interesting and I?m already looking forward to next year!"

Sports Light
1st Christopher Haase: "Yesterday, I only managed about half a lap before my car caught fire, so I didn?t get much practice. I did my first proper laps on the track today, and it went very well, I picked it up quickly enough. It?s a really nice race track. The race was great and Dennis? stint was perfect."

Dennis Retera: "The race was quite exciting. I had a good start and managed to overtake a lot of people. We had new tyres, which helped. It took us a few moments to get up to speed, but once we got there, we just went faster and faster. I?m really happy with another win!"

2nd: Denis Donkervoort: "The beginning was good, but we had a lot of problems with the tyres by the end, and the clutch was having problems as well. By the end, I couldn?t do good laps anymore, and sadly couldn?t keep the pace I?d had at the beginning of the race. We?re just hoping for the best tomorrow."

3rd Catharina Felser: "I had a small problem at the start, which is why I ended up last. Then I got into a fight with a Donkervoort, and won that, which is good. The pit stop went well, and then I really pushed and managed to keep third. I?m happy with it."

2008-09-13

[Nethead]

From the official FIA website for the GT4 Class:

2nd win for De Doncker!

On a cold September morning, the GT4s took to the track for their first sprint race of the weekend. Eric de Doncker claimed his second win of the weekend in the nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C, with Mikko Heino finishing second in the nr 22 Madeno Racing Aston Martin N24. Third place went to Vladimir Hladik, who is racing in the nr3 Speedlover this weekend, and was happy to finish on the podium at his home race.

The race was a busy one at the start, with many cars trying to gain as many places as possible. Alex Buncombe in the nr 14 RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z, managed to hold on to his pole at the start of the race, but half way through, after setting the fastest lap of the session, he spun off into the gravel, losing 7 places. He managed to climb up a few, but finished behind Michael Mallock in 5th. Eric De Doncker inherited the lead once Buncombe was out of the way, but still had to fight hard, with MIkko Heino closing behind throughout the whole race, and Hladik was keeping up as well.

In Sports Light, Christopher Haase, in the nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow, climbed up the field from the back of the grid to claim the Sports Light victory, finishing 8th overall. His team mate, Catharina Felser, after holding on to first place for most of the race, finished 2nd, in the nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow. The nr102 Donkervoort D8GT, driven by Stephane Wintenberger was 3rd. The nr 103 Donkervoort D8GT who had qualified pole in Sports Light did not compete further to a broken flywheel.

GT4 Race Quotes

1st Eric De Doncker, Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C: ?It feels good to be winning again. Brno is a track I like a lot and we?ve managed to find a good set up for the car this race, so I?m feeling quite confident with it. My start was good, but I slid a bit and was on the wrong side of the track, and my clutch overheated, so for the first two laps I couldn?t keep up with Alex Buncombe as much as I would have liked. But then it got better and I managed to catch up with him again. Although he made a mistake and went off, giving me first, I still had to fight hard because Mikko Heino is very strong, and was riding my tail most of the way. But I managed to make a gap and kept the lead until the end.?

2nd Mikko Heino, Madeno Racing Aston Martin N24: ?The race went very well, I didn?t have any problems. I doubt if I?ll manage to move up another place this weekend. It?s a tough competition, but I?m trying to at least get to the podium each race.?

3rd Vladimir Hladik, Speedlover Aston Martin N24: ?This was my first GT4 race, and it?s been a good race with Speedlover and Aston Martin. I?d like to thank Speedlover because the car was very well prepared. I did have an advantage because I know the Brno track quite well already. I?ve enjoyed myself in GT4.?

Sports Light:

1st Christopher Haase, Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow: ?My start wasn?t so good. The first laps were quite crazy, there were a lot of cars. I found my rhythm after a few laps and managed to overtake quite a few cars. I was making good time and caught up to Catharina, who was also doing well, but I was a bit faster than her and managed to win the race.?

2nd Catharina Felser, Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow: ?The race went very well. I got a good start, so at the beginning I ended up in the middle field of GT4 cars, which was perfect. I was setting good times, which was what I needed. I finished second in Sports Light and 10th overall, so that?s really good.?

2008-09-14

[Nethead]

From the official FIA website for the GT4 Class:

14/09/2008 Kenis gets his first win of the year

The cars took to the track for the last time this weekend in the cold evening air of Brno. Guino Kenis, in the nr 6 G&A Racing BMW Z4, took advantage of his good qualifying result to take the lead from the start and win the second sprint of the Brno meeting, his first victory of the year.  Second place, after a good battle with Mayr-Melnhof and De Doncker, went to Michael Mallock in the nr 32 RS Williams Aston Martin N24. Eric de Doncker finished third, giving him 3 podiums over the weekend and earning him best Silver driver of the weekend. Mikko Heino picked up the trophy for the best Bronze driver.

The race got off to a hectic start. There were a few incidents :  Grammatico in the nr 18 Espace Bienvenue BMW Z4 landed in the gravel, while Alex Buncombe?s RJN Nissan went off after contact with the nr 9 Jetalliance Aston Martin. Buncombe managed to rejoin but retired in the pits. As for Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, the driver of the nr 9 car was black flagged after failing to stop for his stop-and-go penalty. This left Mallock and De Doncker fighting for second place, although neither had enough time to catch up with Guino Kenis in the nr 6, who had a good seven second lead.

Down the field in Sports Light, Dennis Retera in the nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow, once more  put the car in the lead after starting from the back of the grid. The fight up the field was a little tougher this time, and Catharina Felser, in the nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow, managed to hold onto the lead for most of the race, only dropping to 2nd five minutes before the end. The nr 102 Donkervoort D8GT finished third, driven by Stephane Wintenberger.

DRIVER QUOTES ? GT4

1st Guino Kenis, nr 6 G&A Racing BMW Z4: ?I got a very good fight at the beginning of the race. We were all very close and I took some risks, but they paid off. I managed to build up a good gap between me and the next car, giving me a good lead. The car has been good from the beginning until the end - the balance is perfect.?

2nd Michael Mallock, nr 32 Aston Martin N24: ?The race was a bit frantic. I got a good start and a pretty good battle all the way through. Then I was third behind Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, who I was told had got a drive-through penalty, so I was fairly relaxed. Second place is a great result for RS Wlliams, because they have really worked hard to get a car built for this race, and it?s great for me to be on the podium again.?

3rd Eric De Doncker, nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500C: ?In light of the championship, I didn?t want to take any risks here. I knew the race was going to be tough,  and I really wanted to avoid having an accident, so I stayed well clear of the fights. I?m very happy with my third place and I think I?ve got the championship title now, which has been my goal. I?m also happy that my friend Guino won; he raced well.?


DRIVER QUOTES ? SPORTS LIGHT

1st Dennis Retera, nr 101 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow: ?The race was good, albeit a bit difficult. My start went well and I managed to pass a lot of cars early on and take the lead. But because the weather was cooling down, and the car was still cold, so my tyres weren?t going properly. I nearly went off, and let some people pass me. Then I got stuck behind Van Der Straten, and I didn?t want to risk too much. I wanted to score as many points as I could for the championship. I finally managed to overtake him and went to fight with Catharina. I overtook her and got stuck behind another GT4, but I was in the lead for Sports Light, which was the important thing, and I stayed there.?

2nd Catharina Felser, nr 100 Reiter Engineering KTM Xbow: ?It was a good race for me. We?ve had a good weekend, apart from free practice. The race was really cool and I finished second again. It is a little annoying that my team mate keeps overtaking me at the end, but that?s racing for you.?

3rd Stephane Wintenberger, nr 102 Donkervoort Automobielen D8GT: ?The race went well for us. We managed to make some adjustments to the car. It?s looking good for the future, but there is still a lot of work to be done. We still have some engine and endurance problems to sort out with the car, and some work on the tyres to do, but once that?s sorted, we should be able to fight better with the other Sports Light cars.?

2008-09-14

[Nethead]

From www.mustangnewsnet.com:

Foster and Maxwell Take Koni Points Lead

Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell took the Grand-Am Koni Challenge Series point lead in the #55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT with a fourth-place finish, one spot ahead of Mike Canney and Hugh Plumb in the #60 Rehagen Racing Sunset Hills Vineyard Ford Mustang GT.
Foster and Maxwell pulled out a one-point lead ahead of Seafuse and Gue, as the Miller Motorsports Park race failed to do much in deciding the championship.

Defending series champion Jeff Segal led one lap as he and co-driver and fellow reigning champ Jep Thornton finished eighth in the #09 Automatic Racing BMW M3. Together, with ninth-place Miller finisher Craig Stanton in the #83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997, the trio is tied with 213 points. Stanton's co-driver Jon Miller holds 204 points.

While fighting for fourth in yesterday?s race, Matthew Alhadeff and incoming point co-leader Bret Seafuse in the #37 JBS Motorsports Mustang GT nearly made contact.  Seafuse spun off, with Alhadeff stayed out of trouble and continued on. After restarting 26th, Seafuse moved back through the field to a best of fourth before pitting, and he and co-driver James Gue finished sixth, losing the point lead.

Bill Auberlen dove underneath Kris Wilson in Turn 1 on lap 40 of Sunday's 44-lap race and held on to give himself, co-driver Matthew Alhadeff and the Turner Motorsport its second straight Grand Sport victory at MMP and the team's first victory of 2008. Spencer Pumpelly and Billy Johnson took the second podium spot in the 39 TRG Porsche 997.

Third-place finisher Johnson earned his third straight podium finish and co-driver Ray Mason his second in three races in the #52 Rehagen Racing Mustang GT, as Mustangs took the next five positions.

[Nethead]

From the official FIA website for the GT4 European Championship:

29/09/2008: Title battle goes on to Nogaro

After fourteen races and five events, the 2008 GT4 European Cup is heading for the south of France and the circuit of Nogaro, for the season finale, which will decide the Champions!

In the points table, Eric de Doncker, in the nr 1 Motorsport98 Mustang FR500c, is leading by a comfortable margin. The Belgian currently has 100 points, 28 ahead of his nearest rival with 30 still to be allocated; however,  he is still being cautious about the upcoming weekend. His nearest rivals are J?rgen van Hover and Klaus Engelhorn, respectively with 71 and 72 points, who failed to shrink the gap at the last round in Brno.  But if de Doncker wants to score as many points as possible, he'll be up against Alex Buncombe in the nr 14 RJN Motorsport Nissan350Z, who did really well last year at Nogaro, when he won both races, with de Doncker third.

In the Sports Light category the championship is still wide open, with all three KTM drivers in the fight for the title. Currently, Christopher Haase is leading with 114 points, but Dennis Retera and Catharina Haase could both still overtake him in the three remaining races of the season, with 106 and 103 points respectively.  For this round, Retera will have a KTM X-Bow of his own, instead of sharing with Haase, allowing all three drivers to fight it out on the track.  They will face competition from the Donkervoort D8GT cars, driven by Denis Donkervoort and Stephane Wintenberger, and also from another Sports Light car, making its debut : the Yes!, entered by Thomas Fillatre.  The car has not yet been homologated, and therefore will be a guest entry.

[Nethead]

The FIA GT4 European Driver Championship and GT4 European Team Championship is down to the three final races of the 2008 season--and all three will be held in Nogaro, France this coming week-end.

Leading the Driver Championship points is Belgian Eric de Doncker in his Motorsports98 Mustang FR500GT4 with 100 points, a 28 points lead over Aston-Martin Vantage N24 driver Klaus Engelhorn with 72 points and a 29 points lead over Aston-Martin Vantage N24 driver Jurgen van Hover with 71 points.  Eric de Doncker need only finish at least 6th in either of the three races to win this year's GT4 European Driver Championship, even if Engelhorn wins all three races.  He needs only to finish 7th in either of the three races to beat three wins by van Hover. 

Leading the Team Championship points is de Doncker's Motorsports98 team (Named in honor of the late great sportscar racer Ken Miles, who raced Team Shelby G.T. 350s bearing number 98 to SCCA B production national championships in the late 'Sixties) with 100 points, a 21 points lead over team JetAlliance (The JetAlliance team is a multi-car effort, so their points are the combined points of several drivers--Motorsports98 fields only one car so the team's points come only from de Doncker's efforts).

Things look good for de Doncker and team Motorsports98 to repeat their FIA GT4 championship of 2007, but as de Doncker--a former Le Mans winner who came out of retirement to race his Mustang because he admired Ken Miles so much--will tell you:  First you secure the championship with solid finishes, and then you race for the fun of it .  Well done and well said, Eric de Doncker