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European Le Mans
Series Race at Autodromo di Vallelunga |
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PRESS INFORMATION
Round 5 – Race
Drama
All the Way In Italy
Vallelunga, Italy – Sunday 2nd September 2001:
In brilliant sunshine, Gary Formato took the chequered flag in the
Lanesra Racing Panoz LMP1 Roadster to win the final round of the 2001
European Le Mans Series at the Autodromo Di Vallelunga near Rome. Formato, and co driver Richard Dean, drove superbly,
finishing 3 laps ahead of the RML Saleen of Chris Goodwin and Ian
McKellar Jnr. While
the Panoz was in a class of its own, the two GTS Saleens and a brace
of GT Porsches led by the Harlow Motorsport entered car, provided the
Italian crowd with all the action they could take in.
The Konrad Motorsport Saleen S7R was forced to start the race from the
back of the grid after having the qualifying times disallowed for a
technical infringement. Franz
Konrad sliced his way through the field to end the opening lap in 5th
place and was up into 3rd two laps later,
just seven seconds adrift of the RML Saleen in 2nd
place. McKellar, in the
RML car, was able to control the gap and when the Panoz dived into the
pitlane for the teams first stop, the Englishman found himself in the
lead. For ten minutes the Saleen continued to lap at the head of
the field until Richard Dean, now at the wheel of the Panoz, regained
the lead. This was the
moment that McKellar and Konrad both decided to pit.
While the RML team refuelled, changed the tyres and Chris
Goodwin took over the driving duties, Franz Konrad just took on fuel,
the team working quickly to get the car back on the track well ahead
of the rival Saleen. Goodwin
started to reel in the leading Saleen but Konrad had a huge advantage
and held onto his lead until the next set of pitstops.
A spin into the gravel by Walter Brun ended this wonderful
battle at the two hour mark. The
car was recovered but by the time Konrad took to the track again the
team was 20 laps adrift and running in 10th place.
Ian McKellar Jnr took the chequered flag three laps adrift of
the Panoz, taking another convincing victory in the GTS category and
clinching the 2001 ELMS GTS drivers crown and the manufacturers title
for the Wellingborough based team.
If the GTS class battle was exciting, the GT’s had drama aplenty.
Terry Rymer used his position at the head of the GT grid to
lead the pack away at the green light and at the end of the first lap
was in 4th overall with Romain Dumas, Wolfgang Kaufmann and
Robin Liddell snapping at his heels.
Kaufmann made his move on Dumas on lap 3 and set off after
Rymer. The Paco Orti
Porsche kept up the pressure and within three laps Kaufmann once again
pulled off a brilliant manouvre to take the class lead with just 10
minutes of the race gone. Rymer
then fell into the clutches of Dumas and lap after lap these two cars
battled for position with Robin Liddell in the PK Sport machine
watching the two protagonists and biding his time.
With the race an hour old the Paco Orti Racing team called
Kaufmann in for his first stop with Paco Orti taking over the driving
duties. Rymer regained
the class lead with Dumas still making the British driver watch his
mirrors at every corner. Liddell
decided to make his first stop but was back in the pits a lap later
with a slipping clutch. The
problem appeared terminal, but the team worked like trojans to enable
Mike Youles to get back on the track to complete ten laps so that they
could bank the valuable championship points. Meanwhile Dumas saw an
opening at the hairpin and went for the gap.
The two cars were side by side through the 180 degree corner
with Dumas taking the advantage. Rymer came straight into the pits for his stop, jumping out
of the cockpit to enable Magnus Wallinder to take the wheel.
Dumas came in a lap later to change with Cyril Chateau.
Disaster struck the Paco Orti team when Orti came in for the second
stopped. An airgun broke
forcing the team to change all four tyres with the one remaining gun.
In their haste to get Kaufmann back out they left an airline
across the pit and Kaufmann ran over it as he exited the pit causing a
stop-go penalty. This
effectively ended their charge allowing the Harlow Motorsport car to
establish a comfortable one lap lead over the Freisinger Motorsport
Porsche 996. The win looked in the bag for Rymer and Wallinder but fate
nearly stepped in to spoil their party.
A clash with the Konrad Motorsport Saleen while being lapped
forced the leading Porsche off the track, nearly ripping the rear
bumper off. As the
race drew to a close the officials were debating whether to call the
Harlow Motorsport car into the pits to remove the offending article,
but after observing for a few laps they decided to allow Magnus
Wallinder to finish the race. The
Harlow Motorsport Porsche 911 clinched the GT class win, finishing 1
lap ahead of the Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 and two laps ahead
of the Paco Orti Racing 911 who had recovered to take third place in
this enthralling encounter.
Round 5 - Result
1
LMP900
R Dean / G Formato
Panoz LMP1 Roadster
2H45m07.990s
2
GTS
I McKellar Jnr / C Goodwin
Saleen S7R
+3 Laps
3
GT
T Rymer / M Wallinder
Porsche 911 GT3 R
+10 Laps
4
GT
R Dumas / C Chateau
Porsche 996 GT3 R
+11 Laps
5
GT
P Orti / W Kaufmann
Porsche 911 GT3 R
+12 Laps
6
GT
G Pickering / A Simmons
Porsche 911 GT3 R
+12 Laps
7
GT
T Littlejohn / X Pompidou
Porsche 996 GT3 R
+14 Laps
8
GTS
S Stokoe / C Cox / R Schirle
Porsche 911 GT2
+14 Laps
9
GT
P Masarati / M Possumato
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
+14 Laps
10
GTS
W Brun / F Konrad
Saleen S7R
+20 Laps
11
GT
B Hayden / S Earle
Porsche 911 GT3 R
+32 Laps
12
LMP675
F Jackubowski / X Bich
Debora
+39 Laps
13
GT
R Liddell / M Youles
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
+71 Laps
RT
GT
R Walters / T Bellamy
Chevrolet Corvette C
+97 Laps
- ENDS -