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FIA GT 2010: GT-R Fourth in Algarve Final After Qualifying Race Win
Team Sumo Power were on top of things this weekend for round 7 of the FIA GT1 World Championships 2010 after the #23 GT-R of Krumm/Dumbreck battled it out for the win in the qualifying race on Saturday. The strong performance put them on pole position for Sundays race, a position the held until the pit stop when an air hose broke away costing them precious seconds.
The team managed to fight back from this minor setback however into fourth position finish, a result that nets Sumo Power GT into third place in the championships but without the worry of having to run success ballast in round 8!
It was almost a non-start for the #22 Sumo GT-R though. Hit at the start of the race, they were forced to retire immediately.
Swiss Racing team’s weekend was again marred by issues, the #3 GT-R finishing in the pits and the #4 GT-R finishing in 18th place after a spin.
For the full story and race report, click the Read More link below…
Images: NISMO, (C) DPPI
FIA GT 2010: Sumo Power GT On Podium at Paul Ricard for Round 4!
Another awesome weekend in GT racing as the Nissan GT-R team Sumo Power GT improve on their previous best results for a 2nd place finish for round for of the FIA GT World Championship’s 2010 season!
Sumo Power kicked off the round with a strong qualifying race on Saturday. Scoring a fifth place on the grid for qualifying, the #22 GT-R put in an amazing performance with each driver (Jamie Campbell-Walter and Warren Hughes) setting the pace with the best laptimes. They went on to finish the qualifying race in third spot behind a Maserati MC12 and Lamborghini R-SV.
The #23 GT-R of Krumm and Dumbreck also started off with a solid grid spot (3rd place) for qualifying but elected to save their best rubber for the main race. The choice of old tires did little for their hopes of an amazing qualifying race and they ended up finishing qualifying in 9th.
The Swiss Racing Team GT-Rs were further back with a 12th and 21st place qualifying position. The #3 car in 21st due to a puncture during a hot lap while qualifying.
During Sunday’s final, the decision to save the new rubber for the #23 GT-R paid off in spades as they used the grip advantage to score an amazing 2nd place on the podium.
The #22 GT-R also raced extremely well reaching 2nd place at one point in the race. Unfortunately they were judged to go over the white line at one point of the track and suffer a drive through penalty placing them back to 18th in the pack. They fought well though and claimed a final 8th place points scoring finish as well as some epic racing moments.
Swiss Racing Team’s #3 GT-R managed to improve on their qualifying place even on their old rubber and finished overall in 15th spot. This race truly shows the importance of tire strategy especially in the hot conditions.
The SRT #4 GT-R suffered a gearbox issue which forced them to retire when 4th gear went on holidays.
For more info and to read the whole race report, click through the read more link below…
Link: Race Report
Photos: (C) NISMO and (C) DPPI for FIA GT
FIA GT1 2010: Podium Finish for Nissan GT-R at Brno for Round 3
A great weekend for the Sumo Power GT team as they bring home another podium finish for the #23 FIA GT1 Nissan GT-R at Brno in the Czech Republic. The drivers Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck were able to pull off a superb double podium weekend in fact after they finished the main event in third place after also taking third place honors in the qualifying race.
At the start of the race Krumm found himself in front as the Aston Martin DB9 in second spot on the grid fell back with trouble and the first place Maserati MC12 was penalized for jumping the gun. With this unexpected breathing room he tried to open up some space behind but the safety car ended that idea quickly.
Almost every team and almost every car on the track pitted under that safety car period which caused a traffic jam in the pits. Nevertheless the #23 GT-R still made it out in good shape, 3rd place behind the Matech Ford and the Aston DB9.
It was a battle for the top three places now with evenly matched machines and superb drivers who gave Dumbreck very little opportunity to work with. They crossed the line in a very respectable third place. Congratulations to team Sumo Power GT and the drivers for a job well done!
The #22 Sumo Power GT GT-R of Hughes / Campbell-Walter didn’t have such a great weekend in contrast. Firstly they were lumped with success ballast after their win in round 2. Next they suffered a mechanical issue in qualifying, finally, they were hit and required two different pit stops which took away their chances during the final race. Next round they go back to the standard race weight so will be gunning for those points.
Swiss Racing Team sound like they’re feeling far more positive about the GT-R’s race performance this round and have found the pace they need. The Wendlinger / Moser #3 GT-R even managed a 10th place points scoring finish. After the pit stop traffic jam however their hopes of finishing higher faded.
Click the read more link for a full race report with quotes from the drivers and teams thanks to Nissan…
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Grosjean / Mutsch | Ford GT Matech | 1:00:46.852 |
| 2 | 7 | Enge / Turner | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:00:47.569 |
| 3 | 23 | Krumm / Dumbreck | NISSAN GT-R | 1:00:47.818 |
| 4 | 10 | Hirschi / Piccione | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:00:48.405 |
| 5 | 1 | Bertolini / Bartels | Maserati MC12 | 1:00:48.618 |
| 6 | 2 | Bernoldi / Ramos | Maserati MC12 | 1:00:55.909 |
| 7 | 38 | Pastorelli / Schwager | Lamborghini Murciélago R-SV | 1:01:00.137 |
| 8 | 13 | Rosina / Hennerici | Corvette Z06 | 1:01:03.565 |
| 9 | 9 | Makowiecki / Sarrazin | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:01:07.726 |
| 10 | 3 | Wendlinger / Moser | NISSAN GT-R | 1:01:09.514 |
| 15 | 4 | Ara / Nilsson | NISSAN GT-R | 1:02:09.183 |
| 17 | 22 | Hughes / Campbell-Walter | NISSAN GT-R | 1:01:00.391 |
FIA GT1: Sumo Power GT Inherit Win at Silverstone
The #22 Sumo Power GT GT-R of Hughes/Walter-Campbell didn’t cross the line first but has still inherited victory in what was the GT-R’s best performance so far in FIA GT1 racing. Their original finishing place was 3rd, good enough for the podium but when the first and second place getters received post race penalties they were bumped up to the winning spot.
Crossing the line first was ex-GT-R pilot Darren Turner and Tomas Enge in their #7 Aston Martin, but in post race scrutineering, it was found that the FIA legality plank under the car had worn too thin. It was just 0.8mm thinner than the rules stipulate but rules are rules and they had to be excluded.
Second place across the line was the #9 Aston Martin but it was also dealt a penalty and given +15 seconds after they failed to serve a drive through penalty within 3 laps of receiving it.
“We were happy with third and then we were told it might be second so to get the call to say we won is incredible.” … “I was actually giving the trophy envious glances during the press conference, thinking it would be nice to have my name on there, so this is a great result for us. I’m genuinely delighted to have the win as this is a great result for the championship.â€
– Warren Hughes, Sumo Power GT Driver
Thus the GT-R inherits it’s first FIA GT1 victory for team Sumo Power GT. Congratulations to the team and drivers!
Unfortunately though the #23 team Sumo Power GT car of Krumm/Dumbreck, had an off into the gravel on lap 11 so could not really stretch their legs into a great round two finish.
Swiss Racing Team’s day was mixed as well with the #4 GT-R of Ara/Nilsson improving from their grid start position of 14th into a 9th place finish. The #3 GT-R of Wendlinger/Moser however didn’t see any silver lining to the day when they had an off into the barrier on lap 17.
Full race report coming soon!
| Championship Race | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Car | Time | Laps | Gap |
| 1 | 22 | Hughes / Campbell-Walter | Nissan GT – R | 1:01:46.717 | 28 | 25.156 |
| 2 | 9 | Makowiecki / Accary | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:01:48.602 | 28 | 27.041 |
| 3 | 25 | Menten / Kechele | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 1:01:57.001 | 28 | 35.440 |
| 4 | 34 | Bobbi / Longin | Maserati MC12 | 1:01:57.592 | 28 | 36.031 |
| 5 | 8 | Mücke / Nygaard | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:01:57.768 | 28 | 36.207 |
| 6 | 33 | Margaritis / Heger | Maserati MC12 | 1:01:58.504 | 28 | 36.943 |
| 7 | 1 | Bertolini / Bartels | Maserati MC12 | 1:02:06.027 | 28 | 44.466 |
| 8 | 40 | Leinders / Martin | Ford GT Matech | 1:02:09.130 | 28 | 47.569 |
| 9 | 4 | Ara / Nilsson | Nissan GT – R | 1:02:14.425 | 28 | 52.864 |
| 10 | 41 | Palttala / Kuppens | Ford GT Matech | 1:02:15.507 | 28 | 53.946 |
| 11 | 11 | Maassen / Armindo | Corvette Z06 | 1:02:22.224 | 28 | 1:00.663 |
| 12 | 38 | Schwager / Pastorelli | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 1:02:45.441 | 28 | 1:23.880 |
| 13 | 10 | Hirschi / Piccione | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:03:12.516 | 28 | 1:50.955 |
| 14 | 12 | Gavin / Kuismanen | Corvette Z06 | 1:01:27.667 | 25 | 6.106 |
| 15 | 2 | Bernoldi / Ramos | Maserati MC12 | 54:02.931 | 24 | 7:18.630 |
| 16 | 24 | Kox / Haase | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 37:22.884 | 16 | 23:58.677 |
| 17 | 3 | Wendlinger / Moser | Nissan GT – R | 37:23.209 | 16 | 23:58.352 |
| 18 | 13 | Zuber / Hennerici | Corvette Z06 | 40:52.857 | 15 | 20:28.704 |
| 19 | 23 | Krumm / Dumbreck | Nissan GT – R | 23:42.269 | 10 | 37:39.292 |
| 20 | 14 | Hezemans / Kumpen | Corvette Z06 | 4:18.465 | 2 | 57:03.096 |
| 21 | 37 | Bouchut / Basseng | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 2:38.419 | 1 | 58:43.142 |
FIA GT1: Sumo Power GT GT-Rs Qualify Strong for Silverstone Round 2
Qualifying race results are in and it’s again good to see the Nissan GT-Rs heading in the right direction. Today’s race was the first time the FIA GT1 teams were able to enter and complete the F1 style qualifying race session due to the Ford GT crash in round 1 forcing organizers to call it off in Abu Dhabi.
After the initial 20 minute eQ1 qualifying section, both Swiss Racing Team GT-Rs were knocked out and given 14th and 15th places on the grid. Sumo Power GT performed better however and both GT-Rs finished inside the top 8 with the #22 Sumo Power GT GT-R of Hughes/Campbell-Walter qualifying for 5th spot on the grid and the #23 Sumo Power GT GT-R of Krumm/Dumbreck slightly further back in 8th spot on the grid.
For the whole qualifying report from NISMO, click the Read More link below…
| Qualifying Race | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Car | Time | Laps | Gap |
| 1 | 9 | Makowiecki / Accary | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:02:00.692 | 30 | 0 |
| 2 | 10 | Hirschi / Piccione | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:02:04.269 | 30 | 3.577 |
| 3 | 1 | Bertolini / Bartels | Maserati MC12 | 1:02:05.627 | 30 | 4.935 |
| 4 | 7 | Turner / Enge | Aston Martin DB9 | 1:02:28.572 | 30 | 27.88 |
| 5 | 22 | Hughes / Campbell-Walter | Nissan GT – R | 1:02:30.437 | 30 | 29.745 |
| 8 | 23 | Krumm / Dumbreck | Nissan GT – R | 1:02:41.544 | 30 | 40.852 |
| 14 | 4 | Ara / Nilsson | Nissan GT – R | 1:03:19.749 | 30 | 1:19.057 |
| 15 | 3 | Wendlinger / Moser | Nissan GT – R | 1:03:28.689 | 30 | 1:27.997 |
FIA GT1: Nissan GT-R Improves in Pre Qualifying
Thanks to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, it’s an entirely new Silverstone Circuit where the FIA GT1 teams will be racing this weekend. So far in practicing and pre-qualifying the GT-R has shown improvements over it’s Abu Dhabi pace.
In pre-qualifying the #23 GT-R of team Sumo Power GT was 7th fastest overall well within reach of the extremely potent #34 Maserati MC12.
Qualifying and the main even are to come this weekend so fingers crossed that the GT-Rs have a good and incident free race!
Link: FIA GT1 World Champsionships Website
| Pre-Qualifying | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car | Drivers | Car | Time | Laps | Gap | Avg speed |
| 1 | 34 | Bobbi / Longin | Maserati MC12 | 2:01.135 | 21 | 0 | 247 |
| 2 | 33 | Margaritis / Heger | Maserati MC12 | 2:01.502 | 27 | 0.367 | 246 |
| 3 | 24 | Kox / Haase | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 2:01.571 | 26 | 0.436 | 250 |
| 4 | 40 | Leinders / Martin | Ford GT Matech | 2:01.715 | 21 | 0.58 | 243 |
| 5 | 7 | Turner / Enge | Aston Martin DB9 | 2:01.737 | 21 | 0.602 | 252 |
| 6 | 9 | Makowiecki / Accary | Aston Martin DB9 | 2:01.863 | 25 | 0.728 | 256 |
| 7 | 23 | Krumm / Dumbreck | Nissan GT – R | 2:01.890 | 25 | 0.755 | 250 |
| 8 | 37 | Bouchut / Basseng | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 2:02.154 | 15 | 1.019 | 250 |
| 9 | 8 | Mu”cke / Nygaard | Aston Martin DB9 | 2:02.172 | 23 | 1.037 | 253 |
| 10 | 2 | Bernoldi / Ramos | Maserati MC12 | 2:02.203 | 18 | 1.068 | 247 |
| 11 | 1 | Bertolini / Bartels | Maserati MC12 | 2:02.286 | 28 | 1.151 | 247 |
| 12 | 10 | Hirschi / Piccione | Aston Martin DB9 | 2:02.329 | 21 | 1.194 | 254 |
| 13 | 12 | Gavin / Kuismanen | Corvette Z06 | 2:02.433 | 26 | 1.298 | 249 |
| 14 | 25 | Menten / Kechele | Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S | 2:02.696 | 27 | 1.561 | 251 |
| 15 | 4 | Ara / Nilsson | Nissan GT – R | 2:02.913 | 20 | 1.778 | 250 |
| 16 | 13 | Zuber / Hennerici | Corvette Z06 | 2:02.953 | 19 | 1.818 | 248 |
| 17 | 14 | Hezemans / Kumpen | Corvette Z06 | 2:03.010 | 23 | 1.875 | 250 |
| 18 | 11 | Maassen / Armindo | Corvette Z06 | 2:03.026 | 25 | 1.891 | 248 |
| 19 | 22 | Hughes / Campbell-Walter | Nissan GT – R | 2:03.146 | 19 | 2.011 | 248 |
| 20 | 5 | Grosjean / Mutsch | Ford GT Matech | 2:03.151 | 16 | 2.016 | 244 |
| 21 | 41 | Palttala / Kuppens | Ford GT Matech | 2:03.804 | 21 | 2.669 | 243 |
| 22 | 3 | Wendlinger / Moser | Nissan GT – R | 2:04.175 | 24 | 3.04 | 247 |
| Session Notes | |
|---|---|
| Weather | cloudy |
| Track conditions | dry |
FIA GT1: GT-R Teams Threaten Boycott Over Weight Penalty
A controversy has been brewing in the FIA GT1 World Championship race team camps recently over botched pre-season testing for the series’ “Balance of Performance” rules. The plan for the testing is that former F1 pilot Heinz-Harald Frentzen would test each of the 6 makes of GT1 car on the track for 10-15 laps and then recommend weight additions or other measures that would balance the cars overall.
It turned out to be quite a farce however as Frentzen took a single flying lap in the GT-R on new tyres before lumping it with the heaviest penalty of 30kgs. Other makes are also questioning the testing and Frentzen’s testing methodology after running some of the cars for too few laps or barely running them at all.
The GT-R teams which finished poorly in round 1 of the series in Abu Dhabi are saying that the cars are not competitive when lumped with this weight penalty. The cars have a higher center of gravity than the competition and higher weight to begin with and the teams believe this was not factored into the penalty.
Due to this, Swiss Racing team has said that they refuse to compete again with the 30kg penalty weight.
“We will not go to Silverstone under these conditions … We cannot be a grid filler.”
– Othmar Welti, Swiss Racing Team Director
So far the FIA is defending the weight penalty system and the testing that got it to the current state. Teams are saying do it properly or they will boycott the next round which is at the new Silverstone circuit, the Sumo Power GT team’s home ground.
Dramatic stuff but I agree, if the championship hinges on fair testing then test properly and test fairly across the board in equal conditions with no excuses.
FIA GT 2010: Sumo Power GT Announce Drivers for Second GT-R
As we get closer and closer to the first race of the season, Sumo Power GT have confirmed their full driver lineup for the 2010 season. Along with Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck who were previously confirmed back in February, Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter will also drive the 600 hp R35 2010 GT1 spec car this year.
Both drivers got to take the GT-R for a spin this week at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk, England and immediately felt the potential of the new car.
Warren Hughes is a veteran GT racer who’s spent the past nine years in either GT or Touring car racing, won LeMans in the LMP2 category and entered another five 24 Hours of LeMans. A busy man no doubt and he’s excited to be on the team driving the GT-R.
“When I first heard about the FIA GT1 World Championship and the venues it visits I immediately wanted to be involved … Once I had been invited to test with the Sumo Power GT team I was really hoping that I would be offered a seat, so to finally secure a drive is a fantastic opportunity.”
– Warren Hughes, Sumo Power GT Driver
Jamie is no first timer either having spent the last 13 years racing in FIA GT, British GT Champs as well as five forays into the 24 Hours of LeMans race.
“I’m over the moon to be get the drive with Sumo Power GT this season and it’s great to be involved with a new championship and a new team right from the start. I’m looking forward to being back in a GT Championship, especially one which visits so many good circuits in so many different countries.”
– Jamie Campbell-Walter, Sumo Power GT Driver
The next outing for the new R35s and drivers is coming up at Silverstone Circuit next week during the last testing session before the teams pack up and head to Abu Dhabi for round one.
Link: Sumo Power GT Website
Link: FIA GT World Championships Website
Source: Planet LeMans
FIA GT 2010: Season Launch in Paris – Swiss Racing Team Livery Uncovered
Swiss Racing Team has unveiled their FIA GT1 spec Nissan GT-R’s race livery in a ceremony to launch the 2010 FIA GT season at the Automobile Club de France in the Place de la Concorde, in Paris on Monday.
Up until now in testing the car has been seen in stark white so to see it finally in Swiss Racing Team red and white, while not a huge change, is great.
The Sumo Power GT-R on the other hand had already been seen in testing. Their livery was on show at the Paul Ricard HTTT and it too has a strong white theme with lots of exposed carbon.
The first race of the season is coming up fast and is set for the 17th of April in Abu Dhabi. You’ll be able to watch it live online via GT1world.com.
Link: Swiss Racing Team Website
Link: Sumo Power GT Website
Link: GT1World.com Photo Gallery
FIA GT-1 Spec Nissan GT-R Teams Announced for FIA GT 2010 Championships
After finalising the specifications of the GT1 class Nissan GT-R and signing the official FIA GT partnership agreements, Nismo has been able to confirm that two teams will field it’s 600hp GT1 car in this years FIA GT championship series.
The teams are Swiss Racing Team headed by Othmar Welti and British team Sumo Power GT led by James Rumsey. Each team will field two cars a piece which means 4 of the 24 GT1 cars on the grid later in the year will be Nissan GT-Rs. Unfortunately, the Gigawave Motorsports team who partnered with Nismo in 2009 to test and help develop the car had to pull out of FIA GT championships this year.
Sumo Power had their GT1 machine at Autosport International show in Birmingham, UK last week so the public could get a good look. We also had a very up close look recently at the 2009 Nismo Festival at Fuji Speedway, Japan. Check out our feature article on this beast here.
The first race kicks off in May at Silverstone Circuit, we’ll keep you informed of the GT-Rs performance!
Top Photo: Jakob Ebrey
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