The end of a season, the end of an era. Once again, the Belgian circuit of Zolder, 4 km long, technical and challenging, will be the scene of the grand finale of the FIA GT Championship. With both the GT1 and GT2 drivers titles open, there is plenty to play for around the 4 km circuit, and the two-hour race is sure to see emotions running high.
This will be the sixth visit of the FIA GT Championship to Zolder, which welcomed the teams and drivers in three consecutive years between 1999 and 2001, before returning to the calendar in 2007. That year also saw the finale take place at the track, with Thomas Biagi claiming the crown in his Vitaphone Maserati MC 12. Will 2009 see a similar outcome ?
It seems quite likely; after seven rounds, Bartels and Bertolini have a four-point lead over their near rivals Kumpen and Hezemans. Their nr 1 Maserati MC 12 will also be relatively light, with only 40 kg success ballast. The nr 4 Pekaracing Corvette Z06 of their rivals will have 60 kg, further to their non-finish at the Paul Ricard HTTT, further to engine problems. Should the two pairs of drivers finish on equal points after Zolder, an interesting exercise could take place, as until Paul Ricard they were perfectly matched in terms of both points and finishing positions. The regulations state that the best laps of both cars over the season would then be examined… For Bartels and Bertolini, whose Vitaphone Racing Team secured a historic fifth GT1 Teams title at the previous round, victory would mean a third title together – also an unmatched performance. As for Kumpen and Hezemans, it would be a first title win for both – and also a first for Corvette, Belgium and the Netherlands. Hezemans holds most of the Championship records, in terms of number of races contested, number of podiums and number of poles. As for Bertolini, he has scored more points than any other driver in the Championship. An interesting battle ahead.
An equally thrilling debate is in place for third position, with SRT’s crew of Longin and Ruffier currently holding a five-point lead over Luc Alphand Aventure’s Xavier Maassen. With a win and a third place in the last two races, the crew of the nr 3 Corvette have been on a charge in the latter part of the season; the points, however, also bring weight, and the car now has 60 kg to carry. As for the nr 19 Corvette, it is without weight, and the duo of Maassen and Biagi will be keen to regain the advantage.
As well as those in contention for the overall 2009 FIA GT Championship podium, there are plenty of others who will be aiming to finish the season on a high point. Vitaphone Racing Team’s nr 2 car, driven by Alex Müller and Miguel Ramos, has made up for an unlucky middle section of the season, finishing third in Algarve and second in Paul Ricard. Victory in Zolder would complete the set, allowing Ramos to claim a third win and Müller a first – which would be a good reward for the man who has been the fastest man in qualifying this season, with three poles. The nr 33 Vitaphone Racing Team DHL Maserati started its career with second in the Total 24 Hours of Spa, and the crew of Pier Guidi and Bobbi would love to finish with a win. As for Sangari Team Brazil, they claimed a resounding victory for the first Brazilian team in the FIA GT Championship in France, and are definitely on a high at the end of this season.
Zolder should also see the return of the Saleen cars. Victorious in Silverstone, it would be good to see another victory from the cars, which have been competing in the FIA GT Championship since 2003.
After Zolder, all eyes will be turning to 2010 …and to get a first taste of the competition, the Nissan GT-R will be back in action at Zolder, after finishing a fine third in the GT1 category of the Total 24 Hours of Spa . The car’s main rival is the Marc VDS Racing Ford GT, the Belgian team having worked steadily on their car at all rounds this year, finishing in the points on four occasions. The Nissan finished third in GT1 at the Total 24 Hours of Spa…
Moving on to GT2, the competition is just as fierce, with a very similar situation as in GT1. Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni, whose team AF Corse secured the GT2 Teams Championship at the Paul Ricard, have been in a close battle all season with the Prospeed Competition duo of Emmanuel Collard and Richard Westbrook. As in GT1, the reigning Champions are up against a pair of drivers who have never won the title… and Collard, like Hezemans, has been competing in the Championship since the very first season in 1997.
The Prospeed Porsche has claimed three victories and two second places this season; similarly, Bruni and Vilander have claimed three wins, two second places and a sixth-place finish in Portugal… and it is these three points which currently give them a slender advantage coming into the final round. Both will be carrying a total of 100 kg penalty weight. So who will be victorious in Zolder ? Can Prospeed continue with the form that saw them win the 24 Hours of Zolder earlier this year ? It should be an interesting fight…
In joint third, AF Corse’s second crew, the nr 51 car pairing of Alvaro Barba Lopez and Niki Cadei. With a victory in the Algarve and third in Paul Ricard, the GT2 rookies have had an excellent season, and are determined to hold on to their current third place. Their rivals for this position are Luis Perez Companc, who shares the nr 95 Pecom Racing Team Ferrari with Matias Russo, and the CRS Racing duo of Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell, who are the only GT2 line-up to have scored at every since race this season !
The GT2 category has shown remarkable consistency this season, and in the last two races, the same eight cars have finished in the top eight positions – an astonishing result.
This is the FIA GT Championship’s sixth visit to Zolder. The first three years saw victory go to the Chrysler Viper GTS-R, while the Aston Martin DBR9 and Maserati MC 12 won in 2007 and 2008 respectively. In the GT2 class, Porsche wins in 2000 and 2001 were followed by two Ferrari wins in 2007 and 2008.
If the 2008 results were replicated in 2009, both Bartels/Bertolini and Vilander/Bruni, who claimed wins in Belgium last year, would leave with the ultimate trophies.
But until then, anything can happen…
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Originally Posted by LeonOfTheDead
