19.10.2004 The Coopers Racing team will take on the best GT teams in the world at the Bahrain GT Festival next month with their ex-Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello to be driven by David Brabham AND Allan SimonseN

Melbourne-based Coopers Racing team has entered the lion's den by opting to take on the best GT teams in the world at the inaugural Bahrain GT Festival next month.

The small team's ambitious plan is a pre-cursor to the bigger goal of taking on some of the world's best-funded and technically-advanced operations in a limited assault on next year's FIA GT championship.

The Coopers squad hopes to tackle the four south-east Asian rounds on the provisional 2005 schedule, plus the famous Spa 24 Hours in Belgium.

Running its ex-Olive Garden Rafanelli ALMS-spec Ferrari 550 GT Maranello, Coopers will rely on the experience of Australian sportscar hero David Brabham to lead the team in Bahrain, with Australian-based Dane Allan Simonsen completing the line-up for the three 35-minute qualifying races and one-hour endurance final that make up the Festival event.

Team owner Tony Raftis explained that he had been inspired to take up FIA GT series promoter Stephane Ratel's Bahrain invitation after Coopers Racing pulled out of Australia's ailing Nations Cup and the planned Bathurst 24 Hours race was cancelled.

“We decided to enter our 550 GT in Bahrain to see how high the [competition] bar is," he revealed, "It's a toe in the international GT water, so to speak, because we have high hopes of competing in selected rounds of the FIA GT Championship in 2005.

“It's also a bit of a reward for the guys in the team. We pulled out of the Nations Cup earlier in the year, after the Ferrari was handed what we thought were unfair parity adjustments, and started preparing the car for the Bathurst 24 Hours - which unfortunately fell through.

"When we heard from Stephane about the Bahrain race, we decided it was a great opportunity to benchmark our small team against the best in the world.

“If we go well in Bahrain, and can secure the right amount of backing from sponsors like our Bahrain backers, Coopers Brewery, Beta Tools and Lavazza, then we'll tackle four FIA GT rounds and Spa. Coopers, in particular, have been great."

Raftis also admitted that his driver line-up was better than he would have expected at this time in the season.

“We're really lucky to have David Brabham on board," he confessed, "He's one of the world's best sportscar drivers, with tremendous experience on racetracks all over the globe - and he has raced a 550 GT before. David was also very instrumental in securing the Michelin tyres we'll need to take on the top teams - they don't give them out to just any team. And, of course, he's an Aussie!"

Simonsen also came in for praise from the team boss. “Allan is a very quick young guy, who is really making a name for himself in Australia and is personally backed by Coopers. I think they will make a very potent combination. Bahrain will be a tall order but, if we finish in the top ten, I'll be over the moon.”

Major sponsorship for the venture comes from Coopers Brewery, whose marketing director, Glen Cooper, is fully behind the push into the international racing arena.

“While we don't sell our beer in Bahrain, the television coverage will go to many countries where we do sell beer and, in particular, home-brew products, so there was a cost-effective means to get onto American and European TV," he explained.

"Having the Coopers' brand on an Australian car, with a kangaroo on the front of it, taking on the best GT cars in the world, and driven by David Brabham and Allan Simonsen, was an opportunity too good to pass up.”