16.05.2004 Matteo Bobbi & Gabriele Gardel gain their first win of the year as the lead out a very close Care-Prodrive Ferrari 1-2-3: FIA GT race report & result from Hockenheim

Race Start : 11:20
Total distance : 110 laps, 503.14 km, max 3 hrs
Starting Grid :  4 - 5 - 17 - 1 - 28 - 7 - 10 - 11 - 27 - 3 - 8 - 18 - 50 - 99 - 62 - 77 - 19 - 69 - 56 - 57 - 2 - 13 - 14 - 9
Nr 2 starts from the pit lane
Weather : overcast, some grey clouds. Forecast says no rain


Start  Lechner keeps the lead into the first corner; no problems at the start, the Konrad pulls away. Bouchut is up to fourth and pushing Wendlinger in the Ferrari for third.
Lap 1 GT :  4 - 5 - 17 - 10 - 1 - 27 - 28 - 11
 N-GT :  99 - 62 - 50 - 77 - 69 - 56 - 57
 Campbell-Walter made a good start and is up to 6th place, ahead of Ruberti in the Graham Nash car
Lap 2 Lechner Jr has a 1.4 second lead over Bartels in the nr 5 Saleen. Bouchut is 0.6 behind Wendlinger in the fight for third, with Bobbi in the nr 1 just 0.4 behind Bouchut
Lap 3 Wendlinger sets fastest lap so far : 1: 38.287
 In N-GT, Luhr has got the better of Ortelli and De Simone, taking an early lead. The cars which started from the back are already past the last N-GT cars.
Lap 4 De Simone is pushing Luhr hard for the N-GT lead, he was 0.5 seconds behind
 Wendlinger further improves the lap time -1 :38.151 - and is now pulling away from Bouchut and Bobbi. Campbell-Walter closes on Bobbi.
Lap 5 GT : 4 - 5 - 17 - 10 - 1 - 27 - 7 - 28
 N-GT : 99 - 62 - 50 - 77
 Gollin is up to 15th in the nr 2 BMS; Bobbi and Campbell-Walter and Erdos are very close for fifth
Lap 6 Lechner has a 1.6 second lead, but Bartels and Wendlinger are holding on, 1.6 and 2.8 seconds behind him respectively.
Lap 7 Bobbi overtakes Bouchut for fourth place
Lap 8 Campbell-Walter is right behind Bouchut. Close fight in N-GT with the Ferrari 0.4 behind the nr 99
Lap 9 nr 7 overtakes the nr 27
 GT : 4 - 5 - 17 - 1- 10 - 7 -27 - 28
 N-GT : 99 - 62 - 50 - 77 - 69 - 56 - 57
Lap 10 Hillebrand, who started at the very back is up to 11th in the nr 9 Viper, Gollin, from the pit-lane, is 14th
Lap 11 The nr 62 Ferrari gets ahead of the nr 99 Porsche after a long fight
, Ortelli is right behind the nr 99. A real train in N-GT
Lap 12 Ortelli gets ahea d of the nr 99 car as well, for second in N-GT
 GT : 4 - 5 - 17 - 1 - 10 - 7 - 27 - 8 - 11 - 28
 N-GT : 62 - 50 - 99 - 77
 Wendlinger is now closing up on Bartels for second place; he is 0.7 seconds behind the nr 5 Saleen
Lap 13 The top four cars are still within 5 seconds of each other. Lechner Jr has opened up the gap to 2.1 seconds, but Bartels is holding on. In N-GT, De Simone sets his fastest lap time so far.
Luhr retakes second in N-GT after a faster lap.
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 77 - 69
Lap 14 DE Simone goes faster still, with a lap of 1 :41.406. 
Lap 15 Lechner Jr to the pits - unscheduled stop; problems. Car pushed into the garage. Transmission broken
 Bartels takes the lead in the nr 5 Saleen. Bobbi is right behind Wendlinger
Lap 16 GT : 5 - 17 - 1 - 10 - 27 - 7 - 8 - 11 - 28 - 2
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 77 - 69
Lap 17 Wendlinger is currently the fastest man on the track
, he is 1.1 behind the leader.
Lap 18 BMS nr 2 is now up to 9 th .
 The nr 9 Viper went into the gravel at turn 12 and rejoined (4 minute lap)
Lap 19 Wendlinger is now catching and pushing the nr 5Saleen. In N-GT, De Simone is pulling away from Luhr and is now 2.5 seconds behind
Lap 20 GT : 5 - 17 - 1 - 10 - 27 - 7 - 8-  11
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 77 - 69
Lap 21 Lister nr 14 to the pits, fuel,  tyres, and driver to Coronel
 Viper nr 9 to the pits after going of
f, fuel, tyres and driver to Abbelen
Lap 22 Bouchut is still maintaining 4th overall in the nr 10 Zwaan's Viper.
 Viper nr 9 receives a drive-through penalty for a jump start
Lap 25 Problem for the nr 77 Porsche, clouds of smoke coming out of the back
, the car receives a black and orange flag
Lap 26 GT : 5 - 17 - 1 - 10 - 27 - 7 - 8 - 11 - 2 - 28
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 77 - 69
 Porsche nr 77 to the pits, into the garage, smoke still pouring out. Broken engine, car retires
Lap 27 Viper nr 10 to the pits, fuel only
Lap 29 Saleen nr 4 rejoins the race
 Wendlinger is maintaining around a 1 second gap from the lead car
Lap 30 GT:  5 - 17 - 1 - 27 - 7 - 8 - 11
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69 - 56
Lap 31 Saleen nr 7 to the pits, fuel,  tyres, and driver to Newton
Lap
32 Race leader nr 5 to the pits. Fuel and tyres only, Wendlinger now leads the race. Viper nr 9 comes in for its penalty. Lister nr 27 to the pits, fuel, tyres and driver to Derbyshire
Lap 33 Saleen nr 8 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Barbosa
, Viper nr 9 has a big crash into the tyre barriers, driver OK. Saleen nr 28 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Lancieri
Lap 34 race leader Wendlinger to the pits, fuel, tyres and driver to Wolff;  Wendlinger loses time after running out of fuel in the Sachs curve.
Ferrari nr 18 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Khan - Wendlinger out of fuel. Ferrari nr 1 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Gardel
Lap 35 Gollin, in the nr 2 BMS car whcuh started from the pit lane is now in the lead
Ferrari nr 11 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Peter. Porsche nr 56 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to De Castro. Ferrari nr 19 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Gosse
Lap 36 Race leader nr 2 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Cappellari. Bartels now has the lead of the race after the main pit stops
. Ferrari nr 13 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Naspetti
Lap 37 N-GT leader nr 62  De Simone to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Pescatori
. Ferrari nr 3 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Bryner. Porsche nr 50 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Collard. Viper nr 10 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Arjan van der Zwaan, the car was third
Lap 38 Luhr now leads N-GT in 6th overall, only N-GT not to have pitted
Lap 39 GT : 5 - 1- 8 - 17 - 11 - 2 - 27
 N-GT : 99 - 62 - 50 - 69 - 57
Lap 40 N-GT leader nr 99 to the pits to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Maassen
 Nr 4 pulls off to the side of the track
Lap 41 Bartels now has a 30 second lead over Gardel in the nr 1 BMS car, with Goodwin third for RML. The nr 17 Ferrari is 4th. Bartels has now driven 41 laps, having remained in the car. The maximum consecutive driving time is 55% of race distance, (110 laps, so 60 laps)
Lap 43 Fastest man on the track at the moment is Tommy Coronel in the 2004 model nr 14 Lister Storm. He is in 11th place, but is the only car to be lapping in the 1:39 bracket
Lap 44 GT : 5 - 1 - 8 - 17 - 11 - 2 - 27
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69
Lap 45 Wolff is gradually closing in on the nr 8 RML Saleen. 
Lap 47 Philipp Peter is just 0.4 seconds behind his former team-mate Toto Wolff in fourth
Lap 48 Porsche nr 69 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Gerold Ried
 Bartels has a lead of 34 seconds over Gardel.
Lap 49 Peter pulls alongside and overtakes Wolff for fourth
Lap 50 GT : 5 - 1- 8 - 11 - 17 - 2 - 27
 N-GT :  62 - 99 - 50
 Ferrari nr 19 stopped at the side of the track,
Lap 51 Race leader nr 5 to the pits, fuel, tyres and driver to Alzen
Lap 52 Porsche nr 57 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Casadei
. Close fight for third, with Goodwin followed by Peter and Wolff. Fastest man is still Tommy Coronel in the Lister, 1:39.491, in 9th position.
Lap 53 Spin for the nr 3 BMS Care Racing Ferrari
 Gardel is now leading the race, with Goodwin second and Peter third
 GT : 1 - 8 - 11 - 17 - 5 - 2
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69 - 56
Lap 55 Lister nr 14 to the pits, fuel  and driver to Pearce
Lap 56 Alzen in the nr 5 Saleen overtakes Wolff for fourth place.  He is now 6 seconds behind Peter.
Lap 57  At the front we have Ferrari - Saleen - Ferrari - Saleen - Ferrari.
 Peter is right behind the nr 8 Saleen and tries to overtake on the pit straight but Goodwin holds him off
Lap 59 A real train of three cars is battling for second place, with the nr 8, nr 11 and nr 5 separated by less than a second. The nr 17 has dropped 4 seconds behind them
Lap 60 GT :   1 - 8 - 11 - 5 - 17
 Saleen nr 7 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Erdos; problem with the right rear brake
. Alzen overtakes Peter for third.
Lap 61 Alzen continues on his surge and overtakes Goodwin for second
Lap 62 Gardel has a lead of 21 seconds over the charging Alzen.  Alezn is
 Pescatori continues to lead N-GT around 15 seconds ahead of Maassen in the nr 99 Porsche.
Lap 63 Alzen sets a lap time of 1:39.9; most of the others are lapping around 1:40 or 1:41
Lap 64 GT : 1 - 5 - 11 - 8 - 17 - 2 - 3
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69 - 56
 Goodwin has dropped back and now the nr 17 is about to overtake it for fourth place
Lap 65 Graham Nash Motorsport Saleen stopped in the grass at the side of the track.
 Lister nr 14 to the piits. Fuel, tyres and driver to Coronel
. Nr 18 Ferrari smoking at the rear. Saleen nr 8 to the pits, fuel, tyres and driver to Barbosa
Lap 66 GT : 1 - 5 - 11 - 17 - 8 - 2 - 3 - 13 - 27
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69
 RML Saleen nr 7 rejoins
 Alzen is now only 11 seconds behind Gardel
Lap 67 The gap between the leaders is now down to 8 seconds
 Ferrari nr 18 to the pits, rear tyres changed, driver change to Bleiner
Lap 69 Ferrari nr 17 to the pits, fuel, tyres on left side and driver to Robert Lechner
 Lister nr 27 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Campbell-Walter
. Alzen has caught Gardel and is less than a second behind
Lap 70 Alzen takes the lead in the nr 5 and begins to pull away from Gardel
 Ferrari nr 11 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Babini
. Ferrari nr 2 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Gollin 
Lap 71 Porsche nr 56 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Premoli
 Viper nr 10 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Roos
. Ferrari nr 1 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Bobbi. Ferrari nr 13 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Hezemans
Lap 72 Alzen now has a lead of 10 seconds
 Ferrari  nr 3 to the pits to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Livio
Lap 74 Porsche nr 99 to the pits, fuel tyres and driver to Luhr
 Porsche nr 50 to the pits, fuel, left side tyres and driver to Ortelli
Lap 75 GT :  5 - 1- 17 - 11 - 8 - 2 - 3 - 27
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69 - 56 - 57
 Alzen, after the others made their stop, has a lead of 1:26  over Bobbi in the nr 2, and is still lapping faster than him
Lap 76 Ferrari nr 19 to the pits, fuel and driver to Kutemann
 Babini overtakes Lechner for third, but Lechner is fighting back…
Lap 78 GT : 5 - 1- 11 - 17 - 8 - 2 - 3 - 27
 N-GT : 62 - 99 - 50 - 69 - 56
Lap 79 N-GT leader nr 62 to the pits, fuel, tyres and driver to De Simone - long stop …
Lap 80 Race leader nr 5 to the pits.  A problem with the car - removing back screen to access the engine
Lap 81 Bobbi takes the lead, ahead of the nr 11 and the nr 17 - Ferrari 1-2-3 at the moment
Lap 82 GT : 1 - 11 - 17 - 8 - 2 - 3 - 27 - 13
 N-GT : 99 - 50 - 62 -  69
Lap 83 Bobbi has a 24 second lead over Babini in the nr 11 Ferrari ; Lechner is 3.6 seconds behind him.
Lap 83 The nr 14 Lister Storm pulls to the side of the track, flames coming from the front
, It continues to burn
 Porsche nr 69 to the pits, fuel, left front tyre changed and
. JMB nr 18 has a rear right puncture, making its way back to the pits, refuel + rear tyres. Porsche nr 56 is stranded in the middle of the track at the last turn, Premoli at the wheel. Nr 5 pushed into the garage
Lap 85 Ferrari nr 17 appears to have smoke coming from the rear.  It is overtaken by the nr 8 Saleen
Lap 86 GT : 1 - 11 - 8 - 17 - 2- 3 -27 - 13 - 10
 N-GT : 99 - 50 - 62 - 69 - 56 - 57
Lap 87 The nr 17 Ferrari has a problem ; smoke pouring out the rear,  left rear tyre blow
n, part of the rubber  falls off onto the track. Car to the pits. Left rear tyre change and rejoins
Lap 89 The nr 8 Saleen takes second  place
 GT : 1 - 8 - 11 - 2- 3 - 27.  Bobbi has a 22 second margin
 The nr 17 after its extra stop is down in 8th place
Lap 90 GT : 1 - 11 - 8 - 2 - 3 - 27
 N-GT
 Saleen nr 8 to the pits, fuel only
Lap 91  Safety car out to allow tyre debris to be cleaned up
Lap 93 Ferrari nr 17 to the pits with another left rear puncture. Out of the race
 Lister nr 14 to the pits, fuel only
Lap 95 Green flag with 15 minutes of the race remaining. The cars have all closed up, with Babini 0.5 seconds behind Bobbi and Gollin in third, 4.8 seconds behind. Barbosa is fourth, right behind the nr 2
Lap 96 Babini challenging Bobbi, who locks up tyres. Real fight going on. Side by side and Babini takes the lead
Lap 97 GT : 11 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 27 - 13 -
 N-GT : 99 - 50 - 62 - 69
 Saleen nr 8 to the pits, brake problem
Lap 98 Ortelli is just 1.7 seconds behind Luhr
 In the lead, Babini has pulled out a gap of 2.8 seconds. But Bobbi is lapping faster than Babini.
Porsche nr 69 to the pits, changes left front tyre
Lap 100 GT : 11 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 27 - 13 - 10
 N-GT : 99 - 50 - 62
Lap 101 Ortelli is chasing Luhr, but there are only 4 minutes remaining…De Simone is a further 5 seconds back. 
Lap 103 The nr 11 appears to have a puncture at the front.  The nr 1 takes the lead …on the penultimate lap
Lap 104 GT : 1 - 2 - 3 - 27 - 11 - 13 - 10
 Ferrari nr 11 to the pits; changed tyre and rejoined.
Lap 105 Chequered flag. BMS Triple. First win of the season for Bobbi and Gardel - Gardel's first FIA GT win.
 Ortelli crossed the line just 0.8 behind Luhr in the nr 99. Luhr and Maassen take third consecutive win.

 GT : 1 - 2 - 3 - 27 - 13 - 11 - 10 - 8
 N-GT : 99 - 50 - 62 - 69 - 56 - 57