25.05.2004 After a successful two day test session at Paul Ricard last week, JMB Racing are looking forward to continuing their impressive FIA GT form at Brno this coming weekend

After a fine second place in Magny-Cours, the nr 17 JMB Racing Ferrari 575 GTC Maranello was a front-runner at Hockenheim, achieving its best qualifying position yet, and looking certain of a podium finish until two punctures dropped it back down the field. 

The nr 18 car, driven by Bert Longin, Ian Khan and Thomas Bleiner, also suffered a slow puncture, while the nr 19 completed a consistent race. After Hockenheim, the team had two days of testing at the Paul Ricard circuit. 

"This was our first real opportunity to test," Karl Wendlinger explained. "We could really spend time trying different things to optimise the set-up. It went well and I think we learnt a lot. We had already improved a lot between Valencia and Hockenheim, but this test was the next step." Brno is quite close to home for the team's four Austrian drivers, Karl, Toto Wolff, Robert Lechner and Thomas Bleiner. 

"I've raced there once or twice, in Formula Ford and Formula 3," Karl continued. "It's a nice, challenging circuit. Our main aim is to finish the race with no problems and to score points."

Austrian driver Toto Wolff, like many of  the other Austrians competing in this year's FIA GT Championship, considers Brno his home circuit, as well as one of his favourites. Toto has being racing in the Championship since 2001, his most successful year to date was 2002, when he raced for Autorlando.

As well as a win at Oschersleben with compatriot Philipp Peter, a string of other points placed him 6th in the final classification. This year he has moved up to the GT class, racing the nr 17 JMB Racing Ferrari 575 M Maranello with Karl Wendlinger and Robert Lechner Jr.

“I like Brno very much. It is very challenging from a technical point of view. It has slow, medium and fast corners, going up and downhill. For me, it’s like a little Spa. I learned to race on the old A1 Ring and Brno, so I have lots of good memories of Formula Ford, and I like it a lot. The circuit itself is quite long.

"The first corner is very challenging;  you take it in 4th gear in a GT car, and need to exit well to get the speed for the next long straight. This is followed by a left-right corner followed  by a very fast double right-hander, which, if the car is perfect, the second can be taken flat out. After, you have to be heavy on the brakes for the next corner, which is almost a hairpin. A short straight leads into a left-right hander, where once again you have to sacrifice the left part to gain speed in the straight.

"We are now at the lowest part of the circuit, taken in 5th gear and quite fast, followed by a 4th gear corner, which is two-thirds downhill. This is followed by the most important part, a left-right chicane, followed by a long uphill straight, nearly a kilometre long. The handling has to be perfect here, so as not to have oversteer exiting the chicane. With no oversteer, you can get on the throttle early, and gain a lot of time.  

"The last part sees another left-right hander, taken in second gear, exiting in 3rd, with a little straight and a fast right-hander leading onto the main straight, which is taken in 6th gear. The top speed is not as fast as circuits like Monza, but the circuit is very abrasive and the weather can be very hot, which means that tyres can be very important. It is a circuit where the set-up is crucial.”