The FIA GT Championship classifications could hardly be closer. Biagi and Babini lead the GT title battle, their exemplary consistency having paid off. But they are only one point ahead of JMB drivers Wendlinger and Bertolini and Larbre Competition's Gabriele Gardel, with Scheider, Bartels and Lamy close behind. In GT2, although the Gruppe M team have a healthy lead, there is a good fight between the two pairs of drivers, Lieb and Rockenfeller seven points ahead of Sugden and Collard. And with two teams from the Czech Republic and two from Slovakia, as well as Russian and Polish teams, the Championship is looking more international than ever before.

JMB Racing

Many of the Austrian drivers consider the Brno round as their home race, the popular Czech circuit being so close to Vienna. This includes JMB Racing’s Philipp Peter. “This is really my home race, and there will be a lot of friends and guests there,” Philipp Peter said. “I really love the circuit; I think it is one of the most beautiful, along with Spa, of the year. I’m really looking forward to it. We will still be the lightest of the Maserati cars, so I hope we still have an advantage. My team-mates have now had more time in the car, so there is a definite improvement. We’ll do the best we can in Brno !”

As for Karl Wendlinger, currently lying second overall in the nr 15 JMB Racing Maserati, he is also pleased to be going to Brno. “I am happy to be going back there, as it is a nice circuit, which is challenging both for cars and drivers. Our season has been good so far, with two podium finishes. And our fourth place position in Imola was also fine, as it means we have lost weight for Brno - the 70kg we had in Imola were very hard on the car.

"The Championship is very close, we saw that from the first race in Monza. Nowadays, the top of the Championship is so competitive that you need to get everything right to stand a chance.  You have to have the complete package : car, drivers, set.up, a trouble-free race. I think the Maserati will suit the Brno circuit and I’m looking forward to the race.”
 

Peter Kutemann and Antoine Gosse, who drove together in the 2003 season of the FIA GT Championship, will be returning for the Brno round. They will share a Ferrari 360 Modena entered by JMB Racing. "Since Brno is our favourite track, Antoine and I are very happy to come to participate in this FIA-GT race," Kutemann explained. "We both loved the FIA-GT concept with its high level of competition and professional drivers but also for the good atmosphere. This time we will drive the 2004 Ferrari 360-GT and we hope we can give the competition a hard ride for their points!

"During 2003 season we had some good fun competing with the Reid Porsche. Also for me it is an exiting prospect to participate in the same race, though in GT2, as my valued MC12! Antoine and I hope for some points in the GT2 but the super professional JMB team will also work hard to win a podium for the MC12's."

Vitaphone Racing

2003 Champion Thomas Biagi is back in a familiar position. Since the Imola round, the Italian is leading the Championship, with his Vitaphone Racing team-mate Fabio Babini. “It’s nice to be in the lead, but the Championship is very tough this year, much more than in 2003. Babini and I are only one point ahead of Bertolini, Wendlinger and Gardel;  Scheider and Bartels were very unlucky in Imola but they are still close, and then there is the Corvette. It’s going to be a very, very long and hard year.,” Biagi commented. With four third-place finishes, including full points at Silverstone, the nr 10 Maserati MC 12 wil now carry 100 kg for Brno. “I’m not too worried, as I won with 100 kg in Brno in 2003. But  it is hard on the car, especially on the Brno circuit, up hill and down. But we will do our best. We’d really like to get our first real victory, but I think it will be difficult at Brno. Our aim will be to do our best and score as many points as we can.  Then it’s on to Spa, which will be the key to the whole season..”

GPC Sport

The Ferrari 575 GTC Evo 2005 cars entered by GPC Sport put in a good performance in Italy, with the nr 3 car of Melo and Belloc running competitively in the top three until a drive-through penalty and a fuel problem brought their race to a premature end. The car was eventually classified sixth. The nr 2 car of Piccini and Deletraz had a gear-box problem, but had also shown its speed, setting the best time in Sunday’s warmup. 

For Brno, the team will have three cars on the grid, with the nr 86 Ferrari 360 GTC joining the GT2 class. The car will be driven by Belgians Stéphane Lemeret and Loïc Deman, who will both drive for the team in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. “It is good for them to get to know the team beforehand,” team manager Batti Pregliasco explained. The team has continued to work on the 575 cars. “The cars are definitely better.  We are still working on developing them; it is a continual process of evolution. We have been testing in Vallelunga, thanks to Ferrari and Pirelli. Our main problem is finding the right set-up.  Once we do, the cars are competitive."