The first qualifying sessions for the 2005 FIA GT Championship were extremely close, despite difficult weather conditions, and bode well for the season ahead.  With the top six cars, from four different teams, within seven tenths of a second – including four Maserati MC 12 cars and two Ferrari 550 Maranellos – and the Lamborghini and Corvette close behind, tomorrow’s three-hour, 500 km race around the fast Monza circuit should be thrilling.

Despite only receiving the nr 16 Maserati MC 12 this week, and doing the shakedown during Thursday’s test session, Austrian driver Philipp Peter claimed his first-ever FIA GT pole position today, lapping the 5.7930 Monza circuit in 1:45.699. “It’s my first pole position in the FIA GT and I am pretty happy. The programme for the car came together very late. Maserati has given us a car which has been great from the beginning. There was no shake-down for the car before we got her so it’s quite a surprise.”

He will start alongside the nr 9 Vitaphone Racing Team car, giving an all-Maserati front row for tomorrow’s 500 km race. Michael Bartel’s time was just one tenth slower than the JMB car, 1:45.699. “I am very happy with second position. We are on the right way, and in these conditions anything can happen. I think it is quite good base for the race tomorrow.” Bartels said afterwards.

Third place on the grid will go to the nr 17 Russian Age Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello, Christophe Bouchut having set a time of 1:45.881, just eight hundredths slower than the Maserati. “ We are very happy, especially as this is a brand new team. If we finish in the top 10 tomorrow we will be very happy,” Bouchut said. He will share the Ferrari tomorrow with Russian drivers Alexei Vasiliev and Nikolai Fomenko.

FIRST QUALIFYING SESSION

After the wet free practice session, the rain had eased by the time the cars came out for the first 45-minute qualifying session, and the times were immediately quicker than in the morning. The nr 16 JMB Maserati MC 12, driven by Philipp Peter, was fast from the start, with the Austrian going straight out on new tyres in order to let his team-mates, Chris Buncombe and Roman Rusinov have as much time as possible in the car.
 

Peter’s time of 1:48.201 was overtaken by a lap of 1:48.081 from the nr 10 Vitaphone Maserati MC 12, but on the next lap, the nr 16 put in a time of 1:45.699 – at that stage 2.3 seconds ahead of the rest of the field – which was not to be beaten. “I was really quite surprised,” Phillip Peter said afterwards “They came close, but no-one could match my time.”

The session proved to be very close, with the nr 9 and nr 15 Maserati MC 12s and the nr 17 and nr 11 Ferrari 550 cars all fighting for second. By the end, the nr 9 Vitaphone Maserati of Bartels and Scheider was in second place, with a lap of 1:45.807, ahead of the nr 17 Russian Age Racing Ferrari 550, with the second JMB Maserati fourth and the nr 11 Larbre Competition Ferrari fifth.

The top five cars – three Maserati and two Ferrari racers – were within seven tenths of a second. The Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT was seventh, with the GLPK Carsport Corvette C5R ninth. The GPC Ferrari 575 GTC of Melo and Belloc rounded off the top ten.

SECOND QUALIFYING SESSION

After the rain had conveniently stopped for the first qualifying session, a veritable downpour started before the second 45-minutes, with thunder and lightening. With the track drenched, no-one was able to improve on their morning times. The weather is due to improve tomorrow, with a dry race forecast.

The conditions were even worse than in the morning free practice, and times were consequently slower. A Maserati trio led the times, with the nr 10 Vitaphone Racing Maserati MC 12 setting the best time of 2:02.248.

The nr 15 JMB Racing car, shared by Wendlinger and Bertolini, was second, with the nr 9 Bartels/Scheider Vitaphone car third. Lamy and Gardel were fourth in the Larbre Competition Ferrari 550 Maranello, with the GLPK Carsport Corvette C5-R of Longin, Kumpen and Hezemans fifth and the Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT sixth.