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Ferrari has claimed a double helping
of titles in the Brazilian GT3 Championship, wrapping up the inaugural
manufacturers' title in Interlagos last weekend, while the Ferrari-running CRT
outfit won the teams' title. The weekend's racing wrapped up the first edition
of the Brazilian GT3 Championship, which has been run with great success over
five double-header rounds.
In the closing race of the first
season, held last Sunday (02/12), victory on the track in both rounds of the day
went to Xandy Negrão and Andreas Mattheis in a Dodge Viper. Their team contested
the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th rounds in a Dodge Viper, while during the 3rd round
they piloted a Lamborghini Gallardo. Negrão and Mattheis, who have huge
experience in racing cars in Brazil, become the first drivers' champion in the
new category, in a series that is attracting much attention from the public and
the press, that is for the first time in the country allowing race fans the
opportunity to see the most famous sportscar brands in the world fighting each
other on-track.
The GT3 teams started the final day
of championship with an impressive accident. In the warmup session, Marcelo
Fernandes skidded on a patch of oil and destroyed the front of his Ferrari F430
GT3; the crash was heavy enough to prevent him and his team mate Sérgio Laganá
being able to participate in the last races of Brazilian GT3 Championship.
The start of race one immediately
saw confusion in the first turn, known as the 'Senna S'. Alencar Júnior, in his
farewell race as a driver, turned with his yellow Ferrari F430 and punctured his
tyre, forcing him to retire from the round. Alceu Feldmann stood out, he started
in twelfth position on the grid and by the third lap he was already in sixth
place. Ahead of the intermediary group of cars, Cláudio Ricci was steering a
Ferrari F430 from the CRT Team, and putting much pressure on Luciano Burti in
his Lamborghini Gallardo.
On the fourteenth lap, Porsche pilot
Antonio Hermann was the first to stop for the drivers' obligatory change,
swapping with his team mate Valdeno Brito, who was immediately punished with a
team penalty for having left the pitlane before the minimum time of two minutes
stipulated by the regulations. In sequence, but just on the 20th lap, the leader
of the race Negrão pitteed in his Viper so that Mattheis could assume the wheel,
while Burti, in second position, stopped in the following lap. Giuliano Losacco
in a Ferrari F430, was the last to dive for the pits, he stopped as the race
leader and was replaced by Renato Cattalini.
The former positions were thus
re-established until the end amongst the first three cars. In fourth place was
Cattalini, the famous Brazilian film director, Walter Salles, in his Lamborghini
Gallardo, while behind him, Fábio Casagrande in a Dodge Viper and Walter Derani
in his Ferrari F430 were locked in a tough battle for the fifth place. Derani
overcame Casagrande in the “Café” turn but the Viper pilot fought back and in an
audacious manoeuvre Casagrande got the fifth position back again in the “Curva
do Sol”. Then Valdeno Brito (Porsche) took sixth position from Derani.
Derani, four laps of the end, was
hit with a rear puncture just as the F430 was getting up speed in the ascent to
the “Café” turn. Derani spun and hit the glanced off the guard rail; however,
with skill, he was able to get the car back to the pits although he was forced
to retire from the race.
The second race, just like the
first, was won by Negrão and Mattheis. Negrão, who is 54 years old, and with 34
years of experience of racing in Brazil, is a former Stock Car pilot, and a
twice winner of the traditional “Mil Milhas Brasileiras” the most important
endurance race in the country. Mattheis, who is 53 years old, came back to
racing after a 13 year absence; he has won four times the Brazilian touring car
championship, while in 1993 he added the 24 hours of Nürburgring to his tally of
victories.
CRT Brasil, using the Ferrari F430,
impressively claimed Teams' title in the first season of Brazilian GT3
Championship. The cars which were raced by Walter Derani and Cláudio Ricci
(Ferrari #70, Taedda/Motul), and Rafael Derani and Alencar Jr. (Ferrari #03, Neo
Quimica-Neosoro/Motul) had excellent results, and turned in very good
performances in all the rounds. “We are very satisfied with the title, we've had
a great season," said Walter Derani. For the Sports Director of CRT Brasil, Mr
Edgard Melo Filho, the title was affirmation of all the hard work but in all
season and the victory was for each member of the team. “It is a title that
crowns our work," he said.
The Champion among the manufacturers
is Ferrari with the F430 model, which brings the most sophisticated technology,
developed in F1, to the race track. It proved to be not to be only fast, but
showed great performances on all kinds of circuits and under different weather
conditions. In the races held at Goiania the temperatures were very high but the
F430 had no problems with overheating; it is proving to be one of the best
racing models ever made by Ferrari.
The Brazilian GT3 Championship among
pilots is still waiting the final decision of the technical scruitineers of the
CBA (Brazilian Motoring Comminsion). The Boni Sports Team entry for Bonifácio
and Burti, was disqualified due an irregularity in the ride height of the
Lamborghini Gallardo after the end of the second round of the last race. As a
penalty, the Team and the pilots lost their points. The Boni Sports Team also
complained to the scruitineers of the CBA about a possible irregularity in the
Dodge Viper's suspension relating to the car of Negrão and Mattheis. A decision
on this legality is still awaited from the commission.
by Claudio
Perlini
Brazilian GT3
Championship Rd 9, Interlagos - Classification:
1) Andreas
Mattheis/Xandy Negrão - Dodge Viper
2) Paternostro/A.Abreu - Ferrari F430
3) R.Cattalini/G.Losacco - Ferrari F430
4) C.Crespo/Pupo Moreno - Ferrari F430
5) W.Salles/Xandinho - Lamborghini Gallardo
6) F.Casagrande/G.Negrão - Dodge Viper
7) R.Derani/Alencar Jr - Ferrari F430
8) W.Derani/C.Ricci - Ferrari F430
9) V.Brito/A.Hermann - Porsche 997 GT3
10) P.Bonifacio/L.Burti - Lamborghini Gallardo
11) A.Mazzochi/A.Feldmann - Dodge Viper
12) V.Steyer/JC Andrade - Porsche 997 GT3
Brazilian GT3
Championship Rd 10, Interlagos – Classification:
1) X.Negrão/A.Mattheis
- Dodge Viper
2) G.Losacco/R.Cattalini - Ferrari F430
3) Xandinho/W.Salles - Lamborghini Gallardo
4) G.Negrão/F.Casagrande - Dodge Viper
5) A.Hermann/V.Brito - Porsche 997 GT3
6) A.Feldmann/A.Mazzochi - Dodge Viper
7) A.Abreu/Paternostro - Ferrari F430
8) Pupo Moreno/C.Crespo - Ferrari F430
9) C.Ricci/W.Derani - Ferrari F430
10) Leo Burti/P.Tarso - Dodge Viper
11) Alencar Jr/R.Derani - Ferrari F430
12) L.Burti/P.Bonifacio - Lamborghini Gallardo (DQ)
Classification
of the Brazilian GT3 Championship (final positions after 10
rounds)
Drivers:
1) Andreas
Mattheis/Xandy Negrão: 83
2) Alceu Feldmann: 61
3) Paulo Bonifácio: 57
4) Walter Derani/Cláudio Ricci: 51
5) Renato Catallini: 39
6) Luiz Paternostro: 36
= Abramo Mazzochi: 36
8) Rafael Derani/Alencar Jr: 33
9) Ramon Matias: 32
10) Antonio Hermann: 27
11) Roberto Moreno/Carlos Crespo: 17
12) Lico Kaesemodel: 15
13) Giuliano Losacco: 14
14) Valdeno Brito: 12
15) Marcelo Fernandes/Sergio Laganá: 11
= Átila Abreu: 11
Teams:
1) Champion
Racing Team – CRT: 103
2) A. Mattheis Motorsport: 83
3) Boni Sports: 56
4) RC Competições: 39
5) Scuderia Occhi: 36
6) WB Motorsport: 27
7) Casagrande Racing: 14
8) Kessel: 11
9) WA Mattheis Racing: 10
10) Action Power: 7
Manufacturers:
1) Ferrari: 153
2) Lamborghini: 126
3) Dodge: 80
4) Porsche: 27
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