Evocative 1990s race-winning Ferrari sportscars were in the thick of the action during the inaugural round of the GT90s Revival Series held at Silverstone earlier this month, a brand-new championship which is now looking forward to boosting its new calendar with extra dates.

The quartet of Ferrari racers from the 1990s were headed by the Simpson Motorsport-entered F40 GT which was driven at Silverstone by Jacopo Sebastiani. This was one of just seven F40s prepared by Michelotti for the 1993 Italian GT Championship. Several F40s had been campaigned in the inaugural 1992 Italian GT series by private owners, and when the near-showroom regulations of '92 were opened up further in '93 the Italian tuner sensed an opportunity to develop the F40 to the new rules. The resulting F40 GT took a string of wins in '93 following this up with another successful year in '94, while the car also successfully appeared far away from Italian shores in the Japanese GT Series.

The F40 GT was entered in the GT1 class at Silverstone where it faced competition from other 1990s sportscars including the McLaren F1, Lotus Elise GT1, Stealth B6, Harrier GT1 and Porsche 911 GT1. In the GT2 class one of the Ferrari 550 Maranellos built by Italtecnica and campaigned by various teams in the resurgent FIA GT series as well as Le Mans until just a few years ago, was up against a Marcos LM600, and Porsches of 911 GT2 and 993 GT2 specification. This 550 Maranello was entered and driven by Florent Moulin, with fellow Frenchman Philippe Chevellard joining him in the red car's cockpit. Finally, in the GT3 class a pair of F355 Challenge races wrapped up representation from the Maranello sportscar maker. The F355s were up against a brace of TVR Tuscan Challenge - as well as a trio of Venturi 400 Trophy - machines.

Despite the excellent and much anticipated entry list of at least 20 GT cars from the last decade, a series of teething troubles hit the first round of the GT90’s Revival Series, at Silverstone on 4-6 May. One of the two Porsche 911 GT1 cars entered, the John Greasley-entered car had to withdraw as its engine rebuild was not finished on time. BMS Scuderia Italia’s car, in the hands of Collard and Malucelli, did the free practice sessions, setting an excellent time of 1:48.382, before the engine failed.
 

There was also bad luck on the McLaren front. The Lazante car of Laurence Short was in the truck, ready to leave for Silverstone, when they were forced to withdraw due to last-minute professional commitments. Paul Knapfield, with the EMKA McLaren F1 GTR, took part in the first free practice session, but a bodywork panel was not properly fixed. It flew off, was run over by another car and damaged beyond repair. The Marcos LM600 suffered engine failure during the second free practice session.

Other teething troubles caused the last-minute withdrawal of one Venturi and the Prosport. However, all these competitors are motivated to fix their cars and run them. Additional owners are interested in joining the series, meaning that SRO is looking into the possibility of running a third round of the GT 90’s Revival Series as part of the 24 Hours of Spa.

Nevertheless, the first race took place on Saturday afternoon, with the remaining 16 survivors. The Lotus Elise GT1 of Fabien Giroix – a competitor in the FIA GT Championship in 1997 – had technical problems on lap seven, when a water hose came loose. The race was won by the Simpson Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2 driven by David Cook, ahead of two Stealth B6 cars, in the hands of Terry Pudwell and David Krayem. Race two was one by one of the two Stealth B6 entries ahead of the Porsche 993 GT2. Of the four Ferrari cars taking part, both F355 Challenges finished well placed in both races, while the bigger-class F40 GT and 550 both retired mid-race (on lap 10 and 7 respectively) in the first 17-lap duration encounter, and similarly in the long 23-lap race two the 550 dropped out of the running very early on (lap 2) while the F40 GT made it as far as lap 9.

SRO Motorsports Group, which organises the FIA GT as well as the British GT and the FFSA French GT Championships', believes fully in the potential of this new series, and will continue to work on making it a success, considering that it is a valuable addition to the FIA GT meetings it is set to support.