Fourteen cars took part in the Barcelona test days on March 6th and 7th 2003. With sunny, dry weather, the teams were able to conduct two full days of testing around the circuit, which will also host the first round of the season in a month's time. Four different makes were represented in the GT category, with Larbre Competition's Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Creation Autosportif's Lister Storm, BMS Scuderia Italia and Wieth Racing's Ferrari 550 Maranello cars and Graham Nash Motorsport's Saleen S7-Rs in action. In the N-GT class, Freisinger Motorsport, Eurotech and Polish team Alda Motorsport ran Porsche 996 GT3-R cars, while Team Maranello Concessionaires and MENX were testing their Ferrari 360 Modena cars. 

MENX RUN NEW FERRARI 360 MODENA 

Czech drivers Tomas Enge and Robert Pergl were both driving the new MENX Ferrari 360 Modena in Barcelona. "This was our first time with the car, as it is brand new and the team only received it two weeks ago," Enge explained. "My team-mate did not know the circuit, so we wanted to teach him as much as possible. He did 60 laps on the first day, while I did 15. On the second day, we did some more set-up work on the car, and we were quite successful and very pleased with our times. Pergl did a very good job, especially as he is not a professional driver. He has been driving in the Ferrari Challenge over the past two seasons, and finished a close second in the Central European region last year. The Barcelona circuit is very hard to learn, and very hard on tyres, but he did very well, which should be good for the first race. We were really happy with the whole day; we had some minor electrical problems, but they were solved overnight." 

Due to other commitments, Enge will not be with the team for the first round in Barcelona. "I will be replaced by Jaroslav Janis," he explained. "I hope to be there for Magny Cours. I believe I can help the team, as I know the FIA GT Championship from having driven in occasional rounds in the past two seasons, and therefore I can give them some useful information. We were not fastest out there today, but we were very pleased with the progress we made, and hope to get nearer to the front later on." Like Enge and Pergl, 19-year old Czech driver Janis was among the Coca Cola Racing drivers in 2001, and has also competed in single-seater competition, running in the Euro Formula 3000 series last year. 

GOLLIN TRIES HIS NEW FERRARI 

Fabrizio Gollin, one of the revelations of the 2002 season, tried out a BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello for the first time at Barcelona. Last season, he shared a Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R with Luca Capellari, and the two Italians will be reunited this season. "It is a fantastic car -- very fast and very nice to drive," Gollin said. "For me, it is actually easier to driver than the Viper, but partly because of that, it is much more difficult to know where the limit is. We are really hoping to go one better this season and win a race, after two podiums last year. My best time yesterday was 1:42..6, but we were mainly concentrating on tyre testing, checking a lot of different compounds from Michelin." Capellari also tested the car. "It is beautiful, and very good to drive," he commented. 

TEAM MARANELLO CONCESSIONAIRES PLEASED WITH PROGRESS 

Team Maranello Concessionaires, whose official launch is scheduled for 19 March at a high-profile event in London, enjoyed a productive two day test in Barcelona on 6 and 7 March prior to the start of the 2003 FIA GT Championship. 

Drivers Jamie Davies, Tim Mullen, Kelvin Burt and Darren Turner, who represent the team's highly experienced driver line-up, all shared in the testing duties and were able to continue the team's ongoing development in the lead-up to the season opener on April 5 / 6. 

"We are extremely pleased with our progress in Barcelona. We achieved a lot of productive on-track time and the drivers and crew are really itching to go racing", commented Team Manger, Rod Benoist. Commercial Director John Newman added, "Stephane Ratel, Chairman of SRO, highlighted in Tuesday's press conference that 2003 is likely to be the most competitive FIA GT season ever, and we are really looking forward to a tight and tough battle right from the outset. We are also quietly confident and fully expect to challenge for wins from day one." 

Team Maranello Concessionaires, under the banner of Veloqx Motorsport, won the 2002 British GTO Championship title and are keen to capitalize on their success in 2003. This year will be their first full season in the FIA GT Championship after their strong showing in the final two rounds of 2002. The team will campaign three Ferrari 360N/GT cars this year, resplendent in their historic Team Maranello Concessionaires colours. 

WIETH RACING CONTINUE TESTING 

The Wieth Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello was in action during the two test days, including giving journalists guest laps on the Thursday. "It was great fun, and I think they all really enjoyed it," said German driver Wolfgang Kaufmann, who was at the wheel. The team made steady progress over the first day and during Friday morning. "We have been trying a new suspension system," Niko Wieth explained. "Our best time so far was 1:47, but our gearbox is too short for this circuit. But the car is getting steadily better." However, shortly afterwards, Austrian driver Gottfried Grasser crashed heavily, bringing their test session to a close. Grasser last drove in the FIA GT Championship at the A1 Ring in 2000, when he and Kaufmann, at the wheel of a Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2, finished in third place. 

JMB RACING ANNOUNCES 2003 PLANS 

JMB Racing, a front-runner in the N-GT category last season, and winner of the 2001 N-GT Championship, announced its plans for the 2003 season earlier this week. In parallel to the N-GT program, with two Ferrari 360 Modena cars, the French team intends to enter two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars in the GT class. These cars will be replaced by two Ferrari 575 Maranello cars in the second half of the seasons. All the cars will be using Pirelli tyres; the drivers will be announced shortly.