28.07.2003  PROXIMUS 24 HOURS OF SPA:  DRIVER QUOTES FROM SPA

"At this stage of the race, we all began to believe we could finish, so we are naturally disappointed. But on the other hand, we have scored points at 6 and 12 hours, we have raced for 18 hours, which is equivalent to six GT races, which considering that apart from Donington we have never finished, is quite an achievement. I think we surprised a lot of people, including ourselves, and it felt very good to fight for position. I led the race during my first stint, which was our first moment of joy, we were on the pace, and our Pirelli intermediate tyres were excellent. We lost seven laps due to a broken bolt in the suspension, and then the engine problem stopped us. But we are now ready to go on with the programme !" 

Matteo Bobbi - nr 23 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 

"We broke the left bank of the engine. There is still a long way to go in the championship, and for our points situation, this is not a big problem. This was my first 24-hour race and it was very strange, starting a race that you have no idea if you will finish!" 

Fabrizio De Simone - nr 53 JMB Racing Ferrari 360 Modena 

"Early in the race, we lost a lot of time due to electrical problems. But we're now 4th in N-GT and the car is really fantastic. I have done two good double stints, and my team mates have been great. It's all going smoothly, we've pushed hard, the team has done a good job and the tyres are great.

Lilian Bryner - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 

"At the beginning we didn't push the car for the safety of the mechanical parts, so that strategy worked. At the end there was a problem with the radiator so we lost some water and it was lucky it was just at the end, so we finished the race." 

Luca Cappellari - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 

"We had big problems with aquaplaning so through the rain we had to concentrate hard and now we are all very tired. The car was very good and we didn't have any problems until the last five minutes." 

Enzo Calderari - nr 22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 

"It's very good for the team and I think they did a great job because the Biaggi/Bobbi car crashed on Thursday and they worked through the night to six o'clock in the morning. We have to thank all of them because for them it was a 48-hour race. They did a very good job. We had a few problems because the car was too low and we had some aquaplaning and we lost a lot of time during the rain. The Freisinger Porsche was a problem - they did a very good job and we could not catch them during the race. I would have liked to win overall but we have had a good result with second in this race." 

Robert Pergl - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena

"We are really delighted because we are newcomers to N-GT and we have never raced in a 24-Hour event. We have never tested at Spa either so taking into account all these facts it is for us an amazing success. We really enjoyed it and found it so funny to be passing the big cars. We only had minor problems with the car and I would like to thank Ferrari for supplying us with a car which was so reliable." 

Yannick Schroeder - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena

"For me everything was new - the team, the car, racing in GT and racing in a 24-Hour event. The team was just great and I enjoyed it a lot." 

Jaroslav Janis - nr 57 MENX Ferrari 360 Modena 

"I was very happy that we finished this race. I think it is very difficult to finish a 24-Hour race, so it was good to get on the podium. For me, it was a very good experience and I learned a lot for the future."