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SIMONSEN DELIVERS FIAGT PODIUM FOR NEW TEAM ON DEBUT |
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 Allan Simonsen has opened his FIA GT bank account in a very positive way, at the opening round of the 2008 Championship, by helping take third place in what experts have described as possibly the best FIA GT race of all time.
Teaming up with Austrian sportscar regular, Phillip Peter, Simonsen showed his debutant team, Gigawave Motorsport, just why they hired him to pedal the Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 around a very tricky Silverstone circuit last weekend.
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Not only was Gigawave Motorsport the new kid on the GT1 block, it was also the only British GT1 team on home soil - as if there wasn't already enough pressure to perform!
But the challenge was there for both drivers and the team. The excellent pairing rose to the occasion in the biggest possible way, by taking third place in an action packed race with highly variable track conditions, after leading the race for the best part of an hour.
Rewinding to practice, and it was all about finding the right tyre combination. The weather stayed dry and the time was well spent, rewarding the team with a car that was well sorted and ready for qualifying.
That was reflected in the warm up, with P2.
"The car was really flying" beamed Allan. "We really nailed the setup early, so that took pressure off everyone and we could focus on race speed. Certainly the testing at Paul Ricard and Nogaro helped a great deal, but you really never know until you get to the track and since its our first time here, it's very pleasing to see just how well the car responds to small changes and that Phillip and I can feel how well its all working really quickly. That has got to be good for us as the season progresses and we go to other unfamiliar tracks."
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With qualifying approaching it was a lottery. The weather was changing all the time from wet to dry. Simonsen elected for intermediates and that proved to be the correct choice - he would alternate between P1 and P2 for almost the entire session.
The final minutes of Q saw an almost dry track – add to that some bad traffic and the result was 6th.
None the less, it was good result for a first attempt. Everyone in the team was upbeat.
As the two hour 'endurance' race approached, the weather was equally unsettled as it had been for Q. The tyre choice would be a gamble, but one that would pay off very well...
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Allan recalled his FIA GT3 debut, two years prior, "It was the very first Euro FIA GT3 race ever and I was here in a Ferrari with Hector Lester. We qualified 2nd in dry conditions but Hector got shunted off early at Club and when I got in the car we were in 32nd place. The weather had turned rubbish but we had made the right tyre choice and it paid off. I was four seconds a lap quicker then everyone else and we won the race. It's something I remember well and it's very enjoyable when you play the odds and the result comes your way." |
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At the start, the Gigawave Team made the decision to go with intermediates, whilst the rest of the field went for full wets.
"It was tough on the inters at the start and I dropped back to 11th. But I knew things could change."
After six laps, the track came back towards the Essex-based team.
From lap ten, there was almost equilibrium between wets and inters, but it wasn't long before the pendulum would fall in favour of Simonsen.
By lap 20, the Dane was the fastest man on the track and with many others searching off-line for a wet spot, it was clear the Gigawave team were in a top position. It wasn't long before Karl Wendlinger in the Jet-Alliance DBR9 would pit to change to inters, as their wets were no longer effective on the drying track.
Up front it was a Corvette C6 frieght train (1,2 & 3), but they too would have to pit, letting Simonsen into the lead in his first GT1 race. He would continue in the lead, maintaining the gap back to Fassler, despite his now rather worn inters.
Peter swapped in and returned cautiously on slicks, about 35 seconds behind the leader, Fassler. Slicks were now the go and those that has swapped earlier to inters were feeling their grip going away, just as it has done with the wets. Lap 41 and Peter is back in front and consolidating the lead.
A safety car intervened towards the end, allowing Peter to briefly pit and rejoin in position for the sprint to the end. There was enormous pressure then, from Ryan Sharp in the Jet Alliance car and Bartels in the Maserati MC12. With six minutes to go the pair swamped Peter – his early swap to slicks meant the tyres were now almost gone.
It was superb race with Phillip Peter bringing the fledgling GT1 team home in 3rd.
Natuarally Allan was ecstatic – "This is such a wonderful outcome for everyone at Gigawave. Whilst I have only had limited time with the team, I can see their is so much potential. Everyone is passionate and I can see a bright future with them. It's a nice feeling. Everyone needs congratulating, including my exellent co-driver, Phillip."
The next FIA GT event is round 2 at Monza, Italy on May 16–18. The timing is excellent, because Allan will be there this weekend (April 25-27) for round 2 of the 2008 Le Mans Series. It's another 1000km sportscar event - so any seat time at such a significant track is a huge bonus for him.
Live on-board video from the Gigawave racecar will be available at Monza via www.gt1live.tv
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