Report: Free Practice Quotes, Silverstone 2009

Quotes following Free Practice

Claudia Huertgen (#24 Alpina BMW Alpina B6 GT3):
"It is going Ok, we have some small problems but I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow.  Silverstone is a good track, the last time I raced here was in 1998. The car is brand new, there are some points to change but we can  work to make it better and we are looking forward to a good season. I've had five to six days tetsing in the car but we have a brand new car here, not the test car, so we have little things to change."

Wido Roessler (#36 Zakspeed Racing Viper Competition Coupe):
"This is the first time in this car for, it's brand new.  I know Silverstone and I'm quite happy with the Viper.  I had some laps at the start of the session but I need a few more laps in the car.  Sascha (Bert) is a very quick driver and I'm learning a lot of things from him. It will be very tough this weekend, there are some very quick drivers, and we are still learning."

Sascha Bert (#36 Zakspeed Racing Viper Competition Coupe):
"The Silverstone track is very exciting and is one of the best tracks in the world. I was here with the Saleen in 2006; we finished second but we had abit of bad luck in the last few lap, but this track is one of favourites.  You have to push hard in the fast corners and the track is not easy to drive. The Viper is new to me but this weekend is very open and I hope we can be in the first five positions."

Marcello Zani (#9 Brixia Racing Aston Martin DBRS9):
"Last year was our first ever race in FIA GT3 and we got a podium.  So this is the second year and we have experience here so we will be aiming for another podium.  We have two new drivers here, they are English and are the current British Champions, so they will need to do a good job on their home circuit. We chose Pirelli after we had a private test and we decide that our car and our team can be more competitive.  We also know Pirelli staff very well so we can work together; they can help us and our drivers during the season to set up the car so this relationship is very, very important for us as a team."

Luca Pirri (#17 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette Z06R GT3)
"We’re looking for what we didn’t manage in ’07 and that is the title.  We took second place and won the manufacturers title.  This year is going to be very tough, I don’t think the competition has been as hard as it’s going to be this season, but I’m optimistic for a good result.  We’ll try and score points in every race and we’ll see where we are at the end of the season. I had podiums in ’06 and ’07, I finished second in 2007, so I really like the track.  I think it is one of the best circuits in the championship and I’m really optimistic for my teammate who also likes it here at Silverstone."

James Gornall (#10 Brixia Racing Aston Martin DBRS9)
“This was a very late deal, we got the call on Tuesday; by the end of Wednesday we’d sorted it out and here we are. We’d like to do a full season by at the minute this is just for this weekend.  Jon and I are continuing our successful partnership and hopefully we can keep this going in FIA GT3 this year. We’re getting on extremely well with the team, we met them all this morning.  The FIA GT3 Championship is a step up for us but with the balance of performance testing we will have a competitive car in the Aston Martin and I’m confident that the Pirelli’s are going to go well and may give us an advantage as we are only one of six cars using them.”

2009-05-03
Subscribe:   Subscribe with small images:   Subscribe with medium images: