FIA GT Championship at Silverstone - 7th May 2006
We thought summer had arrived. With temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius during the week leading up to the weekend, the typical English weather chose to deceive us again…
Sunday’s opening round of the FIA GT Championship was poised to be an exciting show for the crowd with an array of Ferraris, Porches, Aston Martins and Team LNT’s Panoz Esperante GTLM among others. The Panoz is usually seen racing in the British GT Championship and the Le Mans Series, but the Sheffield-based team joined the FIA GT grid this weekend 6th and 7th May.
Of the three Panoz cars run by Team LNT, the #57 British GT car was used as #81 and #82 were being prepared for this coming weekend's LMS race at Spa in Belgium.
The Yorkshire squad of LNT Group Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson and Richard Dean shared the driving duties over the weekend with Dean taking the Panoz out on the wet track for qualifying on Saturday.
The sun was shining during the practice sessions so running on the wet Pirelli tyres and getting the right wet setup on the car was going to be tough on the new-for-2006 Panoz. Rain had poured down most of Saturday and even though it had eased off by the time qualifying began; there was standing water in places on the track. Indeed, Dean struggled for grip throughout the 20 minute qualifying session and gained 9th place for the start of the race out of the 17 GT2 cars.
Sunday’s weather wasn’t much better. Rain fell yet again, so still equipped with a set of wet tyres, Dean started the three hour race and very nearly had his race cut short by an accident ahead of him. The two GT1 cars of Robert Lechner came together with his team mate Karl Wendlinger so the following pack precariously made their way through the spinning Aston Martin DBR9s.
The sunshine began breaking through the clouds and started drying out the track. The clouds dissipated and it looked as though the remaining race would by dry! Dean came into the pits after 35 minutes out on track for slicks – a dry line now evident on the circuit and the wets being seemingly unnecessary. As were the umbrellas in the 15 000 strong crowd.
Lap times on the new rubber improved on the steady pace previously set and running in 7th place at the turn of the first hour. Scuderia Ecosse had already lost both of their cars with Kirkaldy retiring the #62 Ferrari 430 after 8 laps and Mullen suffering a broken water pipe after 55 minutes. 70 minutes of the race passed and it was then Sugden in his Ferrari 430 to suffer similar problems. He managed to rejoin after a repair, albeit now well down the field, while Dean continued to put in the laps until 1hr 40 into the race.
Tomlinson climbed aboard the Orange 550bhp American machine with new rubber on the wheels and left the pits for the remainder of the race. Team LNT’s entry now running in 6th position at the two-hour mark with 1 hour to go.
Lap-by-lap, Tomlinson fought with traffic, fought with the track (there were still some slippery spots from the rain and some oil was down in places) and was bringing the car home in sixth place until Busnelli stopped on track on the final lap in his Porsche 996. So the Panoz passed the chequered flag in 5th place in its GT2 class. Reliability of the Panoz proving the team well.
“The Panoz is still new for us and we came here to put some more miles on the car and try some new parts ready for Spa” said Dean. “We didn’t come here expecting to win, but as part of our development program, we’re leaving here encouraged by the fifth place and have learned a lot.
“It’s a great start to the season. Each round of every race we have done we have finished in the top 6.”
“Fifth place is very encouraging” added Tomlinson only 3 weeks after barrel-rolling a Ginetta at Oulton Park. “Look at the number of cars in GT2 and the quality of the grid. Some of best drivers in world have been here this weekend and some of the best GT2 teams in world.
“We have shown that we can be there with the best in the world.”
The Team truck and hospitality bus leaves for Spa in Belgium today (Monday) for the next LMS round and then to Donington Park for round two of the British GT championship.
Highlights of the FIA GT race at Silverstone can be seen on television at the following times:
May 10th 01:00 Motors TV 52' Highlight
May 10th 22:00 Motors TV 52' Highlight
May 13th 07.30 Channel 4 26' Highlight
May 13th 19:00 Bravo 52' Highlight
May 15th 20:00 Channel 5 Fifth Gear 14' Highlight
May 16th 00:00 Channel 5 GT3 & GT 14' Highlight
May 16th 00:00 Player 52' Highlight
May 17th 01:00 Channel 4 26’ repeat
May 17th 01:00 Channel 5 GT3 & GT 14' Highlight
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