GT3 Driver quotes after race 1 in Nogaro

Thomas Accary – No.8 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9, 1st: "I’m very happy to win this race – this is my first win in the GT3 Championship. It’s good for our position in the championship, for the team, for Pierre-Brice and me. I had a little pressure from behind – also it was very hot, and it was difficult to maintain concentration during my long stint."

Pierre-Brice Mena – No.8 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9, 1st: "I actually think the car was better at Brno than it is here! We seem to be not so good over the bumps here. But Thomas did a good job, which made it fairly easy for me, because I took over the car in the lead. The car is definitely stronger than it was at the beginning of the year."

Luca Pirri – No.19 Matech GT Racing Ford GT, 2nd: "We have gone better this weekend – nobody hit me from behind! We had a little bit of luck when the No.1 Corvette had problems, which gave us second position – we hope to go one better tomorrow."

Jürgen von Gartzen – No.19 Matech GT Racing Ford GT, 2nd: "This is a good result; the car was a bit difficult, we have had oversteer all weekend. When I was behind Ruffier he lost a lot of oil, so I had to drop back and couldn’t push so hard. Luca did a really good stint, holding off pressure from behind – I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race."

Michael Petit – No.13 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT3, 3rd: "This is my first podium finish in an international series. The car is not easy to drive – it oversteers a lot. Dino did a very good job, and I’m very happy."

Dino Lunardi – No.13 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT3, 3rd: "I’m really pleased, because I got this result with a new car and a new team. It has been pretty difficult, especially because the car isn’t easy to drive. The end of the race was tough, but I managed to pass the No.21 Ford GT with only a lap to go. I’m very happy for my new team, and this is my second podium in the GT3 series – it’s marvellous! I’m sorry that the partnership with Gilles has ended, because he was a good friend – maybe now this will make us enemies!"

Gilles Vannelet – No.28 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3, 6th: "That was a good race – the Corvette is a good car. I think I could have gone faster in the beginning, but I wanted to respect Peyroles ahead of me, because of his position in the Championship. But I prefer to stay behind and stay safe than to hit him and take him out of the race. Tomorrow will be better, I hope."

Gael Lesoudier – No.29 AutoGT Racing Morgan Aero 8 GT3, 13th: "I started ninth on the grid, and managed to overtake two cars at the start – but after a few laps I started having brake problems. I tried changing the brake balance, but I couldn’t find a good balance, and then it was time to hand over to Johan-Boris. He overtook several cars, so it was a good race for us – but hopefully tomorrow will be even better, because we will start from higher up the grid." [Note: Gael’s comments were made before the stewards had handed them a 32-second penalty for race 1, and a five-place grid penalty for race 2, for not taking a stop-go penalty during the race.]

Phil Quaife – No.33 APEX Motorsport Jaguar XKR, 19th: "The Jaguar is good at gaining time down the long straight, but most of the corners here are first and second gear, and we lose a lot of time in those. The good news is that we’ve made a good step forward this weekend, kept it in one piece and had a fairly good race. Dubai will definitely suit us better, because of the long straights and faster corners."

Ian Khan – No.20 Matech GT Racing Ford GT, 26th: "I was pushed off. The guy had tried to overtake me into the double-right at the end of the lap, but locked up and slid past; the second time it was a half-hearted attempt, and he pushed me off. We were in a good position today – it’s really galling when this kind of thing happens."

James Ruffier – No.1 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3, 27th: "We don’t know what the problem was yet – I think it may have been the differential. I was playing it safe, not pushing hard, but I was still catching the Aston Martin in front of me – so I thought it was worth trying to take the win. Suddenly there was smoke in the car – I was struggling to breath; then there was an alarm, and the engine died."

- Jacquie Groom -