GT3 Nogaro - Free Practice Driver Quotes

David Ashburn – No.6 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 Cups S: "Richard set the quickest lap in the afternoon session – he’s the racing driver! The walls make it feel quite claustrophobic, but as a driver you have to compensate for the lack of run-off area. We haven’t got the car set up properly yet, so we may be able to improve. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the whole field racing on this track."

Andrew Shelley – No.7 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S: "I still need to get to grips with the best way to drive in the wet – you have to go off line to find more grip. I enjoyed it this afternoon – the beginning of the lap is quite flowing, more than I thought it would be. The sequence of corners at the beginning of the lap is pretty good, you can throw the car about a bit. We lack straight line speed but we’ve got good brakes and handling, so we should be okay."

Julien Rodrigues – No.9 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9: "The Aston Martin is going very well on this track; the team know the Nogaro circuit, and that helps us a lot. I’m expecting us to go well in qualifying – today was difficult because of the changing weather, and there was lots of traffic, so it wasn’t possible to do a good lap. The walls are close to the track, and with 36 cars in the races, there could be a lot of problems. The first corner here is very difficult, so it will be vital to keep out of trouble."

Gilles Vannelet – No.28 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3: "Practice was good – it’s the first time I’ve driven the Corvette. It’s a nice car, an easy car to drive – but pretty tricky to drive fast!"

Ben Clucas – No.32 APEX Motorsport Jaguar XKR: "Considering that this is our first time here, and we got so little dry running, it went pretty well. The track doesn’t really suit the Jaguar – we’re strong in a straight line, and there’s only one real straight here. We did a good few laps, and the car is still in one piece, which is always good. We were also pretty strong in the wet session."

Mark Thomas – No.39 Mühlner Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S: "Our practice sessions went well, although the changing conditions made it a little difficult to get the car set up. We tried a few things, and we were getting quicker – we would have liked to have more time, but it’s okay. Nogaro is very slippery when it’s wet, and you have to be very cautious because there’s not much run-off."

Jean-François Hemroulle – No.39 Mühlner Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S: "I enjoyed this run in the car – I am already used to it, since I raced with the team in the 24 Hours of Spa, in the G3 class. It’s my first time at Nogaro – it’s a tricky circuit, and it’s difficult to go quick. Compared to Spa, these are sprint races; the quality of drivers is good, and it’s not easy to get near the front."

Joe Macari – No.46 Tech9 Motorsport Lamborghini Gallardo GT3: "I haven’t driven for ten months, I’ve never driven the Lamborghini before, and I’ve never been to Nogaro before, so I’m on a pretty steep learning curve! Still, it’s good fun – I’m getting used to the car. We learned more in the dry session, so we should be able to make some changes for tomorrow to get some more grip. But there’s a big difference in the cars – I thought the Ferrari was quick, and then the Corvette went past even quicker, and finally the Jaguar just shot past! But it’s good to be here."

Maurizio Fabris – No.46 Tech9 Motorsport Lamborghini Gallardo GT3: "For the morning session we had the car set up fairly stiff, so the rain this morning didn’t help – and then, when we softened the car for the afternoon, it was dry, so we didn’t make as much progress as we wanted. When we made the car stiffer it was better for me, but not for Joe – so the mechanics could be busy during our pit stops in the race! Maybe whoever gets the best time in qualifying decides how the car is set up in the race."

-SRO -