ProSpeed Competition going for a repeat performance in the home race

With a mere two weeks following on from the race at Nogaro, the eighth round of the FIA GT Championship, the last European FIA GT-meeting of the season is already on the agenda. The FIA GT will be guests at Circuit Zolder on 18th and 19th October, only a few miles from ProSpeed Competition’s workshops.

After an impressive victory clinched by Alex Davison and Richard Westbrook in Nogaro, ProSpeed Competition are now aiming at a second consecutive win, but notwithstanding that the team’s second Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, in function of the battle for the second place in the championship, are definitely going for a podium.

Drivers on call are Richard Westbrook and Emmanuel Collard for the Porsche bearing race number 61 and Marc Lieb and team mate Markus Palttala in the 911 RSR with start number 60.

‘Manu’ Collard is back at the wheel of car number 61. During the meeting at Nogaro the Frenchman was retained by Penske in the American Le Mans Series, where he finished third in the LMP2-class of this classic Petit Le Mans at the wheel of a Porsche Spyder RS. As such Collard was not available for his home race.

"That’s correct", the Frenchman added. "I was aware of this right from the start of the season, and it’s always a great pity to miss out on your home race. All the more seeing that every driver enjoys winning in front of a home crowd, that’s obvious. But our intention is to bring a sequel to this in Zolder, even though it won’t be a foregone conclusion.

We drove to victory in Nogaro with 47,5 kilos of ballast and on such a repetitive track this is undoubtedly a handicap. However our assignment is clear cut; to score as many points as possible to finish second in the championship. The team fully deserves this place, especially when I see how well ProSpeed Competition has evolved.

When it comes to the pit stops we are now on a par with the competition and this in less than half a season. For a young upcoming team this is really great. Everyone has worked really hard this season, notwithstanding the strange conditions experienced at the beginning of the year, just to mention Adria, Silverstone and Monza, not always comforting for the morale. But we’re looking to the future and we’re fully motivated to take on this weekend!"

For this race regular driver Mikael Forsten will not be behind the wheel of the power beast with start number 60 "This coming weekend Mikael will be competing in a Grand Prix..." his team mate Markus Palttala tells us. "Mikael is a world top contender in jumping and obviously for his home race, namely the GP of Helsinki, he could hardly not be present. As a replacement the team recruited Marc Lieb, a driver who hardly needs any introduction."

Markus Palttala looks back on a difficult season. "Indeed. I’m not truly happy with the results up until now; it would be great to keep bad luck away this time around. Just think about that chunk of rubber which brought our race in Nogaro to an early retirement. I haven’t had an easy year that’s for sure. This week I made a quick calculation of where we might now be had it not been for our misfortunes...

Well in fact with those additional points the team would now have been well on the way to a second place in the championship. But I want to shrug off this bad luck in Zolder and together with Marc Lieb finish as high as possible to score those badly needed points for the team. In a way Zolder is my home circuit making a strong result even more important for me."

09.05 – 10.25 FIA GT Championship Free Practice 80’

13.05 – 14.25 FIA GT Championship Pre Qualifying 80’

17.15 – 17.50 FIA GT Championship Qualifying Practice 15/5/15

10.05 – 10.35 FIA GT Championship Warm Up 30’

12.40 FIA GT Championship Pit lane open

13.15 – 15.15 FIA GT Championship Race 2h

Drivers
1. Vilander/Bruni 75
2. Malucelli/Ruberti 49,5
3. Westbrook 46
...
5. Collard 36
17.Forsten/Palttala 8,5

Teams
1. AF Corse 114
2. BMS 63
3. CR 56
4. ProSpeed Competition 54,5

1. Vilander/Bruni AF Corse Ferrari F430
2. Bell/Kirkaldy CR Ferrari F430
3. Ruberti/Malucelli BMS Ferrari F430
6. Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DSQ)
7. Palttala/Forsten ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

R2 Monza (Ita)
1. Westbrook/Collard ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS (Pole-Position)
2. Vilander/Bruni AF Corse Ferrari F430
3. Montanari/Biagi AF Corse Ferrari F430
...
11. Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS

1. Vilander/Bruni AF Corse Ferrari F430
2. Montanari/Biagi AF Corse Ferrari F430
3. Malucelli/Ruberti BMS Ferrari F430
…
5. Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS (DSQ)
11. Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS (DSQ)

1. Vilander/Bruni AF Corse Ferrari F430
2. Montanari/Biagi AF Corse Ferrari F430
3. Kirkaldy/Bell CR Ferrari F430
4. Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS
...
9. Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS

1. Malucelli/Ruberti/Camathias/Rigon BMS Ferrari F430
2. Collard/Westbrook/Lieb ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS
3. Bruni/Vilander/Melo/Salo AF Corse Ferrari F430
...
Forsten/Palttala/Horion/Henzler ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DNF)

1. Kirkaldy/Bell CR Ferrari F430
2. Bruni/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari F430
3. Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
...
Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DNF)

1. Kirkaldy/Bell CR Ferrari F430
2. Bruni/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari F430
3. Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
...
Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DNS)

1. Vilander/Bruni AF Corse Ferrari F430
2. Janak/Bergmeister Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
3. Malucelli/Ruberti BMS Ferrari F430
...
5. Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
Collard/Westbrook ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DNF)

R8 Nogaro (Fr):

1. Westbrook/Davison ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RS (Pole-position)
2. Mullen/Piccini CR Ferrari F430
3. Bruni/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari F430
...
Forsten/Palttala ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (DNF)

JF Van Laere- also photos