The Grid

CRS’ 2008 FIA GT Championship campaign came to a close on Sunday 23 November with a fourth place finish for Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell and ninth for Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen.

The race took place in San Luis, Argentina, at a brand new race track; a track that immediately got the thumbs up from all the CRS drivers, not least for its magnificent location. Tim Mullen qualified the no.55 CRS Ferrari for the race and Andrew Kirkaldy followed up in fifth in no.56 after getting a fly in his eye on his out lap!

Both Mullen and Kirkaldy got away well at the start of the two-hour race but, as has happened too many times now, the no.56 Ferrari was tipped into a spin at the first corner leaving Andrew with a lot to do from the back of the field.

As Kirkaldy began the fight back, Mullen was up in second place but as the minutes ticked by he began to mysteriously lose positions until he was right back in eighth place. He clearly had a problem and as soon as he had completed the minimum time in the car he pitted to hand over to Chris Niarchos and allow the team to make the necessary repairs.

“The throttle cable came loose,” explained Niarchos after his run. “This left us with about 50% power during Tim’s stint. We fixed it but it became a bit academic after that as we were three laps down and at that pace you just have to stay out of everyone’s way and end up picking up all sorts of rubbish on your tyres.”

Rob Bell jumped into the no.56 Ferrari for the middle stint of the race to continue the comeback drive. He soon passed Biagi for fifth, then Ruberti for fourth, and Forsten for third, before finding himself in the middle of a three-car battle for second place. It was Bell who broke ranks first, pitting to hand back over to Kirkaldy for the final stint, closely followed by Ruberti who had also become frustrated by the traffic.

The closing stages of the race saw Mullen make his way up to ninth and Kirkaldy running in third on the last lap, preparing to take the last podium spot of the race. Unfortunately the driver of the no.60 Porsche had other ideas and fired Andrew off on the very last lap, leaving him to recover as best he could and take fourth at the finish.

“Yet again we were quick enough but we still seem to have that big target painted on the rear of our car,” said Kirkaldy. “That is four times in four races now but what can you do? I was very surprised when the Porsche hit me at the end. I turned in and ‘bang’ he hit me.”

That’s the end of the 2008 season for the CRS team and what a year it has been: Championship wins in British GT and Formula Renault topped off with race wins in FIA GT have combined to make 2008 one hell of a debut season!

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell have done it again and taken victory in Bucharest, finishing off one of the best weekends yet for the CR Scuderia team. Taking both wins of the Bucharest meeting has got the team off and running in the chase for the runner up spot in the FIA GT Championship. The sister CRS Ferrari of Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen retired half way through with steering problems after a gentle brush with the wall, a timely reminder of how hard it is to race on street circuits.

Rob Bell started the race from pole position in the no.56 Ferrari and by the end of lap one when everyone had settled down he was in third place behind Vilander’s Ferrari and Westbrook’s Porsche. Bell brought the car in for Kirkaldy in third place just after the halfway mark of the race. A fantastic pit stop by the CRS mechanics got the Ferrari out in front of the Porsche and Kirkaldy was in second place, ready to hunt down race leader, Gimmi Bruni, hoping for a repeat of yesterday’s race

“Yesterday I was awake and I started the race from second and took the lead at the first corner,” said Bell. “Today I think I was asleep as I started from pole but ended up third! After that I settled down and stayed behind the Porsche. All credit to the guys in the pits as their brilliant stop got us out ahead of the Porsche and Andrew just had Bruni to contend with. We practiced the pit stops this morning and it has paid dividends. I didn’t think it could get any hotter than yesterday’s race but it was!”

With less than three minutes to go Kirkaldy had done it again and passed Bruni for the lead. As he crossed the line the entire team were on the pit wall ready to greet the winner. CRS is now on a roll with five wins from the last five races: the last two Formula Renault races, the British GT race at Silverstone and two FIA GT races in Bucharest.

“So much has gone into us getting to this point,” said Kirkaldy, who is a director of the team as well as one of the drivers. “It’s not just this FIA team but the British GT team and the Renault team, so it is great for the guys that we are now getting results in FIA GT. It was very hard out there today, even harder than yesterday because of the heat but it was all worth it in the end.”

“This has been a dream weekend for us,” said Team Principal, Chris Niarchos. “It’s a shame we had the issues with no.55 as my pace today was so much faster than yesterday. At the end of the day we are here as a team so to take two wins out of the weekend is fantastic as we are now right back in the team’s championship race.”

FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 6 (Part 2) – Bucharest, Romania – 24 August 2008

GT2 RACE RESULT
1. Bell/Kirkaldy – CR Scuderia
2. Vilander/Bruni – AF Corse
3. Collard Westbrook – Prospeed Competition
4. Davies/Babini – Scuderia Ecosse
5. Ruberti/Malucelli – BMS Scuderia Italia
DNF Niarchos/Mullen – CR Scuderia

WINNERS!

Who says it’s hard to overtake on a street circuit? With 14 minutes left of today’s FIA GT race at Bucharest, Andrew Kirkaldy overtook Jamie Davies for the lead and took the no.56 CRS Ferrari all the way to the chequered flag, taking the team’s first ever FIA GT victory. Tim Mullen brought the sister Ferrari home in sixth place, bagging further points for the team as it fights for runner up spot in the 2008 Championship.

Kirkaldy had qualified the no.56 car in second place but it was Rob Bell who took the start, making a move on Vilander in the AF Corse Ferrari and taking the lead into the first corner. Rob kept a cool head in the soaring temperatures, bringing the car into the pits from the lead after 25 minutes to hand over to Kirkaldy. Chris Niarchos took the start from ninth in the no.55 car and held position throughout his stint. When he handed over to Tim Mullen he was in eighth place.

“I managed to pass Vilander at the start and after that I concentrated on going forward and not looking in the mirrors,” said Bell. “We knew that the GT1 cars wouldn’t catch us during my stint so I could just get on with it and bring it in for Andrew in the lead.”

After all the GT2 cars had pitted the team realised quickly that the lead had gone to Jamie Davies in the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari, followed by Gimmi Bruni in the AF Corse car, and then Kirkaldy who had a lot of work ahead of him.

With 18 minutes to go Andrew passed Bruni and set off after Davies and the race lead. The rest is history, Andrew went on to take the team’s first win and was greeted by a very happy group of mechanics and engineers at parc ferme.

“That was fantastic!” said Kirkaldy. “Every single member of the team has put in so much work and to do it here, at the hardest track of the year, is amazing. Rob did a mega job and I’m delighted we finally got our first win.”

There’s more to come tomorrow with race two taking place at 1415hrs. The grid positions for tomorrow are set by today’s race result so the no.56 Ferrari starts from pole position!

Team Principal, Chris Niarchos, has seen his team win in British GT and Formula Renault and now he is celebrating the first international GT win.

“What a fantastic result. We always knew that FIA GT was going to be the hardest series for us to win in so to take that win here is a great feeling for the whole team. I’d really like to thank all the guys for doing such a fantastic job. It has been a long road from when we started late last year and this is a major milestone for the team. Let’s hope for more of the same tomorrow.”

FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 6 – Bucharest, Romania – 23 August 2008

GT2 RACE RESULT
1. Bell/Kirkaldy – CR Scuderia
2. Vilander/Bruni – AF Corse
3. Collard Westbrook – Prospeed Competition
4. Ruberti/Malucelli – BMS Scuderia Italia
5. Montanari/Biagi – AF Corse
6. Niarchos/Mullen – CR Scuderia

1-2 AT BRANDS HATCH

Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin took victory today in round 12 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Brands Hatch. Luke Hines and Jeremy Metcalfe joined them up on the podium in third place, and were later promoted to second. Michael Meadows and James Sutton drove a great race but Michael was taken off by Nick Foster in the RPM Viper, whilst running strongly in second place with just seven minutes of the race remaining. The Viper finished in second place on the road but later received a one minute penalty for Foster’s actions, demoting him and his team-mate to sixth place.

All three CRS Ferraris got away well at the start, running in eighth (Sutton), 11th (Cullen) and 12th (Hines). Michael Cullen then passed the Viper ahead of him which was just the beginning of the Irishman’s astounding run through the field. After taking the Viper he moved ahead of James Sutton, then a few laps later he passed Kershaw’s Aston Martin for eighth place, then the no.11 Lamborghini and then the Ferrari of Adam Wilcox, before cruising away in fifth place.

When the pit window opened Sutton dived into the pits, shortly followed by Cullen and a few minutes later Hines also came in, the team taking the opportunity to do a super-fast brake balance change on the no.16 Ferrari. When the window closed the CRS Ferraris were in third, fourth and seventh places with Shovlin, leading Meadows and Metcalfe. The safety car then came out as an Aston Martin had gone off at Dingle Dell and it wasn’t until 14 minutes before the chequered flag that the race got back underway.

At the restart Shovlin breezed past Jenkinson in the 22GT Aston Martin at Graham Hill Bend, followed by Meadows, putting those two Ferrari’s into second and third, whilst Metcalfe also started moving up the order. A lap later the leading Viper had a puncture so Shovlin took the lead. With nine minutes to go the CRS Ferraris were running in a 1-2-4 formation but just two laps later Nick Foster took a dive at Meadows going into Paddock Hill Bend and took him out of the race.

There was no stopping Shovlin though and he cruised to his third win of the season. As he drove back through the pits he collected his team-mate, or rather Michael climbed onto the roof of the no.15 Ferrari, and continued the cruise along the pit-lane, all the way to the podium!

There are two more rounds to go in the 2008 British GT Championship; Silverstone on 17 August and the season finale at Donington Park on 12 October, both two-hour races, and the CRS team can’t wait.

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.15: Michael Cullen & Paddy Shovlin
PADDY SHOVLIN: “It has taken us a long time to get another win but we got there today. It was tough holding off the Viper at the end but there was no way I was letting him get past. We’ve had three wins now and that was definitely the sweetest; especially as the last time I raced here I crashed twice! We’re really looking forward to the two-hour events now.”

MICHAEL CULLEN: “The car was just fantastic today; I definitely had the best car on the grid. I managed to pass four or five cars going into Graham Hill Bend (not all on the same lap!) and then came in early so that Paddy could pick off the rest of them. Paddy was under huge pressure from the Viper at the end but he did a great job. I’m really really pleased as I felt I messed up yesterday so this is a great way to round off the weekend.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.16: Luke Hines & Jeremy Metcalfe
LUKE HINES: “We’ve had a bit of a frustrating weekend. The car was great in testing but we’ve been struggling with the rear brakes since qualifying yesterday. That said it’s good to get third and the team stays in the lead of the championship which is great as the guys have all worked incredibly hard lately. I think the last two tracks will suit us so we should enjoy the rest of the season.”

JEREMY METCALFE: “We have had a mystery problem with the car which has hampered us a bit this weekend. It is good to end up on the podium though. I guess it doesn’t always go your way buy I’m looking forward to going for a win at the last two races.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.14: James Sutton & Michael Meadows
MICHAEL MEADOWS: “Paddy and I were going well after the restart and had managed to pass a Viper and an Aston. Unfortunately Foster (in his Viper) tried to brake were a Ferrari would brake for Paddock Hill Bend and fired me off into the gravel. We had a definite second place in the bag, maybe even a win, although I can imagine it wouldn’t be easy to get past Paddy!”

JAMES SUTTON: “I think I can only describe that as a character-building weekend. I think it’s about time Michael and I had some of the luck though!”

BRITISH GT – Round 12 – Brands Hatch – 13 July 2008
CRS RESULTS:
1st - #15 – Cullen/Shovlin
3rd - #16 – Hines/Metcalfe
DNF - #14 – Sutton/Meadows

Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell took an FIA GT podium finish at Oschersleben in Germany on Sunday. Their CR Scuderia team-mates, Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen, showed great pace throughout the two-hour race but finished 11th after trouble in the pits.

Mullen and Bell both got away well at the start and maintained their third and fifth place grid positions. As the race got going Mullen was pitched into a bumper-to-bumper battle with the AF Corse Ferrari of Montanari, whilst Bell set off after Richard Westbrook’s Porsche. Rob passed the Porsche and moved up to fourth just before Mullen pitted to hand over to Chris Niarchos.

The drama began when the no.55 Ferrari wouldn’t start so Niarchos had to be push-started in the pitlane. Unfortunately as well as losing time in the stop the car would also incur a drive through penalty as push starting isn’t allowed. The team had to do it, even though they knew there would be a penalty, as it was the only way to start the car. Once Niarchos was on track though he drove a great stint and stayed out for almost an hour before handing back over to Mullen.

“The car was awesome today,” said Tim. “It’s a shame we had the starting problems as we were really quick and on for a good result. I was all over Montanari at the start but I just couldn’t find a way through. I didn’t want to risk a big lunge so I played safe. All in all it would good to have the pace and hopefully we’ll get a great result at Spa.”

In the meantime Rob Bell was still flying and handed over to Andrew Kirkaldy in third place. Kirkaldy had a trouble-free run which he was pleased about as he had a tough time yesterday. During the pre-qualifying session he had an ‘off’ which heavily damaged the no.56 Ferrari. The team worked flat out to fix the car in time for qualifying and all was well until Andrew struck a kerb and damaged the water radiator during the qualifying session itself. Unfortunately that particular kerb was damaged earlier in the day and the repairs had built it up higher than before. Andrew wasn’t the only driver to clobber it!

“It was a fairly straightforward race for me,” commented Kirkaldy. “We chose the harder tyres due to the accident in qualifying (you have to nominate your tyre choice before qualifying); we weren’t sure we would be ready to qualify so, knowing we may have to start at the back, we chose the harder tyre. This meant we were a little slow in the middle stint. The safety car didn’t really help us either but after Adria I think this is a great result and now I’m really looking forward to Spa.”

With almost thirty minutes of the race remaining the safety car came out so Kirklady pitted and handed back over to Bell. When the safety car came in with 20 minutes remaining on the clock Bell found himself in third place and in a bit of a Ferrari sandwich. Although he was racing with Montanari for second place he couldn’t get to the AF Corse Ferrari as another AF Corse Ferrari was between them. With no blue flags shown to the lapped Ferrari Rob was unable to attack for second place and had to settle for third at the flag.

“This has been a tough weekend in many ways and it is a real testament to the guys that we got a podium finish,” said Bell. “I don’t want to labour the point but there were no blue flags shown after the safety car went in. You had the first, second and third placed GT2 cars all within a few metres of each other but with lapped cars in between them.”

“This is a brilliant result for the team,” said Niarchos. “I think we got rid of a few cobwebs and demons today. Rob and Andrew got a well-deserved third place, Tim set the fastest GT2 lap and my middle stint was the best I have driven for a couple of years. I think this is a great platform to take us into Spa. We are going straight there now for the test on Tuesday and are all greatly looking forward to the 24 hour race in a few week’s time.”

FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 4 – Oschersleben, Germany – 6 July 2008

GT2 RACE RESULT
1. Vilander/Bruni – AF Corse
2. Montanari/Biagi – AF Corse
3. Bell/Kirkaldy – CR Scuderia
4. Collard Westbrook – Prospeed Competition
5. Rigon/Camathias - BMS Scuderia Italia
6. Russo/Del Monte – Kessel Racing

11. Niarchos/Mullen – CR Scuderia

Top Ferrari British GT Snetterton

The 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Championship finally got to race under sunny skies at Snetterton today and CRS drivers, James Sutton and Mike Meadows, took the honours of top Ferrari with a third place finish.

Race one, run in wet conditions on Saturday, produced a podium finish for Jeremy Metcalfe and Luke Hines who led the race before having to concede to a rapid Viper and even more rapid Ford GT.

The Ford GT was to feature heavily in race two, taking a dominant win.

All three CR Scuderia Ferraris got away well at the start of race two; James Sutton and Michael Cullen holding onto fourth and 10th places respectively and Luke Hines moving smoothly up to sixth from his eighth place grid slot. After just ten minutes of racing the safety car came out while some debris was removed from the circuit so the pace was slowed for the next five laps. Once the race was back on Michael Cullen was struggling to hold off the Vipers as they are so fast on the straight. He was the first CRS driver to pit and handed over to Marco Mapelli. He was soon followed by Luke Hines, who handed over to Jeremy Metcalfe, albeit in 15th place after tangling with Adam Wilcox’s Ferrari at the last chicane. James Sutton was right behind him, handing over Ferrari no.14 in fourth place to Mike Meadows.

Once all the pit stops were complete the CRS Ferraris were all in separate, fierce battles for position. With just ten minutes remaining, Mike was chasing Hector Lester’s Ferrari and duly passed him for third place. Jeremy was locked into battle with a Viper, eventually passing it for seventh with two minutes to go. Marco meanwhile was getting up close and personal with Leo Machitski, passing the Lamborghini, and then breezing past Hector Lester for another place, moving right up to fourth by the time the chequered flag fell.

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.14: James Sutton & Michael Meadows
JAMES SUTTON: “The start went smoothly today and I held onto fourth place. My job was to stay as close to the leaders as possible and hand the car over to Mike in a good condition. We’re joint third in the championship now and we need to hang in there as we are yet to visit the tracks that really suit the Ferrari.”

MICHAEL MEADOWS: “That was pretty hard work today. I was pleased that I managed to get past Machitski, Lester and Johnson despite the heat. I managed to knock the window shut when I took over from James and didn’t realise so it was very hot in there! It’s important for us to stay in the title fight so we need to keep taking the points that we can before we move to our stronger tracks. It’s good to be the best of the Ferraris.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.16: Luke Hines & Jeremy Metcalfe
LUKE HINES: “The start went really well and I was able to make up some positions early on. Wilcox was holding me up by five or six tenths a lap so I went to pass him at the last corner. Unfortunately he moved over to avoid a GT4 car and we collided which made us both spin. This left Jeremy with a lot to do but we took a podium yesterday so we take some points away from the weekend.”

JEREMY METCALFE: “The car felt really good today and we were able to put in some very fast lap times. It’s a shame that Luke had the spin as that ruined our race really. I also got stuck behind a Viper for a long time which didn’t help but we’re pleased we got the posium finish yesterday and will keep pushing until we come to the tracks where we will be stronger.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.15: Michael Cullen & Marco Mapelli
MICHAEL CULLEN: “I got hit by Anthony Reid at the first corner which knocked my steering out a bit and then I just couldn’t keep the Vipers behind me on the straight. I stayed close enough to the pack to give Marco the best possible chance after the changeover. Marco did a great job, I was very happy with his performance.”

MARCO MAPELLI: “I made a small mistake at the second to last corner on my out lap but it was okay and I was able to go very quickly. I passed a couple of cars and then squeezed past the Lamborghini when he made a mistake right at the end. After that there was a very slow Ferrari (Lester) that I passed too.”

The CR Scuderia Team has a weekend off now before heading to Italy for the next round of the FIA GT Championship at Adria on 21 June.

BRITISH GT – Round 7 – Snetterton – 7 June 2008
CRS RESULTS:
3rd - #16 – Hines/Metcalfe
6th - #14 – Sutton/Meadows
11th - #15 – Cullen/Mapelli

BRITISH GT – Round 8 – Snetterton – 8 June 2008
CRS RESULTS:
3rd - #14 – Sutton/Meadows
4th - #15 – Cullen/Mapelli
7th - #16 – Hines/Metcalfe

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR SUTTON & MEADOWS

James Sutton and Michael Meadows made the best of the damp conditions at Rockingham at the weekend and finished in third place, securing their second podium finish of the weekend. Luke Hines and Jeremy Metcalfe collected more Championship points with a sixth place finish and Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin finished in 16th after an early race tyre gamble didn’t pay off.

The rain held off during the morning at Rockingham but began to fall quite heavily just as the race got underway. Michael Cullen came in after a few laps to change to wet tyres, hoping that the rain would continue. Unfortunately it didn’t and the Irishman was left to struggle on the wrong tyres for the conditions. James meanwhile was running strongly in fourth and Luke had moved up to 12th.

As soon as the pit window opened, after 23 minutes of racing, Michael dived into the pits to hand the no.15 Ferrari over to Paddy, who rejoined the race on slick tyres. A few minutes later Luke handed no.16 over to Jeremy and James pitted in no.14 so that Michael Meadows could join the race.

With just 15 minutes to go the battle of the B drivers was well underway. Michael had made a pass and moved up to fifth before also passing Peter Bamford’s Ferrari for fourth place. Jeremy was up to ninth and Paddy was 20th, putting in some great lap times but running out of race time to climb further up the standings. Whilst Michael set off after Hector Lester in third place, Jeremy moved up to seventh and then the safety car appeared on track with just nine minutes of racing left to go. The leading Lamborghini helpfully spun off so Michael was up to P3 just as the chequered flag fell, five minutes short of the hour.

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.14: James Sutton & Michael Meadows
JAMES SUTTON: “It was quite difficult out there today; I think I prefer it when it’s boring, like yesterday’s race. I thought I might come off a few times but we got there in the end and I’m really pleased to take two trophies home this weekend.”

MICHAEL MEADOWS: “The car felt okay when I joined the race and I was able to pass a couple of cars for position. When the safety car came out everyone was weaving a lot to keep the heat in their tyres but it was really slippery and I didn’t want to be the first to fall off so I didn’t join in the weaving. We struggled here in testing and were average in qualifying so it’s great to do a lot better in the races and get two podium finishes.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.16: Luke Hines & Jeremy Metcalfe
JEREMY METCALFE: “When Luke handed over to me the circuit was pretty damp and it stayed that way for three or four laps, making it pretty difficult to stay on the track. As it dried I managed to pass a Ferrari then I had a big gap to close up to the next car, which I caught and passed. It started raining again after that though and then the safety car came out. We would have benefited from the race going to full time but they stopped it a few minutes short. We took some points though for sixth so we’re not disappointed.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.15: Michael Cullen & Paddy Shovlin
MICHAEL CULLEN: “B******s!”

BRITISH GT – Round 6 – Rockingham – 26 May 2008
CRS RESULTS:
3rd - #14 – Sutton/Meadows
6th - #16 – Hines/Metcalfe
17th - #15 – Cullen/Shovlin

ITALIAN LESSONS

Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell finished today’s FIA GT race at Monza in seventh position, followed home by Tim Mullen and Tim Sugden in eighth, in what turned out to be a tricky race at the famous Italian track. The weather has been very wet at Monza all weekend and more rain was forecast for this afternoon’s race.

The team ran higher levels of downforce to allow for the wet weather conditions but unfortunately the rain held off during the race and both CRS Ferraris struggled for the straight line speed which is so vital at Monza.

Andrew Kirkaldy explains: “We didn’t get it right today but we’re a new team and we know it takes time to get everything right at such a high level of racing. We need to go away and look at where we went wrong and I’m confident we will turn things around.”

The CRS team heads straight back to the UK tonight as the busy race schedule continues with the next two rounds of the British GT Championship at Rockingham next weekend.

FIA GT – Round 2 – Monza, Italy – 18 May 2008
GT2 RACE RESULT
1. Collard Westbrook – Prospeed Competition
2. Vilander/Bruni – AF Corse
3. Montanari/Biagi – AF Corse
4. Babini/Davies – Scuderia Ecosse
5. Ruberti/Malucelli – BMS Scuderia Italia
6. Rigon/Camathias - BMS Scuderia Italia
7. Bell/Kirkaldy – CR Scuderia

Andrew Kirkaldy took over from Rob just before the half way mark and found himself all alone on the track.

“When I joined the race it felt more like a test day as there were no cars anywhere near me for a while,” he said. “I think AF Corse had an advantage over us today as we didn’t make the right tyre choice at the start. We’re here to win but second place is a great start and we can build on that and make improvements before Monza.”

Chris Niarchos started the race in no.55 and fought his way up to ninth after slipping back with a spin at Copse on lap one. After a fine drive by the CRS boss, Tim Mullen went out and finished the job, taking a solid fifth place finish for the team.

“As a team our expectations are very high,” said Chris. “I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t win after taking pole position but when I reflect on what we’ve done as a new team, in tricky conditions, against a competitive field, I am delighted. We go away from Silverstone full of confidence for the season ahead. Sure, we made a few mistakes, but we can correct those and move onwards and upwards. I am very proud of every single member of this team.”

The CR Scuderia team leaves Knockhill tonight with a healthy lead in the 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Championship, and with Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin riding high in the driver's championship. The team had a tough race today so yesterday's win remains the highlight of CR Scuderia's GT weekend.

Today's race turned into quite a battle for the CRS drivers. James and Michael's race in Ferrari no.14 was going well with James running strongly in third during his stint. Meadows took over and was fighting for second place with just 10 minutes to go before his race ended in the barriers after an altercation with an Aston Martin, a matter currently under investigation. Luke brought no.16 into the pits in sixth place with the rear diffuser hanging off after being hit. The team made fast repairs and sent Jeremy out for his run but his efforts too were ended by another competitor which is also under investigation!

Michael Cullen started the race from the back of the grid and had to battle with a Lamborghini during the first half of the race. Paddy Shovlin took over and continued the fight all the way up to fifth, earning the Irish drivers another haul of points and an increased championship lead.

PADDY SHOVLIN: "The race was all about consistency today. Everyone gets too involved here and, like yesterday, the best way was to keep it together and not join in with all the games. Michael and I drove within our limits and got another good result. To leave the second event still leading the championship is great!"

LUKE HINES: "I had my mirrors full of an Ascari during my stint so I made sure I kept him behind me. I got hit quite a few times and eventually had to pit as the rear diffuser was hanging off. We were unlucky today but that's racing. It was more like touring car racing than GT racing which is great for the spectators but pretty expensive for the teams. We're still pleased though as we got our first win yesterday."

JEREMY METCALFE: "The damage we took to the rear of the car cost us a bit of time but we worked our way up to eighth and were going well when Bamford turned in on me and that was it, game over. The team did everything they could and so did Luke and I but sometimes, whatever you do, it just doesn't go your way."

JAMES SUTTON: "Overall I've not had the best of times at Knockhill. We did everything right but it wasn't our weekend. I was running steady in third in the first part of today's race and I knew that Michael would be strong and have a good shot at the other 'B' drivers once he took over but he was hit and that was that."

MICHAEL MEADOWS: "I was going through turn one when the Aston went wide so I went past but he squeezed me onto the grass and I took a trip into the barrier."

James and Michael will be out to take their first British GT race victory in six weeks time when the British GT Championship returns to Rockingham.

Paddy Shovlin and Michael Cullen stormed to victory at Oulton Park, taking the first win of the 2008 British GT season and the first victory for the CR Scuderia team. The Irish pair drove a faultless race and took a thoroughly deserved victory in a race that was shortened due to some on-track dramas.

The three red, white and blue CRS Ferraris led away the field at the start of the race with Michael Meadows starting well from pole, closely followed by Paddy and then Jeremy Metcalfe. The safety car made its first appearance at the end of lap one after Piers Johnson went off in the Team Modena Lamborghini, but all the CRS cars got away cleanly at the restart just three laps later.

Halfway through the first stint Michael Meadows radioed in to say he was having problems with his brakes and shortly after this he straight-lined the Knickerbrook Chicane. He pitted at the end of that lap for checks and the team took the decision to retire him from the race. It transpired that the problem occurred as a result of that car running over debris during the qualifying session earlier today.

Michael’s retirement meant that Paddy was now in a lead that was to prove unassailable for the rest of the field; quite incredible for a man who has never been to Oulton Park before! A seamless pit-stop where he handed the car over to Michael Cullen sealed the deal and Michael brought Ferrari no.15 over the line to take the win, after having to contend with a rather over zealous Adam Wilcox.

Jeremy Metcalfe came in for his scheduled pit stop mid-way through the race to hand over the second place Ferrari to Luke Hines. Unfortunately a gear selection problem delayed Luke in the pits and that car had to settle for tenth.

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.15: Michael Cullen & Paddy Shovlin
MICHAEL CULLEN: “The car was brilliant and, after the effort that has been put in by this team, Paddy and I are proud to give them their first win. It’s not going to be an easy year as this is a very competitive championship. We’re used to close racing in the Ferrari Challenge but this was another level. I even took a big hit from behind by Wilcox at the end so it wasn’t an easy ride. Chris (Niarchos), Andrew (Kirkaldy), Malcolm (Swetnam) and the team have done a great job so they deserve this!”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.16: Luke Hines & Jeremy Metcalfe
JEREMY METCALFE: “Everything went well at the start and I was able to get away cleanly. The car was running well so it was a shame about the pit-stop. It’s no-one’s fault and we showed that we have the pace so we’re looking forward to Monday.”

CR Scuderia Ferrari no.14: James Sutton & Michael Meadows
MICHAEL MEADOWS: “I got a good start from pole and had to defend from Paddy a little until I was able to pull out a bit of a gap. Unfortunately not long into the race my ABS failed and I locked up my tyres going into the first corner, and soon after straight-lined Knickerbrook, so I came in to let the team have a look at the car. They decided not to take any risks and retired the car which was a sensible decision. We took pole so we know we have the pace and we hope to come out on top on Monday.”

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LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

WINNERS!

1-2 AT BRANDS HATCH

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR SUTTON & MEADOWS

ITALIAN LESSONS

A great start for the new boys