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Matech Racing

FIA GT3 Championship / Oschersleben (D)

First victory for Pirri and Von Gartzen !

After two exceptional meetings at Silverstone and Monza, the Swiss Matech team were at Oschersleben last weekend for the FIA GT3 competition.

This time they were back on track under rather different conditions as they were carrying ballast imposed by the Governing body.

"It goes without saying that this additional 140 kilos of ballast, as compared to the initial weight of the car is definitely felt ", Martin Bartek, the man in charge of the Matech GT Racing team commented. "In roughly one month the car has had its weight increased by 100 kilos, which in turn has an important effect on the gentlemen-drivers in GT3, who quite logically find it difficult to adapt to such weight differences, and therefore handling, in such a short period of time …" 

However this did not deter Thomas Mutsch from testing the limits of himself and the car by snatching pole position for the second round at the track. An additional pole for the Matech team, and proof that notwithstanding the latest regulatory ballast, the Ford GT is and remains one of the faster cars in the GT3 category.  

The first race of the weekend on started badly for Matech GT Racing, losing the cars of Kahn-Mutsch and Ellis-Mortimer in the first braking zone, net result a particularly destructive pile up for the Ford GTs.

All hopes now lay on the remaining car of Luca Pirri and Jurgen Von Gartzen. The pair then proceeded to drive a near perfect race, finding themselves in 2nd place overall, before taking over the lead and retaining their advantage. "After this chaotic start we were fully decided to play it safe ", Luca Pirri explained.”But when I found myself in 2nd spot I put on the pressure and went all out for victory. Something we managed to achieve with Jurgen ! This is our first success at the wheel of the Ford GT, and following its two victories at the beginning of the season the car is well on the way to greater successes …"  

Having set off from pole in Sunday’s race, Thomas Mutsch unfortunately had a puncture in his left front tyre on the first lap! Once this was changed the German set off even more determined than ever, setting some remarkable lap times. Mutsch set the fastest race lap, although he was never in contentionthe  as the #20 finished the race well down the field due to the time lost in the pits.

The #21 driven by the British pair of Ellis and Mortimer experienced brake problems, probably as the result of an accident incurred during the first race. However they still managed to finish in 17th place.

Von Gartzen at the wheel of the #19, handed over the drive to Pirri in 5th position at the half-way mark, but all hopes were dashed when a Ferrari spun sideways immediately in front of Pirri. Impact was unavoidable! 

The Matech team were present with two Ford Mustang FR500GT3s in the capable hands of De Doncker-Jeannette and Bera-Graham. Unable to gain much advantage on this rather technical circuit, the Mustangs had a difficult time, Bera and Graham saving the honours in the first leg by taking the chequered flag in 22nd place.

ADAC GT Masters 2008 / Norisring

The Ford GT Matech once more confirms it’s top speed 

The season’s third meeting of the ADAC GT Masters championship was run alongside the DTM at legendary Norisring at the weekend,  a street track with cars constantly brushing up against the barriers and where there is usually a very large crowd.   

The Matech GT Racing team were present with the Ford GT #5 in the capable hands of the German pairing Marc Hennerici and Kenneth Heyer. Right from the free practice sessions these two drivers were fully at ease in this unusual environment, registering a best lap time of 52"757.  

This result was later to be confirmed during the qualifying sessions, Kenneth Heyer recording the 4th best time for the first race, while Marc Hennerici held his own with an incredible 51"719  giving him pole for the race 2. Their demonstration once again showed the competitiveness of the Ford GT, which was  carrying a 140 kg handicap ballast imposed by the FIA and ADAC.   

Kenneth Heyer made an excellent start on Saturday in the first race of the weekend, although he was careful not to make any mistakes on this unforgiving circuit. Holding 4th place he brought the car in to the pits after 25 minutes to hand over to Hennerici. However although the latter had planned to drive a steady race to the finish, a technical problem forced him to return to the pitlane. 

Putting that to the back of their minds the Matech GT Racing team were determined to redress matters on Sunday, Marc Hennerici leaving the pack behind him right from the start. This second race then suffered a lengthy neutralization period  due to an accident, during which the positions were turned upside down several times. Having set-off in 5th place after the compulsory pit-stop, Kenneth Heyer was determined to work his way through the field but gearbox problems put a premature end to his race.  

Despite the poor results for the Ford GT at the Norisring, notwithstanding the numerous race incidents,  Hennerici and Heyer still found themselves in 4th place in the championship. But it goes without saying that the potential of this car, bred by Matech GT Racing, is now well proven by it’s permanent position at the ‘sharp end’ of the field. 

ADAC GT Masters / 2. Nürburgring

New strong performance of Matech GT Racing

still ahead in the championship !

After two wins in the opening weekend of the ADAC GT Masters, the German GT3 Championship, Matech GT Racing only entered one Ford GT in the second meeting of the year at the Nürburgring. The races were held during the weekend of the mythic 24 Hours of the Ring. “We didn’t find a final agreement yet for our second car for the remaining of the season”, explains Martin Bartek, team manager of the Swiss team. “One of our cars was heavily damaged in Monza last week, so we didn’t want to take any risks at all. We hope to finalize a deal before the third meeting of the series that will take place on the Norisring on June the 27, 28 and 29.”    

Marc Hennerici and Kenneth Heyer were the drivers on duty in the Eifel mountains, racing the remaining #5 Matech Ford GT. The team took in account that it would be difficult to score as good as they did a few weeks ago, given the success ballast of 40 kg following both victories in Oschersleben. And what’s more the FIA again reduced the size of the air restrictor of the Ford GT. All together, the Matech Ford GT now carries 80 kg more than the original homologation weight, but still showed a strong pace during free practice. Heyer and Hennerici were twice second quickest in free practice and qualified fourth and third on the grid.  

But things all went wrong right after the start of the first race on Friday. Due to a delayed start procedure, the complete grid of the ADAC GT Masters, over 20 cars, arrived together at the first corner. The #19 Corvette hit the Ford GT of Heyer at the back and as a result of the impact; Heyer crashed right into the car in front of him. The crash was impressive and the damage even more so…

As it was the case in Oschersleben and in Monza, the Matech GT Racing mechanics did a wonderful job through the night getting the car ready before the start of the second race on Saturday. A big round of applause for the mechanics in the team!

Hennerici and Heyer came home second, after a thrilling duel with the #1 Lamborghini, finally won by the American Ford GT pairing. The difference between Heyer and his opponent was only 6 tenths of a second…   

“Again, I want to thank the entire team”, explains Martin Bartek. “The second place is the result of the hard work of our staff and what’s more our team, Matech GT Racing, still is leading the team’s championship. Last but not least, Marc Hennerici and Kenneth Heyer are still second in the drivers standing together with Thomas Mutsch and Jürgen Von Gartzen, who competed the first round in Oschersleben with us. Once more, the Ford GT, developed by our team, showed very strong.”    

FIA GT3 European Championship 2008 / 2. Monza

Two additional victories for the Ford GTs Matech Racing ! 

Following on from the spectacular start at Silverstone, with the two victories of the Ford GTs of Mutsch and Khan, the Matech Racing team headed on down to Monza, for the following round of the FIA GT3 European championship. Notwithstanding the temperamental weather conditions, both the free practice as also the qualifying sessions proved that the three Ford GTs entered by the Swiss team were on tune, the power beasts achieving impressive grouped results; 3rd, 4th and 5th places for the first leg, prior to Thomas Mutsch clinching another pole position allowing him to take on the morning heat in full confidence.  

This Saturday the first of the two FIA GT3 races were marred by numerous incidents and accidents, and unfortunately the Matech Racing team didn’t come out of it unscathed... "Two of our three cars were involved in accidents, Ian Khan seriously damaging the #20 following contact with a Porsche, Luca Pirri, at the wheel of #19, hit a Lamborghini at the end of the straight ", the team manager, Martin Bartek told us. "Not only would our mechanics need to work through the night to bring the cars up to scratch, but the Stewards of the Meeting decided to inflict penalties resulting in losing places on the grid for the following day, the two Ford GTs finding themselves on the 6th and 18th row of the grid !" Luckily our #21, driven by the British pair Bradley Ellis and Alex Mortimer, had a perfect race, battling it out through to the line with a Corvette before achieving a great victory, leaving the Ford GTs unbeaten in the 2008 competition. An excellent result backed up by the 6th place of the Ford Mustang FR500GT3 Matech Racing of the Belgian Eric De Doncker and the Canadian Scott Maxwell, confirming the ever increasing evolution of this power beast, whilst the drivers drove a perfect race managing to avoid the clashes and accidents. On top of that the Matech team gained some additional points in the team championship... 

This Sunday’s race saw radio liaison problems between the team and the drivers. Result: two of the three Ford GTs came in for their pit-stop out of the regulatory time window. As such Mutsch-Khan and Pirri-Von Gartzen received a Stop & Go... which they didn’t serve out, taking advantage of a regulation allowing a car not to re-enter the pitlane as from the moment a penalty is imposed less than 5 laps from the end of the race. Obviously a time sanction is imposed once the chequered flag has been taken. This resulted in the two Ford GTs being relegated into 3rd (Mutsch-Khan) and 14th (Pirri-Von Gartzen) places. And what about Ellis-Mortimer in all this ? On the top tread of the podium no less ! Another victory thanks to a faultless race... "After the crashes on Saturday, these two new victories of the Ford GTs are as excellent as they are unexpected ", Martin Bartek continues.”They are in fact a great way of rewarding the team of mechanics who worked so hard throughout the night, even cutting out the damaged roll cage of the #20, before re-welding same under the watchful eyes of individuals approved by the FIA ! I believe that this weekend Matech Racing has performed miracles, far beyond anything seen at this level of competition...."  

The outcome of this Monza rendezvous is that Thomas Mutsch and Ian Khan retain the lead in the drivers’ championship, whilst Bradley Ellis and Alex Mortimer now figure in 3rd and 4th place. When it comes to the teams; complete domination by Matech, with no less than 49 points... in fact 33 points ahead of the 2nd placed team. The team are now heading for the Nürburgring, where the 2nd meeting of the ADAC GT Masters, the German GT3 championship is being held this weekend.

FIA GT3 European Championship, Round Three, Monza , Italy

Provisional Results

1 – 21 - Mortimer/Ellis – Ford GT – 1:00:46.605 – 29laps

2 – 47 - Deverikos/Haase – Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 - +18.037s

3 – 1 - Peyroles/Ruffier – Corvette Z06R GT3 - +18.153s

4 – 29 - Lesoudier/Scheier – Morgan Aero 8 GT3 - +31.612s

5 – 8 - Mena/Accary – Aston Martin DBRS9 - +43.215s

6 – 22 - De Doncker/Maxwell – Ford Mustang FR500 GT – +44.684s

7 – 12 - Rambeaud/Misslin – Ferrari F430 GT3 - +45.552s

8 – 4 - Hyman/Warren – Ferrari F430 GT3 - +50.285s

9 – 10 - Lagniez/Makowiecki – Aston Martin DBRS9 - +50.565s

10 – 37 - Matzke/Skula – Corvette Z06R GT3 - +57.011s

FIA GT3 European Championship, Round Four, Monza , Italy

Provisional Results

1 – 21 - Ellis/Mortimer – Ford GT – 1:01:14.240 – 28laps

2 – 1 - Ruffier/Peyroles – Corvette Z06R GT3 - +22.735s

3 – 20 - Mutsch/Khan – Ford GT - +59.603s

4 – 10 - Makowiecki/Lagniez – Aston Martin DBRS9 - +1:10.667s

5 – 43 - Lunardi/Vannelet – Dodge Viper Competition Coupe - +1:12.730s

6 – 5 - Tonoli/Balbiani – Ferrari F430 GT3 - +1:17.131s

7 – 6 - Williams/Ashburn – Porsche 997 GT3 - +1:18.710s

8 – 44 - Thiry/Greenhalgh – Ascari KZ1R GT3 – 1:20.838s

9 – 12 - Misslin/Rambeaud – Ferrari F430 GT3 - +1:26.753s

10 – 35 - Penders/Lamot – Porsche 997 GT3 - +1:30.959s

Notes: Car 43 – 77 second penalty. Car 20 – 63 second penalty

For results and further information on the FIA GT3 European Championship, visit www.fiagt3.com

FIA GT Championship/German ADAC GT Masters

ADAC GT Masters 2008 / Oschersleben

An ‘almost’ perfect week-end! 

This weekend, at the Oschersleben circuit the ADAC GT Masters, (the German GT championship run to FIA GT3 regs), had its first outing. The Matech GT Racing team was present with two Ford GTs; the #5 to be driven for the entire season by Marc Hennerici and Kenneth Heyer, and for this meeting the #6 in the hands of two FIA GT3 European Championship drivers, namely Thomas Mutsch and Jürgen Von Gartzen.  

Starting off in free practice the Swiss team showed the way thanks to Mutsch and Von Gartzen.  The pairing then followed this up in qualifying with each in turn claiming pole position. As for Heyer and Hennerici, they would start from the 9th and 3rd spots on the grid respectively.  

Saturday’s round was marked by spectacular accident for Kenneth Heyer, the front of his Ford GT #5 lifting up by a meter at the beginning of the straight as the result of coming into contact with a Lamborghini. Even thought the powerful car weaved from left to right across the track, no other competitor hit him, everyone getting off with no more than a scare. Needless to say all this was soon forgotten when Thomas Mutsch and Jürgen Von Gartzen scored an excellent victory, with their closest rivals some 25 seconds down on their finishing time!  

On Sunday the Matech GT Racing team managed even better, clinching a remarkable double. This time around the honours went to Heyer and Hennerici who finished on the top step of the podium, the Ford GT #5 taking the chequered flag just ahead of the #6 of Mutsch and Von Gartzen ! "Taking into account our results at Silverstone, as also those this weekend at Oschersleben, we have proven that the Ford GT, developed and built by Matech Concepts, is not only fast but definitely reliable ", Martin Bartek, the man in charge of the Swiss team commented, after the podium ceremony.  

Also at the weekend in at the Interlagos circuit, near Sao Paulo, the Ford GT of the ex-F1 driver Ricardo Rossett, teame with film maker Walter Salles took two pole positions for the second meeting of the Brazilian GT3 championship. The car, also from the Matech workshops, had some bad luck during the first heat when it was hit by a Lamborghini, however the two drivers then  managed to reset the clocks, with perfect Swiss precision, by grabbing a superb victory ! 

"I’m more than satisfied with the work put in by the team during the seasonal recess ", Martin Bartek continued.”The countless overtime hours sacrificed in this project since December 2007 have finally come to fruition this weekend. The Ford GT Matech Racing has proved to one and all that it is capable of imposing itself in a variety of fields at the same time, highly promising for the future. Next week the Monza circuit will play host for the second round of the FIA GT3, and the entire team, having started on a successful note has every intention of keeping it that way..."

Thomas Mutsch and Ian Khan score two victories

    with the Ford GT Matech Racing at Silverstone

After winter of testing the Swiss Matech Racing team finally got to back to the real business this weekend at Silverstone with the opening round of the European FIA GT competition. In the pitlane the team had a virutal armada on display. There was the Ford GTs for Luca Pirri and Jürgen Von Gartzen (#19), Thomas Mutsch and Ian Khan (#20) and finally Edward  Morris and Bradley Ellis (#21). Next to them were the trio of Ford Mustang FR500GT3s,  being tamed by Eric De Doncker and Scott Maxwell (#22), Thierry Blaise and Nigel Greensall (#23) and also Romain Bera and Ron Marchal (#24).

Things started very well for Matech in the first race on Saturday. Ian Khan made a good start before he was forced to brake heavily in Copse to avoid a spinning car, the result of which put him back in 22nd place, despite starting fro row 6., Martin Bartek, the team manager commented.”the best was still to come". Khan soon recovered and was soon back up flirting with the top 10 prior to handing over to Thomas Mutsch. The latter completed the race taking the Ford GT Matech #20 into the lead to clinch its first victory, in fact the second in its short career following on from the success gained in the streets of Bucharest last year.

The entire team were also delighted seeing that Morris and Ellis, who had become acquainted with the Ford GT’s handling during this meeting at Silverstone, rounded off this success with a well deserved 11th place overall, highly encouraging for the future. The only down side were the technical problems which hindered Luca Pirri and Jürgen Von Gartzen during this first day. The car went off track during the qualifying sessions, but the team did everything in their power to ensure that the two drivers were back on track for the weekend..." 

And for the second leg of the weekend, Thomas Mutsch set-off from pole position, having set the best GT3 lap time of the weekend, clocking a 1'50"237. As expected the German dominated the first part of the race, before handing over to Ian Khan. The latter fell back into third  prior to putting on the pressure; climbing back up and finally lapping the leading Corvette 3 laps before the finish. The outcome was that the Ford GT #20 scored its second win of the weekend!

"Impossible to have dreamt of a better way to kick off the season ", Martin Bartek said at the end of the weekend. ”And the 7th place of Ellis and Morris once again rounded off and added to our success. On the other hand I feel very sorry for Pirri and Von Gartzen who experienced nothing but bad back luck during the weekend. Having started from the pitlane as they had not driven a single lap during the second qualifying session, the Ford GT #19 brilliantly worked its way up through the pack only to be hindered by a flat tyre having driven over some debris. When things just don’t want to go your way..."   

As for the Mustang FR500GT3s, they had a difficult weekend as the result of track conditions not really suited to these powerful American cars. The team of Eric De Doncker and Scott Maxwell came out best, with a 21st in the first race, notwithstanding a broken splitter, followed by a 24th place the following day. "The Mustang is definitely progressing in the right direction, but what is lacking for this car is to find some other fast drivers keen on carrying on with the further development ", Martin Bartek continued . "Our objective in the mid-term is to feature up amongst the top 10, and with some hard work carried out in close collaboration with Ford Racing, I’m fully convinced that we can get there..." Well worth keeping a close eye on, with the following FIA GT3 meeting being held at Monza on 17th and 18th May...