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For more details on Phil Quaife please visit www.philquaife.com

Quaife wins on British GT Championship return

Phil Quaife marked his first British GT Championship appearance in four years with an overall victory for Barwell Motorsport and Ginetta at his home track Brands Hatch at the weekend.

Sharing the Barwell-run Ginetta G50Z with Russian driver Leo Machitstki, Quaife scored a class victory and fifth overall in race 1 on Saturday before taking an outright win on Sunday in race 2.

Starting second on the grid for the opening race, Machitski made a strong start to hold his position off the line and throughout his stint. He handed over to Quaife midway through the one-hour race, but a problem with a jammed seat at the stop left the Kent-based driver in trouble as he rejoined the circuit in his considerably taller team-mate’s seating position.

“It wasn’t easy as I couldn’t see any of the apexes and was reaching for the steering wheel and the pedals!” said Quaife, who fought through his discomfort and graining rear tyres to battle home in fifth overall and first in the invitational class.

The team made some set-up changes for race 2 to combat the graining problems and they seemed to work perfectly.

Starting from fourth, Quaife held his place off the grid and battled throughout his stint with the Ferrari 430 of Adam Wilcox and Ford GT of Alex Mortimer ahead, while consistently pulling away from the cars behind. He was the first of the leaders to pit at the mid-race point and excellent work from the Barwell Motorsport mechanics saw them vault Machitski into second place as the stops began to shake out.

The strategy of Phil staying in touch with runaway leader Allan Simonsen during his stint soon began to pay off as, with Simonsen’s gentleman-driver team-mate Hector Lester having now having taken over, Machitski began to wipe out the Ferrari man’s advantage.

With two laps remaining, Leo made the decisive move to grab the lead and held his advantage to the chequered flag.

“It felt so good to be stood on the top step of the podium drinking champagne again,” said a delighted Quaife. “We were on the pit wall nervously trying to work out if Leo had enough time to catch Hector before the finish, so when he passed him on the penultimate lap it was a huge relief.

“The set-up changes we made for race 2 really helped, in fact the team has done a great job because we’ve got quicker and quicker throughout the weekend.

“I’ve really enjoyed being back in the British GT paddock and seeing some familiar faces. I’m also really impressed with Leo and with Barwell Motorsport and hopefully we can all race together again in the future.”

Season’s best for in-form Quaife at the Algarve Circuit

Phil Quaife scored his best result of the season as the FIA GT3 European Championship re-emerged from its summer break at the Algarve Circuit in Portugal, although the Kent-based driver and his CRS Racing team were denied a podium finish in both races despite their Ferrari 430 Scuderia being bang on the ultimate pace all weekend.

An electrical issue in race 1 and an unceremonious barge from behind in race 2 robbed Quaife and new team-mate Danny van Dongen a taste of the podium champagne, but a charging drive through the field ensured Quaife’s first points of the season in the second event.

In qualifying for race 1, Quaife made a decision to pit late to change his tyre pressures and, with just seconds of the session remaining, produced a superb last-gasp effort to grab a place on the outside of the second row, just two tenths of a second off pole. His pace showed that the CRS-run Ferrari is now more than a match for the front runners in the multi-marque series. He carried that speed into the race, holding fourth off the line and then fighting up to second, and was right on the tail of the race leader at the compulsory pit stops.

Van Dongen took over and, on debut for the team, was holding his own in third place when an electrical issue forced him to return to the pits. The team reset the car to cure the problem, but the Dutch driver was now well down the order, recovering to 16th at the chequered flag.

In race 2 van Dongen started from his qualifying position of 19th and was up to 9th when he was spun around after being hit hard from behind by a BMW Alpina. After rejoining near the back he recovered a handful of places before stopping to hand to Quaife.

With rear-end bodywork damage and the Ferrari’s tracking askew, Quaife produced a superb stint. He pushed the car to its maximum and, despite the damage, was one of the fastest men on track in the last ten minutes, somehow fighting back to finish in eighth place, grabbing the final championship point in the process.

Regardless of his fine drive, the ambitious Quaife was still frustrated to see the chance of a double-podium and possibly a race win taken away, although hugely encouraged by his and the CRS Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia’s performance throughout the weekend.

“We’re right on the pace now, right up there with the championship leaders,” said Quaife. “It would have been fantastic to have collected some silverware this weekend and, without the problems we had, I think we had the speed to do it in both races.

“So from that perspective, yes, I am a little bit frustrated, but this is our best result of the season and the team has done a fantastic job again. Danny also did really well on his debut and I can’t wait for the next round at Paul Ricard where I feel sure we’ll be up there again.”

Top six finish for Quaife on Spa 24 Hours debut

Phil Quaife marked his first ever appearance at the Spa 24 Hours with a faultless drive to help the #55 CRS Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia he shared with Chris Niarchos, Tim Mullen and Chris Goodwin to sixth-in-class and ninth overall at the iconic Belgian circuit.

At a race that the Kent-based driver described as the most high-profile he has ever competed in, the 23-year-old produced a mature performance in difficult, changeable conditions to reward the faith the British team had placed in him.

Team-mate Mullen qualified the Ferrari on the front row of the GT2 category in a session which was badly affected by rain, and then made a good start to the race on Saturday. He was unable to stay with the class leaders after tyre problems, but he and then Niarchos, negotiated the dry/wet conditions with little trouble in the opening hours of the race.

A problem restarting the car at the beginning of Goodwin’s first stint then cost the team eleven minutes and saw them drop down the order, despite the CRS mechanics doing a sterling job to replace the starter motor in such a short space of time.

The rain had ceased by the time of Quaife’s first stint and the team were now running on slick tyres. As darkness fell and with temperatures having dropped, there was just a single dry line on track, with the rest of the circuit remaining extremely wet, and the BRDC Rising Star drove a fast, consistent, error-free stint in tricky conditions.

After Quaife’s strong double-stint, the team continued to climb back through the field throughout the night and Phil was back in the car at day-break on Sunday morning. Another strong spell helped the squad back into the top six, but trouble struck at lunchtime as Phil’s final stint saw him develop an engine misfire.

Again the CRS pit crew did an excellent job to solve the problem in the garage, losing just a handful of laps, and although a less severe version of the problem re-occurred in the closing stages of the race, the team opted to continue on track to ensure a top ten overall finish and a fine sixth place in the highly-competitive GT2 category.

“The race was a superb experience for me and I think we all did a good job throughout the weekend,” said Quaife. “There wasn’t a single spin, off or contact from any of the drivers, which was no mean feat in the conditions, and when we had a couple of technical problems the boys in the pits reacted brilliantly.

“I’d like to thank the team and especially Chris Niarchos, Andrew Kirkaldy and Malcolm Swetnam for putting their faith in me and giving me this opportunity. I’ve done several 24-hour races before, but this is certainly the most high profile event I’ve ever competed in and this weekend has really whetted my appetite to come back again next year and try to do even better.”

Frustrating weekend for Quaife at Oschersleben

Phil Quaife was left disappointed after a weekend shrouded in misfortune saw a strong personal performance and sterling work by his CRS Racing team go unrewarded in the FIA GT3 European Championship at Oschersleben.

Quaife arrived at the German circuit full of confidence after an encouraging display in the last round at Adria which had seen him qualify third on the competitive 30-car grid. Unfortunately though, the weekend started badly when a problem in practice necessitated a complete engine change of the British team’s Ferrari 430 Scuderia on Friday night.

A massive seven-hour shift from the CRS mechanics, which ended at 3am on Saturday morning, saw the car prepared in time for qualifying where Quaife’s team-mate Robert Hissom went 27th fastest in the first session and Phil set the 13th best time in Q2.

Race 1 however was over for the #56 car before Quaife even had the chance to get behind the wheel when Hissom, having gained several places in the opening stages, was crudely barged off the track by an Audi R8, leaving the 430 Scuderia with a broken drive shaft and out after just three laps.

The second race saw Quaife take the start and immediately make progress from 13th on the grid. An impressive stint saw him fight his way up to eighth place by half distance and the time of the compulsory driver change to hand over to Hissom.

The American racer was fighting strongly just outside the top ten until a small mistake in the dying stages dropped him to 20th. He battled back well on the final lap to salvage two positions and finish 18th at the chequered flag.

“It’s been a disappointing weekend in all honesty as we had such high hopes following our performance at Adria,” said Quaife.

“We were unlucky in race 1 as the Audi just rammed Robert several times and broke the driveshaft as he pushed him off the tack. That wasn’t what the team deserved after their incredible hard work on Friday night.

“On a positive note I think I did the best job I possibly could this weekend. I would have liked to have challenged for pole position, but we never quite found the optimum set-up and losing time in practice to the engine problem didn’t help. Other pluses are that Robert has also made another big step forward and the team were fantastic again.”

Quaife is now looking forward to making his debut at the new Algarve circuit in Portugal in the next round in September and feels there is still much more performance to find from the new-for-2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

“I don’t think we’ve been able to unlock this car’s true potential yet,” he said. “We’ve got an exclusive two day test at Snetterton before the Algarve round and we know we must work incredibly hard to find that extra bit of performance which will allow us to fight for pole positions in qualifying and at the front during the races.”

Mixed weekend, but Quaife pleased with improvement

Phil Quaife admitted he was hugely encouraged by the improved performance of the CRS Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia in round 2 of the FIA GT3 European Championship at Adria, despite recording two non-finishes in the weekend’s races.

Race-day frustration at the Italian circuit was tempered by Quaife’s superb form in both practice and qualifying. He consistently traded fastest times during Friday’s two free sessions and then put the team’s 430 Scuderia a fine third on the grid in qualifying for race 2.

“I was fastest of all in sectors 2 and 3 and, without losing a couple of tenths in the first sector, I’m sure we’d have had pole position,” said Quaife.

“The car was running so well and that’s a huge credit to the team who have worked so hard at the last round at Silverstone and then in testing last week. They’ve done a great job.”

In a tightly packed first qualifying session, Quaife’s team-mate Robert Hissom put the car 25th on the grid and then made a strong start to race 1 on Saturday afternoon. Despite some contact during a hectic start, the American fought his way up to 16th at the mid-race point as he handed over to Quaife.

Unfortunately, due to soaring temperatures at the circuit in North East Italy, the team suffered with overheating brakes throughout the weekend and the problem resurfaced as soon as Phil entered the car, where he found he had no brakes into turn 1.

Easing off in a bid to cool them for a couple of laps, Quaife’s race was to end prematurely when he hit a patch of oil while trying to avoid a spinning Porsche 997 and ended beached in a gravel trap.

Race 2 saw Phil make a strong start to the night-time event, holding third place in the opening stages. Almost immediately though, he noticed a small misfire and a drop in battery charge. Despite valiantly holding onto his position as he tried to survive to the mandatory pitstop, the battery slowly began to die and Quaife was forced to retire in the pit lane midway through the race with what turned out to be an alternator problem.

“While it’s frustrating to have two non-finishes, there are a lot of positives to come out of the weekend,” said Phil. “We feel that the car is now bang on the pace and ready to fight for pole positions and podiums in the FIA GT3 championship.

“Bearing in mind the team have only had a couple weeks to work with the car since they first got their hands on it, they’ve done a great job. It’s now a month until the next round at Oschersleben, so there’s plenty of time to work even more on the car and I think we can make another step forward.”

Strong CRS Racing debut for Quaife

Phil Quaife enjoyed a strong debut for CRS Racing at the opening round of the FIA GT3 European Championship at Silverstone, finishing 17th in race 1 and 12th in race 2 and as best-placed Ferrari, in both races, in the packed 37-car field.

The solid results were helped by two charging drives from Quaife and testament to the hard work by the CRS Racing team who only received the new Ferrari 430 Scuderia cars on Wednesday afternoon and worked around-the-clock to prepare them for the race weekend.

With both Quaife and team-mate Robert Hissom new to the car, they used Friday’s practice session as a shake down/test and began to move closer to the overall pace by qualifying on Saturday.

Hissom started race 1 from the midfield and drove a solid first stint to climb a couple of places at the time of the mandatory driver change. Phil took over and stormed through the field from 23rd, breaking into the top eight.

Unfortunately, a misfire with few minutes remaining in the race caused by a fuel pick-up issue saw him start to plummet in the closing laps. Despite his attempts to drive around the problem, the car died with two laps to go, leaving Quaife to coast around to the finish, dropping him from eight to 17th at the chequered flag.

Quaife started the second race from 13th on the grid and immediately made places on a tightly packed opening lap. Another strong stint saw him in eighth place at the driver change, with Hissom doing another fine job to secure 12th at the finish.

Phil admitted he was generally satisfied with what was a learning weekend and is looking forward to the remainder of the season. “The car has good aerodynamics and a lot of potential,” he said. “Silverstone is more of a power circuit with three fairly long straights but tracks like Adria and Oschersleben should really suit us.”

After his impressive charges through the field in both races, Quaife still believes he has more pace to find in the car. “You have to remember that we’ve only had the car for 48 hours, it hadn’t done a single lap before this weekend, so we have to take the positives from our performance. There are things we can improve, for example I qualified 13th, put was fifth or sixth after my first flying lap and possibly should have pushed harder on my second.

“We’ll be testing this week at Silverstone to learn more about the car and I’m sure we’ll find a lot of improvements before the next round. I’m still confident that we can regularly qualify in the top six.”

Quaife takes class win for Aston Martin at Dubai 24 hours

Kent based racing driver Phil Quaife began the 2009 season in style by notching his first-ever 24 Hour-race win with a faultless performance in DXB Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage V8 at the Dubai 24 Hours.

The result saw Quaife and his team mates win the SP2 class by a giant margin of eight laps and secure an impressive 12th place finish overall, ahead of many much more powerful machines in the 75-car field. It also marked a first victory in the race for Aston Martin on the marque’s Dubai 24 Hours debut.

Quaife and co-drivers Jonathan Simmonds, Julian Griffin and Bassam Kronfli drove quick, error-free stints during the gruelling 536-lap event at the Dubai Autodrome, while the GT4-spec Aston Martin Vantage ran trouble-free throughout the entire 24 Hours. Impeccable tactics and pit work from the DXB Racing team also helped strengthen their position during the race, before they took the class lead with a couple of hours remaining and pulled away to win.

Phil had started the race from the midfield and kept clear of the numerous incidents in the early stages. As the race settled down, he immediately began to climb the order and, having started 42nd, ended his first stint in 19th overall. The team chose to single stint the tyres and change the brake pads every six hours to avoid any potential pitfalls and, bar losing a left wing mirror midway through the race, they suffered no mechanical problems. During the last five hours, the battle for the class lead intensified as they regularly swapped places with the #101 BMW M3, before finally taking a decisive advantage in the dying stages.

“I honestly don’t think things could have gone any smoother,” said a delighted Quaife after the race. “Neither the drivers nor the team made a single mistake and our tactics were absolutely spot on. We stayed out of trouble early on and then posted consistently strong lap times on track throughout the race. The minimum number of pitstops permitted was 13 and we only made 14 which just shows that the team’s tactics were pretty much perfect. In our class we were, up against GT3-spec Moslers, Porsche 996s and even an Aussie V8 Supercar, so to win against so many more powerful cars is fantastic.”

Victory gives Quaife his maiden 24 Hour race win having competed twice before in the Dubai event and also continues to highlight the huge potential of the GT4 Aston Martin Vantage in endurance racing.

“Winning a 24 hour race is a very special feeling,” Phil said. “There are so many ups and downs in such a long event and it can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster! The fact that our grit and determination paid off with a win is very satisfying and I’d like to thank Jonathan, Julian, Bassam and the team for inviting me here to race,” said Phil. “It’s also important to congratulate the guys at Prodrive on producing such a superb car as the GT4 Vantage. To finish first, second and third in class at the Britcar 24 Hours was impressive, but to come to Dubai, in very different conditions, and for the car to be absolutely faultless for the whole 24 Hours is, quite frankly, stunning.”

Already looking ahead to 2010, DXB Racing are hoping to challenge for the overall honours in Dubai by stepping up to race the Prodrive-built GT2 Aston Martin Vantage. “It’s a very exciting project and one with which I would love to be involved,” admitted Quaife.

 Highlights of the Dubai 24 Hours will appear on Motors TV. Check www.motorstv.co.uk for listings details.