About in Racers <-> Olds and News

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From the start of the weekend, the Lamborghini showed their potential at
the famous Nuerburgring. They would be the cars to beat. So after the
first qualifying three Gallardo were in the first three places on the grid for
race one. Frank Schmickler (ARGO Racing) drove the fastest lap in
1.45,623 minutes, followed by Harald Becker (also ARGO Racing) and
Roman Rusinov (team flatex-reiter). With Albert von Thurn und Taxis
(team flatex-reiter) a further Gallardo driver was within the Top 10 (6th on
the grid).
The result of the second qualifying was even better. Six Lamborghini
Gallardo were present in the Top 10 of the grid. The pole position for race
2 was held by Peter Kox (team flatex-reiter) in front of Frank Kechele
(ARGO Racing). Jan Lammers qualified his team flatex-reiter Gallardo for
the second row (4th on the grid), followed by Christopher Haase (team
flatex-reiter) and Sebastian Asch (ARGO Racing). Michael Raja closed
the Top 10 with his MRP Motorsport car on 10th starting position.
An accident in the first corner of the first race on Friday mixed up the
ranking of the field. Pole setter Frank Schmickler kept the lead without
problems and started immediately to build up a gap.
Also parts of the leading group were his team mate Harald Becker and
Roman Rusinov of team flatex-reiter. All three Gallardo stayed in front
until the obligatory pit stops. But then the leading Gallardo of Schmickler /
Asch lost some seconds in the pit lane and came back on track at second
position. Peter Kox, with good chances to win this first race of the
weekend, had to park his GT3 Lamborghini only a few laps before the
chequered flag after some stones (a car in front of him went through a
gravel trap) destroyed the front coolers.
But the 60 minutes race still had been a success for Lamborghini. While
Sebastian Asch crossed the line in second position, Frank Kechele came
home in third, Jan Lammers in fourth and Christopher Haase in fifth
place. . Haase / von Thurn und Taxis lost some places after a spin in the
first lap, but came back into the leading group after a series of very fast
laps.
Also in the second race of the weekend in front of a big number of
spectators at the 24hrs of the Nuerburgring two Gallardo finished onto the
podium. After second and third place on Friday, a victory was the result of
Saturday´s race. Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov were the dominating
drivers from start to finish and scored the first victory for Lamborghini in
the ADAC GT Masters 2008.
Third after 60 minutes were Christopher Haase and Albert von Thurn und
Taxis. With this superb result they stepped up to second in the driver
point standings of the championship.
Especially for Haase, this second race had a hot moment, as a car, which
should be overtaken by Haase, slowed down unexpected and the young
German driver had to pass him on the grass. Also Becker / Kechele (8th)
finished into the points. Two more Gallardo came home in the top 10.
Ritskes / Lammers had a 9th, Raja / Stiefel a 10th place as their result in
race 2.
The point standings after four races:
1. Bergmeister Porsche 997 Cup S 22 pints
2. Haase / von Thurn u. Taxis Lamborghini Gallardo 18 points
-. Heyer / Hennerici Ford GT 18 points
-. Von Gartzen / Mutsch Ford GT 18 points
3. Becker / Kechele Lamborghini Gallardo 15 points
4. Schmickler / Asch Lamborghini Gallardo 14 points
-. J. Bergmeister Porsche 997 Cup S 14 points
5. Kox / Rusinov Lamborghini Gallardo 10 points
-. Stippler / Arnold Porsche 997 Cup S 10 points
6. Rodrigues Aston Martin DBRS9 9 points
7. Basseng Porsche 997 Cup S 8 points
8. Rodrigues / Accary Aston Martin DBRS9 7 points
Team flatex-reiter is 3rd in the team ranking now with 25 points in front of
ARGO Racing with 20 points. MRP Motorsport is scored on 8th place.
Christopher Haase and Albert von Thurn und Taxis are the leaders of the
Lamborghini challenge in front of Becker / Kechele and Asch /
Schmickler.

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British GT:

Pole Position property of Lamborghini

Snetterton was venue for rounds 7 and 8 of the British GT Championship
last weekend. It was Leo Machitski and Jonathan Cocker who were once
again the best Lamborghini team in first qualifying for Saturday
afternoon’s race. They secured a place on the second row after recording
the third fastest lap in the Tech9 Lamborghini Gallardo. The Team
Modena Gallardo, driven by Ben de Zille Butler and Guy Harrington, was
directly behind. Piers Johnson / Adam Jones (Team Modena) would start
round 7 from tenth place, Oliver Morley / Tom Ferrier (Tech9) started
from 12

th position.
In second qualifying the Gallardo of Johnson / Jones claimed a front row
position and were, as a result, the fastest regular British GT
Championship competitors despite being beaten by guest starters
Mortimer / Elli in a Ford GT. Machitski / Cocker qualified fifth, while
Morley / Ferrier and de Zille Butler / Harrington landed in 15th and 16th

positions.
The first one-hour race on Saturday was once again dominated by the
Safety Car. This time it was the turn of Leo Machitski / Jonathan Cocker
to suffer from the race being neutralised. After spinning at the start of the
race the Tech9 drivers were making great strides towards the front. After
taking fourth position the race stewards dispatched the Safety Car
following the accident of an opponent and, in doing so, slowed the
progress of Machitski / Cocker. In the few remaining minutes they were
unable to fight there way onto the podium and finished fourth. Jones /
Johnson (Team Modena) took the flag in 8

th position, Morley / Ferrier
(Tech9) were classified 13th, and De Zille Butler / Harrington were forced

to retire due to engine problems with their Gallardo.

Machitski / Cocker remained the highest placed Lamborghini Gallardo
team in the British GT Championship on Sunday. With sixth place they
left Snetterton with a brace of points scoring finishes. Adam Jones held
second place overall for a long time, but unfortunately Jones / Johnson
had to retire on lap 21. However, Tech9 brought both cars home with
Ferrier / Morley taking the flag again in 13

th place.

Italian GT:

One-two in race two at Magione!

MIK Corse brought four Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 cars to Magione for
rounds 5 and 6 in the Italian GT Championship. The Gallardo drivers
raised eyebrows in both free practice sessions after setting fast times.
Giacomo Piccini and Fabrizio Armetta went on to repeat this performance
in first qualifying. The front row for the GT3 race was occupied solely by
Lamborghini. Piccini recorded a 1:11.680, Armetta was six tenths behind.
The competition from Ferrari, Dodge, Aston Martin, Corvette and Porsche
had already lost its first small battle.
In second qualifying Matteo Grassotto put the fastest Gallardo in third
place.
In spite of their perfect grid positions the MIK Corse drivers were unable
to claim victory in the first race. Unfortunately, the fastest Gallardo of
Piccini / Grassotto retired after only four laps. As result, it was up to
Ferdinand Geri / Fabrizio Armetta to save the day. They finished the 39
lap race with a solid fifth place. However, the raging bulls struck back on
Sunday with a one-two. After 36 laps Geri / Armetta took the flag in front
of Cedric Sbirazzuoli / Marzio Romano. The first competitor from another
factory crossed the line 13 seconds after the second MIK Corse Gallardo.
After six races it is now Sbirazzuoli / Marzio who lead the GT3 category in
the Italian GT Championship.
The current points standings:

1. Sbirazzuoli / Marzio Lamborghini Gallardo 51 points

2. Perlini / Ardigo Dodge Viper 51 points
3. Sagniolo / de Pasquale Dodge Viper 35 points
4. Earle / Kessel Ferrari 430 34 points

5. Piccini / Grassotto Lamborghini Gallardo 30 points
6. Armetta / Geri Lamborghini Gallardo 23 points

7. Romagnoli Dodge Viper 23 points
8. Giraudi / Bonadli Aston Martin DBRS9 21 points

9. Caccia / Garofano Lamborghini Gallardo 20 points

10. Bianco Dodge Viper 18 points

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Reiter Engineering hast to withdraw the Murciélago for Oschersleben
Peter Kox (NL) will not be able to drive at the FIA-GT event in Oschersleben the upcoming weekend. After his worse accident in the ADAC GT Masters race at the Norisring yesterday he was checked at a hospital in the Netherlands. Kox returned with a injured right leg and cannot drive a racecar for an uncertain time. It is not possible for Reiter Engineering to find an adequately

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The Tech9 Lamborghini Gallardo of Tom Ferrier and Leo Machitski held
sway during free practice at Thruxton, however disappointment followed
in qualifying. Qualifying for round 9 finished with 10th (Guy Harrington),
12th (Leo Machitski) and 15th (Piers Johnson). Only one team could
improve in qualifying for round 10. Tom Ferrier took 8th position for
Tech9.
The British GT Championship field rolled-out on Saturday for the ninth
race of the season. Piers Johnson and Adam Jones took fourth place in
yet another race interrupted by a safety car period. Machitski / Ferrier
retired after an off-course excursion, Harrington / de Zille Butler retired
due to a technical problem.

Engine problems prevented the three Gallardo fielded by Tech9 and
Team Modena from appearing for race two on Sunday.
______________________________

Success and failure were never far apart during the first ever street race
on the ADAC GT Masters calendar held at the Norisring. While
Christopher Haase and Albert von Thurn und Taxis retired from the first
race due to driver error in their #1 flatex team reiter Lamborghini
Gallardo, team mates Jan Lammers and Marius Ritskes took advantage
of this misfortune by taking 2nd position and their first podium finish. The
safety car deployed after the accident allowed Lammers / Ritskes to close
up on the leaders and remain within striking distance. Peter Kox and
Roman Rusinov finished 14th in the third flatex team reiter Gallardo after
succumbing to tyre failure.

In the second race Haase / von Thurn und Taxis appeared in the repaired
Gallardo and, in spite of a Stop & Go penalty, finished second and in
doing so kept their championship hopes alive. However, the race was
overshadowed by the violent accident of Peter Kox and Frank Kechele
(ARGO Lamborghini). Both cars were heavily damaged. Frank Kechele
suffered bruising, while Reiter Engineering driver Peter Kox sustained leg
injuries which will be examined more thoroughly on Monday in Holland.
Peter Kox’s participation in the GT1 Murciélago this coming weekend at
the FIA GT race in Oschersleben is currently under consideration.

Standings after six rounds:
1. Bergmeister Porsche 997 Cup S 38 points
2. Haase / v.Thurn u. Taxis Lamborghini Gallardo 26 points
3. Basseng Porsche 997 Cup S 24 points
4. Heyer / Hennerici Ford GT 18 points
-. Mutsch / von Gartzen Ford GT 18 points
5. Stippler Porsche 997 Cup S 17 points
6. Schwager / Ludwig Corvette Z06 15 points
-. Becker / Kechele Lamborghini Gallardo 15 points
7. Schmickler / Asch Lamborghini Gallardo 14 points
-. Skula / Matzke Corvette Z06 14 points
-. J. Bergmeister Porsche 997 Cup S 14 points
8. Lammers / Ritskes Lamborghini Gallardo 13 points
9. M. Rodrigues Aston Martin DBRS9 12 points
10. Kox / Rusinov Lamborghini Gallardo 10 points
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A race weekend could not have run better. The Lamborghini teams First
Racing and Ruffier Racing claimed two pole positions and won both of
the one-hour races. On Saturday a one-two in front of arch rival Ferrari
was the result.
Three of the five Gallardo present at Val de Vienne claimed the first three
positions in first qualifying. Ruffier / Peyrolles took the first pole position
for Ruffier Racing followed by Briche / Dubreuil and Tuchbant / Leclerc
(both First Racing). Second qualifying was then dominated by Ruffier
Racing. Peyrolles / Ruffier took pole again from team mates Cabannes /
Helary.
Peyrolles / Ruffier also won the first race. Despite the superior GT1 and
GT2 competition the two Frenchman hauled their GT3 Gallardo up to
ninth overall and in doing so won the GT3 class, which is wellrepresented
by seventeen cars in the French GT3 Championship.
Tuchbant / Leclerc rounded off the successful opening race for
Lamborghini by crossing the finish line a mere second in front of another
First Racing Gallardo with Cabannes / Helary in 3rd position.

Peyrolles / Ruffier finished another two places higher up in the general
classification on Sunday. Seventh overall and win number 2 in GT3 was
the result after one hour. As a result the Ruffier drivers also took the
championship lead.
The current standings:
1. Ruffier / Peyrolles Lamborghini Gallardo 122 points
2. Jakubowski / Campbell Ferrari 430 122 points
3. Moureau / Parisy Ferrari 430 122 points
4. Tuchbant / Leclerc Lamborghini Gallardo 112 points
5. Briche / Dubreuil Lamborghini Gallardo 76 points
6. Brandela / Lorgere Ferrari 430 62 points
7. Morel / Rosier Dodge Viper 60 points
8. Ballay / Scheier Ferrari 430 54 points
9. Cabannes / Helary Lamborghini Gallardo 48 points

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S.Berg Racing travelled directly from Oschersleben to the FIA GT test
day at Spa-Francorchamps. The team under Hans Weitgasser completed
a full day’s testing in the Ardennes in preparation for its first 24-hour race
with the GT3 Lamborghini Gallardo. On a day dominated by difficult
weather conditions the team spooled off 28 laps around the 7 kilometre
long circuit and recorded a fastest lap of 2:32.480.
The eighth running of the 24-hours of Spa within the FIA-GT

Championship is held between 31 July and 03 August.

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Both the British Tech9 squad and S.Berg Racing from Austria each
brought a pair of Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 to the third GT3 European
Championship event at Oschersleben.
Christopher Haase and Albert von Thurn und Taxis in #47 Tech9
Gallardo exploited their home advantage to the full. They were in the
thick of the action from the opening minutes of first practice. The
crowning moment followed in first qualifying as Haase claimed pole
position for race 1. His immediate rivals were almost half-a-second
behind the German. Max Cattori in the second Tech9 car qualified on the
fifth row, Hans Knauss in S.Berg Gallardo in 13th position and Vadim
Kuzminykh 26th overall in the 41 car field.
Number 47 was again the best Gallardo crew in second qualifying. Albert
von Thurn und Taxis recorded a time of 1:29.944 minutes which meant
13th place. Dominik Kraihamer was only six-tenths behind to secure 19th
position for the #14 S.Berg Gallardo. Team mate Luca Pilato took 24th
position on the grid.
In the first race on Saturday, start driver Christopher Haase was forced
off the track by two competitors at the first corner and dropped down the
field to thirteenth place. However, Haase never gave up and fought his
way into the top-ten again. Albert von Thurn und Taxis took the cockpit in
the second-half of the race and brought the Gallardo home in 4th place.
Knauss / Kraihamer were classified 16th after the 60 minute race,
Kuzminykh / Pilato were 21st.
Victory was the target for the second race on Sunday. Things looked
good for the Tech9 Gallardo of Haase / von Thurn und Taxis up to the
first pit-stop. However, a safety car period immediately after their pit-stop
cost them a lap and any chance of a top finish. At the flag they were 16th.
Kraihamer / Knauss were again the fastest S.Berg drivers in 18th place.
Standings after six rounds:
1. Peyroles / Ruffier Corvette Z06 29 points
2. Khan / Mutsch Ford GT 26 points
3. Ellis Ford GT 22 points
4. Mortimer Ford GT 20 points
5. Lunardi / Vannelet Dodge Viper 16 points
6. Forsten / Loix Porsche 997 Cup S 14 points
-. Balbiani Ferrari 430 14 points
7. Haase Lamborghini Gallardo 13 points
-. Matzke / Skula Corvette Z06 13 points
8. Accary / Mena Aston Martin DBRS9 12 points
9. Cadei Ferrari 430 11 points
10. Lesoudier / Scheier Morgan Aero 8 10 points
-. Von Gartzen / Piri Ford GT 10 points
The team standings:
1. Matech GT Racing 59 points
2. La Torre Motorsport 26 points
3. Hexis Racing 21 points
-. Martini Callaway Racing 21 points
4. Kessel Racing 17 points
5. Tech9 Motorsport 16 points
-. Prospeed Competition 16 points
6. MM Racing 13 points
7. Team Berlanga 11 points
-. autoGT Racing 11 points
8. Brixia Racing 6 points
9. JMB Racing 5 points
10. APEX Motorsport 4 points
-. Marc Sourd Racing 4 points

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Belcar: Third podium for Lamborghini

Danny de Laet and Tim Verbergt (JD by Astromega) was the most
successful Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 team at the fourth round of the
Belcar championship at Spa-Francorchamps. They were among the
leading contenders throughout all the free practice sessions and
underlined their target of finishing on the podium by taking fourth on the
grid for race one which was held on Friday afternoon. Kurt Thiers / Joost
Vollebergh qualified the #5 JD by Astromega Gallardo in 16

th position,

Henk Haane and Patrick Ceusters would start the 60 minute race from
22

nd place.

In second qualifying the roles were reversed: Haane / Ceusters were the
fastest Gallardo drivers this time, their 2:49.707 minute lap in the pouring
rain clinched third place on the grid for race two. De Laet / Vollebergh set
the ninth fastest time, Vollebergh / Thiers settled for 11

th position.

Tim Verbergt (#15 JD by Astromega Gallardo) made a perfect start on
Friday by out accelerating the pole-winning Mosler in the run to the first
corner and held second place during the opening stages. A Safety Car
period following an accident between two competitors bunched-up the
field. The Safety Car was still on-track when the mandatory pit-stop
window opened at half-distance. Co-driver Danny de Laet stayed with the
leading group. Unfortunately the Gallardo received a Stop & Go penalty
which threw de Laet / Verbergt down to 10

th place at the flag. Vollebergh /

Thiers and Haane / Ceusters took 14

th and 15th respectively.

Revenge for missing a top-position came on Saturday. The weekend’s
second race was also interrupted by the Safety Car. However, this did not
unsettle Verbergt / de Laet and they duly brought their Gallardo home in
third place. Haane / Ceusters finished 14

th again.

British GT: Solid weekend for Team Modena

Only one Lamborghini driver duo, Ben de Zille Butler and Guy Harrington,
participated in rounds 11 and 12 of the British GT Championship at
Brands Hatch. Both de Zille Butler and Harrington qualified in the top-ten
and repeated this form in the races. On Saturday the Team Modena pair
finished sixth, on Sunday they improved by one position to take fifth.

Brazilian GT3: Victory at last!

Ingo Hoffmann and Paulo Bonifacio celebrated their first win of the 2008
season at Interlagos. Despite running at reduced speed over the final
laps Hoffmann / Bonifacio won the first race by 14 seconds from the
following competition. Although they scored no points in the second race
Hoffman / Bonifacio retained third place in the championship standings.
In the four events held to date Lamborghini Gallardo teams have claimed
two wins and a total of four podium finishes.
The current championship standings:
1. Negrao / Mattheis Dodge Viper 50 points
2. Salles Jr / Rosset Ford GT 44 points
3. Hoffmann / Bonifacio Lamborghini Gallardo 34 points
4, Feldmann Dodge Viper 31 points
5. Ebrahim / Ebrahim Dodge Viper 30 points
6. Ricci / Derani Ferrari 430 27 points
7. Stumpf Dodge Viper 21 points
8. Cattalini / Nesto Ferrari 430 19 points
9. Kaesemodel Porsche 997 Cup S 18 points
10. Brito Porsche 997 Cup S 16 points

Australian GT: Double podium

After a four month break the Australian GT Championship finally got
underway again at Eastern Creek. Three Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s
driven by Ross Lilley, Mark Eddy and Ted Huglin participated in the fourth
event.
Mark Eddy put the Quartermaster Gallardo on the second row, two
places further back on the grid was Ross Lilley and Ted Huglin started
the first sprint race from 16

th position. While Eddy maintained position

throughout the 12 lap first race, Lilley moved up a position and was fifth
at the flag. Huglin also moved forward and finished fifteenth.
Mark Eddy also mounted the podium after the twelve lap second race.
Eddy took the chequered flag in third position only four seconds behind
the winner. Sixth place went to Ross Lilley in the Laminex Gallardo, Ted
Huglin gained more experience to finish 14

th.

Ross Lilley presented Lamborghini with its second podium finish in the
third race of the weekend. Lilley saw the chequer in third place after 19
minutes and 31 seconds. Mark Eddy lost out this time and had to settle
for fifth place. Ted Huglin finished 15

th again.

The current championship standings:

1. Mark Eddy Lamborghini Gallardo 259 points
2. Ross Lilley Lamborghini Gallardo 241,75 points
3. John Kaias Aston Martin DBRS9 239,25 points
4. Allan Simonsen Ferrari 430 GT3 234 points

5. Peter Lucas Lotus Elise 220,5 points

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http://www.planetlemans.com/2008/07/...ini-at-spa-24/

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The fourth round of the ADAC GT Masters in Assen, Holland, would bring the best results this year to date for team flatex-reiter. Two Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s were fielded by Team Boss Hans Reiter. Christopher Haase / Albert von Thurn und Taxis formed the duo with the start number 1; Jan Lammers and Marius Ritskes were at the wheel of the number 11 car.
Saturday afternoon’s qualifying was dominated by the Italian brand. On a damp track Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Marius Ritskes had the task of qualifying the Gallardo for the first race. In the second half of first qualifying it was Albert von Thurn und Taxis who became the first driver to break the 2 minute barrier. The 25-year old improved again to record a 1:59.083 minute lap time and in doing so claimed his first GT3 pole position! Marius Ritskes took 5th position on the grid for his home race.
The results in second qualifying, which determined the grid positions for Sunday’s race, were even better. Despite the increasing rainfall the team flatex-reiter drivers once again came out on top. Christopher Haase lapped quickly from the beginning and remained in the leading group throughout the session. The twenty minute qualifying session developed into a battle between Haase and Hennerici in a Ford GT. Haase threw caution to the wind on his last lap and secured the team’s second pole position of the weekend. Jan Lammers put his Gallardo in third position.
Race 1 was unexpectedly short. The Safety Car was deployed by the race stewards after an accident involving one of the competitors. The race was only restarted with 22 minutes to go. Starting drivers Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Marius Ritskes had handed over their Gallardos during the Safety
Car period, so that Christopher Haase and Jan Lammers could at least run unhindered from traffic. As soon as the green flag was waved both team flatex-reiter drivers pulled away from the field immediately. They were able to complete the remaining laps in adverse conditions without risk and duly took the team’s first one-two.
“A fantastic result for us this weekend. Everything ran perfectly. Albert made
an excellent start before losing his advantage due to the Safety Car period.
At the restart I was able to pull away again. I pushed immediately and was
close to the limit. I was only able to reduce my pace a little and drive more
controlled towards the end,” said a delighted Christopher Haase about his
victory. “That was a well-earned victory for Christopher and Albert today.
They were clearly quicker than us today,” said Jan Lammers in paying tri-
bute to his team mates and clearly enjoying another podium fi nish.
Both team fl atex-reiter Lamborghini Gallardos would occupy the front row
for race 2. Like Saturday, Christopher Haase pulled away immediately with
Jan Lammers close behind. After only a few laps the lead was already 8.7
seconds and continued to grow. Christopher Haase was able to increase
his pace a little more and in doing so pulled away from Jan Lammers. The
mandatory pit stops followed on lap 16 (#1) and 17 (#11). The running
order remained unchanged after the fi eld had settled down following the
round of pit stops. Albert von Thurn und Taxis held a 30 second lead in fi rst
place from Marius Ritskes and controlled the competition.
After 29 laps the second one-two for team fl atex-reiter was in the bag.
Christopher Haase / Albert von Thurn und Taxis won from Marius Ritskes
/ Jan Lammers. “The race was great fun today,” said Christopher Haase.
“The car and tyres were perfect today, and we are now leading the champi-
onship. What more could we possibly ask for?” Albert von Thurn und Taxis
fought with curious problems: “With such a large lead I didn’t have to drive
on the limit anymore, but then you lose concentration and the danger of
making a mistake grows. However, we’ve won again, a perfect weekend!”
Jan Lammers and Marius Ritskes fought with an ABS failure on the Gallar-
do, but were nevertheless able to fi nish second. Haase / von Thurn und
Taxis now lead the standings with 46 points, Ritskes / Lammers are second
with 29 points.

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The regular drivers of the IPB Spartak Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov will be added by Jan Lammers and Tomas Enge for the highlight of the FIA-GT championship 2008, the 24hrs of Spa.
Former Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers had the opportunity to test the GT1 Lamborghini two weeks ago at Le Castellet. He will race at the 24hrs of Spa for the first time. "I have raced at so many different races andrace series, but I have never driven in Spa for the 24hrs", confesses the Dutch driver.
The contract with Tomas Enge has been signed today, so that Enge will drive the Murciélago for the first time at the free practice next week in Belgium.

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InterProgressBank Spartak Racing travelled to the FIA GT Championship
season highlight in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The white Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT, fielded by Reiter Engineering, boasts a top driver line-up. Peter Kox (NL), Roman Rusinov (RUS), Jan Lammers (NL) and Tomas Enge (CZ) were the four professional drivers
signed for the 24-hour long hunt around the picturesque track.
Jan Lammers and Tomas Enge made their first exploratory laps in the Murciélago in free practice and Pre-Qualifying on Thursday.
“Although I only drove a few laps on Thursday I’m familiar
with similar car concepts and was able to get to grips quickly with the cat,” says Tomas Enge. The Lamborghini quartet improved
their lap time from 2:19.413 in the practice sessions to 2:15.281 minutes during Friday’s final qualifying session.
Apart from a sticking brake caliper on Thursday evening,
IPB Spartak Racing could conclude the test work without
problems. Peter Kox and Jan Lammers contested the third forty-five minute qualifying session on Friday and put the Lamborghini Murciélago eighth on the strong GT1 grid.
“Friday was very good for us,” stated Team Director Hans Reiter after qualifying. “We are a good two seconds quicker than we were during the Le Mans Series at the same location two months ago.”

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IPB Spartak Racing successful at Spa
InterProgressBank Spartak Racing made the finish with the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT on its first outing in the race twice around the clock at Spa, Belgium. In addition to the long race distance, the Russian team also took advantage of the peculiarity of points being awarded on three occasions throughout the race. Valuable points for the FIA GT Championship were collected at the 6, 12 and 24 hour marks.
The driver quartet of Roman Rusinov (RUS), Peter Kox (NL), Jan Lammers (NL) and Tomas Enge (CZ) posted a strong performance during the first half of the race. Starting from eighth position the IPB Spartak Racing crew worked its way up to fourth position despite the changeable weather. In the process, the drivers even outclassed the entire competition from Maserati, Corvette and Aston Martin. The lap times were as much as 2 seconds quicker than those of the competition.

Unfortunately, a gear-change problem on early Sunday morning ended IPB Spartak Racing’s march towards the front. The mechanics changed the Murciélago’s gearbox after completing 336 laps around the roller-coaster Spa-Francorchamps track in the Ardennes. However, in spite of this time consuming repair Rusinov, Kox, Lammers and Enge returned to the fray with renewed motivation and once again recorded extremely competitive lap times.

Reiter Engineering FIA-GT 06 / 2008 The #8 IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini returned to the race in 14th position and had fought its way into the top-ten again by mid- day. Even an unscheduled pit-stop to change tyres after touching another car could not halt the forward progress. Although the rain increased during the fi nal two hours of this marathon, Peter Kox completed a double-stint on slick tyres. The GT1 Class rivals choo- se different rain tyres, but were unable to keep the Dutchman’s pace. The IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini was occasionally as much as 5 seconds per lap faster than the rest of the fi eld. Thanks to this incredible effort the InterProgressBank Spartak Ra- cing Lamborghini Murciélago crossed the fi nish line in fi fth posi- tion in the GT1 class with Peter Kox at the wheel. "Every driver and the entire team dug deep and produced an incredible perfor- mance to make this result possible," says Hans Reiter of Reiter Engineering, which provided the technical support for this event.

The result: 1. Bartels/Bertolini/vd Poele/Sarrazin Maserati MC12 2. Ramos/Negrao/Lemeret/Pier Guidi Maserati MC12 3. Peter/Simonsen/Turner/Thompson Aston Martin DBR9 4. Aucott/Daoudi/Ferté Maserati MC12 5. Rusinov/Kox/Lammers/Enge Lamborghini 6. Fässler/Hezemans/Deletraz/Gollin Corvette C6.R

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http://www.italiaspeed.com/2008/moto...nd/report.html

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The FIA GT Championship held its sixth race of the season around the Parliament Buildings in the centre of the Rumanian
capital Bucharest. InterProgressBank Spartak Racing also took on the challenge of the very narrow and demanding street circuit. Following the 24-hours of Spa the regular driver line-up of Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov were again at the wheel.
The pair in the Reiter Engineering run #8 Lamborghini Murciélago
fought against the extremely high air and track temperatures
in Bucharest at the start of the weekend. In qualifying Kox claimed tenth position on the grid in the Murciélago for Saturday evening’s qualification race.
Peter Kox completed the first stint of the 60 minute long race in eighth position before handing over the GT1 Lamborghini
to Roman Rusinov on lap 25. The 26-year old from Moscow completed the second-half of the race and held 8th place till the finish. As a result IPB Spartak Racing scored points again for the FIA GT Championship after Spa.
The “Championship Race” on Sunday afternoon also started
promisingly. Peter Kox again started the race and fought his
way up to fi fth place. Rusinov took over on lap 26, unfortuna-
tely lost two places and took the chequered fl ag in seventh
position overall.
“Peter extracted the maximum today in these diffi cult conditions
where the air temperature exceeded 30 degrees and the track
temperature occasionally reached 50 degrees,” said Team
Boss Hans Reiter. “We were nevertheless not quick enough to
run at the front this weekend.”
IPB Spartak Racing will miss the next FIA GT Championship
round as the team will contest the Le Mans Series Race held
at Silverstone on the same weekend.

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(from Lamborghini Press Release) The history of Lamborghini had been distinguished by the construction of extraordinary sports cars that had no need to draw on the experience – intriguing but also very expensive – of a Racing Department. From the very beginning, Ferruccio had made it clear that he had no intention of funding these expensive adventures and that was how the company had always operated.
The arrival of Chrysler, and of various executives who were hypnotised by the glamour of auto racing, changed this attitude as well. Towards the end of 1987, the French Formula 1 team Larrousse asked Mauro Forghieri, the celebrated designer of Ferrari’s finest models from the Sixties and Seventies, to create a new engine, and he turned to his good friends at Lamborghini with the proposal of embarking on the project together. After obtaining Chrysler’s approval, Forghieri designed his engine, a V12 with a 3.5-litre capacity, the maximum displacement allowed by regulations. A new parallel structure, separate from Lamborghini and named Lamborghini Engineering, was established in Modena specifically for this engine. The speed of the designer from Modena and of the organisations with which he worked was renowned. Ready within a matter of months, the new engine was officially demonstrated to the public in April 1988.
Naturally, the news was sensational. The debut in Formula 1 racing of a company like Lamborghini – long the master at producing high-quality, top-performing twelve-cylinder engines – was a major event, and one that could cause plenty of headaches for Lamborghini’s direct rivals. Moreover, the commitment and risk for the company were still rather limited, given that Lamborghini was simply supplying engines to the Larrousse team, which obviously pledged to pay for them. The 1989 season was rather disappointing, but the fault for these poor results lay above all with the French team, which did not have the money and organisation required to compete at the highest levels. Nevertheless, the engine showed excellent potential that deserved to be exploited. As a result, even a titled team like Lotus requested Lamborghini engines for the following season.
Thanks also to this double supply of engines to two teams, the results for 1990 were nothing short of brilliant. At the end of the British Grand Prix, Bernard won an extraordinary fourth place and Suzuki placed sixth. The Hungarian Grand Prix was even more rewarding for the Lamborghini engines, which placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively with Warwick (Lotus), Bernard (Larrousse) and Donnelly (Lotus). Nevertheless, the best placement of the whole season came from Suzuki on his home turf at the Grand Prix in Japan, as he placed third and gave the company its first podium finish. This was the best placement ever achieved by a Lamborghini engine in all its seasons of activity.
The finale of the 1990 season – definitely on the rise, with 14 points racked up by the teams with a Lamborghini engine – understandably fuelled the excitement in both Sant’Agata and Detroit. Thus, a wealthy Mexican businessman decided that, in the wake of this success, he would place an order with Lamborghini not only for a F1 racing engine, but for an entire car. The opportunity was obviously too good to pass up, and once the customer’s ample finances were confirmed, Forghieri and his team briskly went to work on the entire project. The single-seater was a relatively conventional one, but its design showed great attention to detail and it brought together all the experience gained by the Modena designer throughout his long career. In particular, it made the most of the data collected over two years of working with the teams using this engine. The new car was entered into the 1991 world championship season, but suddenly the Mexican backer mysteriously disappeared (he was never heard from again) and, at this point, there arose the serious problem of financing the team. An Italian industrialist came forward, offering to make up the shortfall to race the car, which was thus able to participate in the world championship that year as the ‘Modena Team’.
That season, Lotus and Larrousse decided to forgo the Lamborghini engines, which were requested instead by Ligier. But the effort involved in following an entire racing team and outsourcing engines – and with decidedly inadequate funding for this purpose – aggravated the already known problems, and the season of Lamborghini’s single-seater was not a thrilling one. If greater financial resources had been available, it would probably have been possible to find better solutions to the various problems that arose during the season. However, Chrysler inexplicably refused to support this activity in any way, even when it became evident that the economic problems faced by Lamborghini Engineering would trigger a drop in the performance of the F1 car and thus a problem in terms of brand image. Despite Forghieri’s commitment, the American company’s insensitivity to this problem led to a progressive decline in automotive performance and the 1991 season ended negatively, with the definitive withdrawal of the Modena F1 Team from the world championship. Now this lovely single-seater can also be admired at the Sant’Agata museum, and it represents one of the most important missed opportunities in the history of Lamborghini.
The 1992 season saw the return of Lamborghini as the engine supplier for the Larrousse and Minardi teams, the latter coming out of a difficult season with Ferrari engines. In 1993, the Modena company supplied V12 engines only to Larrousse. In both seasons, enormous engine problems arose, reflecting the lack of funds available for the technical development of the engine. The fact that it was fundamentally a well-designed engine is proven by Ayrton Senna’s interest in it, and the Senna tested a Lamborghini engine on the McLaren he was driving at the time. The agreement was in place and ready to be signed when Peugeot, which wanted to return to Formula 1 racing by supplying one of its engines to a high-profile team, stepped in and the deal fell apart, thereby ending Lamborghini’s adventure in the world of Formula 1 racing. The firm continued, with good overall results, to compete in the field of marine engines, an area that was completely foreign to the original philosophy of Lamborghini cars but allowed it to achieve important results in specialised championships like powerboat racing.