**Spoiler** Long Beach Final GT 2

71 GT2 1 Dirk Mueller Fin 68 3 Laps 2 Laps 1:22.590 1:21.130 87.33 24 1 1:08.021 1:08.021 Ferrari F430 GT Tafel Racing Michelin --
45 GT2 2 Wolf Henzler Fin 68 0.102 0.102 1:22.374 1:21.095 87.36 50 1 1:15.383 1:15.383 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Flying Lizard Motorsports Michelin --
46 GT2 3 Patrick Pilet Fin 68 0.419 0.317 1:22.258 1:20.605 87.90 53 1 1:18.976 1:18.976 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Flying Lizard Motorsports Michelin --
12 P1 3 Chris McMurry Fin 67 4 Laps 1 Lap 1:22.779 1:18.362 90.41 39 1 3:41.173 3:41.173 Creation CA07-002 Judd Autocon Motorsports Dunlop --
48 GT2 4 Gunnar Jeannette Fin 67 30.515 30.515 1:26.448 1:21.906 86.50 13 1 1:17.541 1:17.541 Ferrari F430 GT Corsa Motorsports Dunlop --
61 GT2 5 Patrick Friesacher Fin 66 5 Laps 1 Lap 1:24.977 1:21.450 86.98 63 1 1:28.208 1:28.208 Ferrari F430 GT Risi Competizione Michelin --
87 GT2 6 Marc Basseng Fin 65 6 Laps 1 Lap 1:22.564 1:21.213 87.24 62 1 7.088 7.088 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Farnbacher Loles Michelin --
44 GT2 7 Lonnie Pechnik Fin 65 12.762 12.762 1:23.287 1:21.954 86.45 51 1 1:23.474 1:23.474 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Flying Lizard Motorsports 44 Michelin --
5 GT2 8 Nathan Swartzbaugh Fin 65 16.916 4.154 1:25.743 1:22.691 85.68 2 1 1:36.641 1:36.641 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR VICI Racing Kumho --
62 GT2 9 Mika Salo Fin 65 46.537 29.621 1:24.126 1:21.096 87.36 20 2 44.798 4:32.030 Ferrari F430 GT Risi Competizione Michelin --
28 GT2 10 Lou Gigliotti Fin 64 7 Laps 1 Lap 1:28.005 1:24.539 83.81 2 1 1:50.380 1:50.380 Chevrolet Corvette C6 LG Motorsports Kumho --

Car #62 Had electrical problems again. Not Risi's year YET. Still time but must fix problem ASAP (Just my $.02)

 

Hi Bruce - EXACTLY - mine and John's thoughts too - must fix ASAP. I still don't understand why Mika went out of the pit without the back window - he ultimately received a penalty for it. Something is amiss and needs fixed pronto!!! I think it will be most interesting to watch this race tomorrow, especially with all the activity. When it was apparent that Risi had the problem and was out of contention, I went to my back-up team and I sure was doing lots of cheering for Wolf to take the Tafel Ferrari - I just knew he'd get him when the Ferrari went a tad wide. I had live timing and Radio LeMans with Hindy on my laptop and John had the Lizards' live audio on the other computer. BUT the best of all for us was the AUDI 1-2 and Brabs taking third overall.

Off to Monza Thursday for the LMS race - hoping for another Audi 1-2 (Allan and Dindo first of course) but the 908's and the Lola/Aston are the threats. It will be interesting to talk with Gimmi Bruni at the autograph session again and get his thoughts on the Ferrari situation in GT2 in ALMS. (He's driving a 430 for Virgo Motorsports out of the UK).

I had visions of the conclusion of this race being kin to Nascar - green/white/checkered!!! Glad the GT2's had an additional lap after Marco crossed the line - very much like Sebring two years ago only with three cars instead of two.

Are you headed to Salt Lake City for the ALMS race May 18th? If so, we'll see you there.

This race certainly was not a typical F1 processional race.

Carol

 

I was sitting in turn 10, right before the hairpin, and saw Tafel, and FL fight it out in the hairpin/turn 10, on the last lap. Most fun I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!

 

Why were there so few cars? I was expecting to see some GT1 Astons, but instead only saw Corvettes using annoying exhausts. I like loud, but the Chevy's were absurd!

 

Bell did not repair the DBR9 in time for Long Beach.

 

Actually a typical field for ALMS - LMS is where the racing is with 50 cars in four classes on the grid. Go to Petit (ALMS) and you may see two DBR9's in GT1. At Silverstone today in GT1 an Aston beat the MC-12's for the overall win. Gimmi Bruni won again in GT2, this time for AF Corse in their 430 . . . he'll be at the LMS race next weekend in the Virgo 430.

Gil DeFeran will be in P2 at Salt Lake City - his first race as team owner/driver. In SLC, they're running the 3.06 mile, 15 turn, outer perimeter course - promises to be one of the fastest ALMS races - should be well suited to the R10's. Live coverage on Speed.

The Corvettes are a bit obnoxious - interestingly enough, in the dark you can tell the majority of the cars by sounds alone, including a difference between the Audi R10 and the Peugeot 908 diesels.

Carol

 

The R10 should walk away from the P2s there--Miller has that unbelievably long,downhill front straight and big sweepers on super smooth asphalt; quite the opposite of the last two events in every respect.

 

I might have been sitting next to you

Have the wheels fallen off the Risi team???

 

Perhaps it's time to ship #62 back to Italy for some repairs - they have three weeks to rid the car of it's electrical gremlins before SLC then . . . . it really needs to be running well for test days two weeks after SLC.

Carol

 

yeah... it was weird seeing only Corvettes running in their class...!

I feel mostly sorry for Porsche... so close, but no win! They lost to Acura and Ferrari in their respective LMP2 and GT2 classes.

I loved Acura's ballsy move towards the end of the race, where the Acura passed by the Ford GT after passing the RS Spyders.

I was also rooting for the winning Ferrari as he crossed the finish line with the 2 Porsches on his back..

I DVR'd the race and fast-forwarded through it, but it was a good race.

~shahedc
.

 

Man, this Tafel Racing is doing really well!

This was the Marketing guy that started a thread here, on FerrariChat, on sponsorship as they have the LeMans invitation in hand....we traded PMs and I gave him some contacts I had....

I TOLD those Shell guys they'd better nail a pectin logo on those cars!!!! ROTFLMAO!

 

Tafel declined the invite - their spot was filled with a LMP1 car.

Carol