FIA GT3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

PHIL QUAIFE SET FOR GT3 CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT

Phil Quaife returns to racing action this weekend, kicking off his assault on the FIA GT3 European Championship at Silverstone. In its second season of competition, this young series has attracted registration of 54 cars, with a full grid of 51entrants for the UK round. Phil will be behind the wheel of a Techspeed 9 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car alongside Tom Ferrier, and with experience of the model in the Porsche Supercup, the 21-year-old driver is aiming high in his series debut.

His rivals will have equally powerful machinery with ten different manufacturers represented including Ascari KZ1R, Aston Martin DBRS9, Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, Ferrari 430 Challenge GT3, Ford GT, Ford Mustang FR500 GT, Jaguar XKR GT3, Lamborghini Gallardo and Morgan Aero 8, as well as other Porsche 997 GT3 Cup entrants.

Phil says of the weekend ahead, “I raced on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in British GTs a couple of years ago and have tested here a few times, so I don't have to learn the track, it'll be straight on to developing the car setup for qualifying and the race. I drove this Porsche in Dijon at the official test, and this is my first race with it. I think Tom (Ferrier) and I make a strong pairing, so we should be able to get the car home with a good result.”

He adds, “The 2007 development package for the car won't be on it for this round, so we could be at a disadvantage to our competitors, but on the other hand, the '06 kit is proven to be reliable and quick. We haven't been up against all the cars that will be out on track tomorrow, so it's not easy to gauge our performance potential. I think we can aim for a top ten grid slot, but in the race I reckon we should be setting our sights higher - I'd love a podium finish. We do know that our car has good race pace, so while others might be quick over one lap, we have the reliability and consistency to run at the sort of race pace needed to go the distance, in this championship.”

The FIA GT3 European Championship is one of two series that Phil is contesting this season. The FIA Formula One World Championship-supporting Porsche Supercup is the racer's other focus and he has already competed in his first weekend in Bahrain, with 13^th and 16^th place finishes in the two races. The cars that Phil races in the two championships are similar, but with the GT3 Series using steel brakes and the Porsche Supercup cars running with ceramic ones. Phil has been able to prepare for the switch to steel brakes after an invitation to compete in the UK round of the Belcar Series, partnering Belgian Guillaume Dumarey at Donington a fortnight ago. The pair finished sixth in the two hour race.  

The FIA GT3 European Championship weekend starts tomorrow - Friday 4^th May,  with official practice sessions, continues on Saturday with qualifying in the morning and the first of two races in the afternoon. The event concludes on Sunday with the second race of the weekend.