FIA GT3 European championship

PHIL QUAIFE TAKES TOP PORSCHE HONOURS IN BRNO

24 September 2007.../Phil Quaife returned to FIA GT3 European championship competition this weekend with round four in Brno, Czech Republic. Partnering with Greek driver, Dimitris Deverikos for the event, the Tech9 Motorsport pairing took manufacturer victory in both races, bringing home their Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car ahead of the other Porsche rivals.

With a three month gap since the last GT3 round, Phil has been concentrating on his Porsche SuperCup campaign, but he welcomed the return to this championship.

“The Tech9 Motorsport team have been working really hard since the last round,” said Phil. “They've been testing with the cars and looking at improvements for this championship and after getting back behind the wheel in the practice sessions, they've definitely made steps forward.”

In the two practice sessions Phil and Deverikos were able to improve the car setup, developing the overall handling of the car, which, in turn, lowered their lap times. The team opted for short runs with set up changes each time in efforts to analyse the performance of the car. Their hard work produced results with a gain of pace during the practice periods.

The qualifying session produced further improvements with new tyres proving to be worth around three seconds. The two qualifications demand that each driver sets their fastest lap, with each being used to set the grid for the races. “We qualified as second  fastest Porsche in each session, so we're comfortable with our performance level,” said Phil.

The first race was started by Deverikos, with the Greek sportscar racer coping well with the drama of the opening lap. He managed to scrape through a multi-car accident , taking to the grass and being bumped from behind in his efforts to avoid the accident. With six cars out after the first lap and a safety car period, the #1Tech9 Motorsport entry was back on the pace. Deverikos handed the car over to Quaife and his mission was to catch the lead Porsche of Richard Williams and Tom Cloet, 19 seconds ahead. Over the course of Phil's stint he chased down Cloet and with two laps to go had closed on the rival Porsche. As the duo headed into the final lap Phil was on the tail of Cloet and determined to overtake him. They swopped positions as they fought for Porsche honours with Cloet fending off Phil until the last corner of the last lap when Phil outfoxed his rival who outbraked himself and ended up spinning, giving Phil a clear path to the chequered flag. The Tech9 Motorsport entry finished 17th overall, but more importantly, top Porsche.

“I gained so much satisfaction in hunting down the rival Porsche. It was a tough goal from when I jumped in the car, but we reeled him in and just managed to get past after hounding him right to the last corner. It was great fun!” said Phil..

Phil Quaife was the driver for the start of the second race and his quarry this time was Phil Keen, three places ahead of him on the grid. Using all his experience from SuperCup Phil made a good start, avoiding the melee to the first corner and taking his Porsche rival by the time they had gone through it. He was then off down the road and aiming to build a substantial lead over the rival Porsches. Pitting for the driver change Phil had a 24 second advantage over the Porsches of Williams and Keen and Deverikos was able to lap consistently to fend off the rivals, crossing the line as the top Porsche again and 16th place overall.

“It's great to have finished top Porsche in both races,” said Phil. “Tech9 have worked really hard and improved the car so much since the last round and my thanks go to everyone there. I enjoyed the Brno track and being able to run hard and really use the experience I've gained this season, it was a good weekend.”