Ford GT Dominates FIA GT3 Competition
by CP Staff
The pitlane at Silverstone, England, was dominated by a sea of Ford blue as the Swiss armada from Matech Racing took over the opening rounds of FIA GT3 competition this weekend.
The first of two weekend races got off to a tense start for the team,as British driver Ian Khan had to brake heavily in the first turn in order to avoid an out of control car.
"Khan fell back to 22nd place, having set-off from the 6th row ", explained team principal, Martin Bartek. "Ian was soon back up flirting with the top 10 prior to handing over to Thomas Mutsch. The latter completed the rest and at the end of the race the Ford GT Matech #20 clinched its first victory of the weekend.
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The following day, Thomas Mutsch set-off from pole position, having set the best GT3 lap time of the weekend. The German dominated the fist part of the race, before handing over to Ian Khan.
The latter fell back into third spot prior to putting on the pressure. Khan climbed back up, eventually lapping the leading Corvette 3 laps before the checkered flag.
As for the Mustang FR500GT3s, they had a difficult weekend as the result of track conditions not really suited to what Bartek calls, "these American power beasts."
The lead team comprised of Eric De Doncker and Scott Maxwell came out best, with a 21st place in the first day and a 24th place the following day.
On the result, Bartek commented, "Our objective in the mid-term is to feature up amongst the top 10, and with some hard work carried out in close collaboration with Ford Racing, I’m fully convinced that we can get there."
The next gathering of FIA GT3 competitors will be held at Monza, Italy, on May 17 and 18.
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