Hot Race Pace Yeilds Solid Adria Result
23rd June 2008
As the sun set on the tight and twisty Adria International raceway in Northern
Italy it was smiles all round in the Scuderia Ecosse garage as Fabio Babini
and Jamie Davies battled from ninth on the GT2 grid to take a well earned 4th
place finish. After some aggressive set up changes and a calculated race strategy,
both Jamie and Fabio were able to carve their way through the field at the
first night race of the season.
Fabio drove the first 37-lap stint in scorching evening temperatures, setting
a host of quick lap times to keep the team in touch with the closely matched
GT2 leaders. Fabio handed over Car 62 in 5th place to Jamie Davies after 45
minutes. Jamie kept up the pressure with a stunning performance, using all
of his experience to avoid a melee of incidents. With the orange glow of the
setting sun impacting on the drivers’ visibility and the circuit floodlights
glaring, the racecar headlights blazed their way into the final stages of the
race. The Scuderia Ecosse crew delivered a faultless second pit stop and driver
change, and Fabio took over for the last stint of the race, crossing the finishing
line in 4th place.
After the race, Fabio Babini said, ”The final part of the race was really
good for me and the team’s strategy worked out very well. The Pirelli
tyres gave the car great balance and any changes that the team made were perfect
to help us move from 9th up to 4th place. I am looking forward to the next
round at Oschersleben in Germany and feel we can show the car’s true
pace.”
Jamie Davies said, “It was a very good result to start from 9th and
finish 4th. The Team worked like clockwork and the pit stops were superb. The
Pirelli tyres excelled in the Adria heat, performing consistently during my
stint. The balance with the car got better as the race went on and I am hopeful
we can take this forward to Oschersleben and keep the results coming.”
Scuderia Ecosse team principal Stewart Roden said ” Jamie, Fabio and
the whole team did a superb job - the pit stops were excellent and our strategy
worked well. It was unfortunate that we were badly held up in the first stint,
ultimately costing us a podium position. We have worked very hard with Pirelli
to develop new tyres this season and they are working extremely well, thanks
to the dedication of their technicians. With Oschersleben a similar circuit
to Adria I am confident that we will be on the podium”.
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