2011 FIA GT1 : Hexis Aston Takes the Spoils in Germany

2011 FIA GT1 Sachsenring - Winners : Christian Hohenadel / Andrea Piccini - Hexis AMR - Aston Matin DB9

SACHSENRING, Germany : May 15, 2011 - Andrea Piccini and Christian Hohenadel took their Hexis Aston Martin No.4 to victory in the Championship Race at Sachsenring. The Hexis pair started from fifth on the grid and stayed clear of a spate of early incidents to secure their first win of the 2011 season. Second place went to the No.37 All-Inkl Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini of Dominik Schwäger and Nicky Pastorelli while third was the Young Driver Aston Martin No.8 of Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner.

2011 FIA GT1 Sachsenring - Winners : Christian Hohenadel / Andrea Piccini - Hexis AMR - Aston Matin DB9

The nr 41 Marc VDS Ford of Maxime Martin led the field into the first turn with Stef Dusseldorp in the nr3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin on the outside of the Ford as the pair vied for the lead. The nr3 was pushed wide and onto the gravel by the Ford, allowing the nr8 Young Driver Aston of Stefan Mücke to nip through and take the lead. At Turn 2 the nr5 Swiss Racing Lamborghini of Karl Wendlinger and the nr7 Young Driver Aston Martin of Tomas Enge collided, tipping the Lamborghini into a spin. The unfortunate Max Nilsson in the nr6 Swiss Racing Lamborghini t-boned his teammates car and was left stranded on the circuit with severe front end damage. Both the nr5 and nr7 cars pulled off the circuit into retirement two corners later and the safety car was deployed to recover the stricken Nilsson car.

The race was restarted at the end of lap 5 just as rain began to fall on to the circuit. Christian Hohenadel in the nr4 Hexis Aston was challenging the nr8 Young Driver Aston for the lead. However it wasn't until lap 10 that Hohenadel took the lead into Turn 1 but as soon as he was free he opened up a gap to Mücke's car.

Meanwhile the nr41 Marc VDS Ford slowed with a punctured right rear tyre, with damage to the bodywork. Martin pulled into the pitlane but the car retired and took no further part in the race.

Mike Hezemans was making progress in the Exim Bank Team China Corvette from 14th on the grid, moving up to 8th and challenging the nr21 Sumo Power GT Nissan of Jamie Campbell-Walter for 7th.

On lap 11 Stefan Mücke lost another place as he was passed at Turn 1 by Dominik Schwäger in the nr37 All Inkl.com Lamborghini. Meanwhile the rain had stopped and the teams put away their Michelin wets and prepared for the pit stop window to open.

The leaders came in and went back out in the same order, with Andrea Piccini now leading in the Hexis Aston from Nicky Pastorelli in the All-Inkl Lamborghini and Darren Turner in the Young Driver Aston. The main beneficiary of the pitstops was the nr3 Hexis Aston of Clivio Piccione, which emerged in 5th place in between the nr20 and nr21 Nissans.

Piccini had a comfortable lead but Pastorelli was under pressure from Turner for the first few laps after the pitstops but the Italian started to pull away from the British driver by lap 23. Championship leader Marc Basseng's weekend finished on a low note when the nr37 All-Inkl.com Lamborghini went straight on at Turn 8 with a problem with the rear tyre.

Back at the front of the field Piccini was managing to maintain a comfortable gap to Pastorelli's Lamborghini, who in turn was a comfortable two seconds ahead of the third placed Aston Martin of Darren Turner. Further back Nicky Catsburg in the nr11 Exim Bank Corvette was challenging David Brabham in the nr20 Sumo Power Nissan but the Australian just held his line and his position until the chequered flag.

At the flag it was Andrea Piccini who took the first win for the nr4 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9, taking the lead in the Driver's Championship for himself and Christian Hohenadel in the process. Hohenadel and Piccini now have 61 points to Marc Basseng's and Markus Winkelhock on 57. Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke are third on 56 points. The result also means Hexis AMR extend their lead in the Team Championship to 17 points over All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport.

Christian Hohenadel also becomes the first FIA GT3 European Champion to win an FIA GT1 World Championship race. 2008 FIA GT3 Champion James Ruffier won a race in the FIA GT Championship at the wheel of a GT1 class Corvette in 2009 but Hohenadel is the first GT3 Champion to win a GT1 World Championship race.

The next race is at Silverstone on the 3-5 June when the drivers in the FIA GT1 World Championship will compete for the world famous Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy.

Championship Race-result
Pos	Car	Class	Drivers	Car	Time	Laps	Gap	Avg speed
1	4	GT1	Christian Hohenadel / Andrea Piccini	Aston Martin DB9	1:00:27.349	42
2	37	GT1	Dominik Schwager / Nicky Pastorelli	Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S	1:00:29.872	42	2.523
3	8	GT1	Stefan Mücke / Darren Turner	Aston Martin DB9	1:00:31.567	42	4.218
4	20	GT1	Warren Hughes / Enrique Bernoldi	Nissan GT-R	1:00:50.210	42	22.861
5	21	GT1	David Brabham / Jamie Campbell-Walter	Nissan GT-R	1:00:50.896	42	23.547
6	11	GT1	Mike Hezemans / Nicky Catsburg	Corvette Z06	1:00:51.216	42	23.867
7	22	GT1	Richard Westbrook / Peter Dumbreck	Nissan GT-R	1:00:51.636	42	24.287
8	40	GT1	Bas Leinders / Marc Hennerici	Ford GT Matech	1:00:52.621	42	25.272
9	23	GT1	Lucas Luhr / Michael Krumm	Nissan GT-R	1:00:53.826	42	26.477
10	10	GT1	Yann Clairay / Antoine Leclerc	Ford GT Matech	1:00:56.768	42	29.419
11	3	GT1	Stef Dusseldorp / Clivio Piccione	Aston Martin DB9	1:01:22.903	42	55.554
12	38	GT1	Markus Winkelhock / Marc Basseng	Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-S	28:52.914	19	31:34.435
13	41	GT1	Maxime Martin / Frederic Makowiecki	Ford GT Matech	16:46.608	9	43:40.741
14	9	GT1	Vanina Ickx / Christoffer Nygaard	Ford GT Matech	5:03.810	2	55:23.539

FIA GT1 World Championship for Drivers

Pos	Class	Driver	Nat	R1		R2		R3		R4		R5		R6		R7		R8		R9		R10		Total
				Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R
1	GT1	Christian Hohenadel			12		18		4	2	25													61
1	GT1	Andrea Piccini			12		18		4	2	25													61
2	GT1	Markus Winkelhock		1	15	8	25		8															57
2	GT1	Marc Basseng		1	15	8	25		8															57
3	GT1	Stefan Mücke			10		6	3	18	4	15													56
3	GT1	Darren Turner			10		6	3	18	4	15													56
4	GT1	Clivio Piccione		2	25	1	8			6														42
4	GT1	Stef Dusseldorp		2	25	1	8			6														42
5	GT1	Richard Westbrook		6	18			8		1	6													39
5	GT1	Peter Dumbreck		6	18			8		1	6													39
6	GT1	Michael Krumm		4			2	6	25		2													39
6	GT1	Lucas Luhr		4			2	6	25		2													39
7	GT1	Dominik Schwager						2	12		18													32
7	GT1	Nicky Pastorelli						2	12		18													32
8	GT1	David Brabham			2			4	15		10													31
8	GT1	Jamie Campbell-Walter			2			4	15		10													31
9	GT1	Karl Wendlinger			6	3	12		10															31
9	GT1	Peter Kox			6	3	12		10															31
10	GT1	Maxime Martin		8	4	2	4	1		8														27
11	GT1	Nicky Catsburg			1	6	10		2		8													27
11	GT1	Mike Hezemans			1	6	10		2		8													27
12	GT1	Alex Müller			8	4	15																	27
12	GT1	Tomas Enge			8	4	15																	27
13	GT1	Frédéric Makowiecki		8	4	2	4			8														26
14	GT1	Enrique Bernoldi		3					6	3	12													24
15	GT1	Warren Hughes								3	12													15
16	GT1	Ricardo Zonta		3					6															9
17	GT1	Marc Hennerici					1		1		4													6
17	GT1	Bas Leinders					1		1		4													6
18	GT1	Yann Clairay						1			1													2
19	GT1	Antoine Leclerc									1													1
Pos	Class	Driver	Nat	R1		R2		R3		R4		R5		R6		R7		R8		R9		R10		Total

FIA GT1 World Championship for Teams

Pos	Class	Team	Nat	R1		R2		R3		R4		R5		R6		R7		R8		R9		R10		Total
				Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R	Q	R
1	GT1	Hexis AMR		2	37	2	28		4	8	26													107
2	GT1	All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport		1	16	8	25	2	20		18													90
3	GT1	Young Driver AMR			18	6	23	3	18	4	15													87
4	GT1	JR Motorsports		10	18	1	4	14	25	1	12													85
5	GT1	Sumo Power GT		3	2			4	21	3	22													55
6	GT1	Marc VDS Racing Team		8	4	3	8	1	2	8	6													40
7	GT1	Swiss Racing Team			6	4	12		10															32
8	GT1	Belgian Racing					1		1		2													4
Pos	Class	Team	Nat	R1		R2		R3		R4		R5		R6		R7		R8		R9		R10

Images : 2011 FIA GT1 : Sachsenring, Germany

[Source : FIA GT - Official]