LMS: Monza Return to Form the Target for Team Modena with Enge and Garcia - 24.04.2008
Monza hosts the next round of the Le Mans Series this coming weekend, Sunday April 27th, and the classic Italian circuit should see a return to form for the Team Modena Aston Martin DBR9 after the disappointment of the opening round in Barcelona at the beginning of the month. With the rapid pairing of Antonio Garcia and Tomas Enge on board, the distinctive DBR9 will be a front-runner in the LM GT1 category in Sunday’s 1000km race.
“The car should be good at Monza,” says Team Principal Graham Schultz, “the engine has been back to Aston Martin Racing and we should have the performance we expect this weekend. After our problems in Barcelona the team have gone to town on the car, we have even re-painted it, it will be 100% for Monza and it should be a good race for us.”
“We are looking forward to being back in LMS action,” says Sporting Director Rik Bryan, “and Monza is always a fantastic high-speed circuit to visit. We aim to have better luck than we had in Barcelona, and the Aston Martin should go well this weekend. If we show the form we are capable of then there is no reason we can’t go for a win.”
Barcelona was only the second mechanical retirement in the race career of the team’s Aston Martin, chassis 101 the first of the customer DBR9s, which usually shows rapid pace combined with superb reliability, a testament to the work put in by the crew away from the circuits at the team’s High Wycombe base. Before retirement the car had led the LM GT1 category early in the race, and was on course for a strong finish in the season opening event.
Garcia is a team Modena veteran, having contested more races in the team’s Aston Martin than any other driver and having raced with the team at Monza last season. The experienced Enge made his Team Modena debut at Barcelona, but has a wide range of sportscar experience as well as the speed and race craft that saw him race in Formula One.
The 20-minute qualifying session for Sunday’s race is at 13.40 local time on Saturday, with the race, scheduled for 1000km or six hours of racing, starting at 12.50 on Sunday. Leading class opposition this weekend comes from the Luc Alphand Adventures Corvettes, the Team Modena Aston Martin having battled with the lead Corvette before retiring at Barcelona.