21 August 2009The Kuismanen Racing Chrysler Viper back on pole after six years
Under a blazing sun with temperatures reaching 31° yesterday and 34° today in Zolder, the qualifying sessions for the 24 Hours of Zolder resulted in logical and expected rankings.
It goes without saying that the best times, taking into consideration the heat on and off the track, were registered yesterday evening. It was the Dutchman Duncan Huisman in the Kuismanen Racing Chrysler Viper GT1 who set the fastest time with a 1.31.936, or an average of 157 km/h, ensuring them pole position.
The Finnish team took advantage of the open regulations governing these 24 Hours of Zolder and travelled on down to the Zolder track with the Viper GT1. This was not the first time that Kuismanen had grabbed pole, because back in 2003 Vincent Vosse, in an almost identical time, was able to offer Kuismanen Racing and the Viper a pole position. The Finnish have proven that they keep their stable in top condition, although it will be a question of waiting to see whether the car can hold out during this gruelling endurance race.
“This is the last Chrysler Viper straight out of the Oreca workshops”, the Dutch pole holder Duncan Huisman told us. Together with the Finnish boss Kuismanen, the Austrian engineer Karl Hasenblicher and the Swede Erik Behrens he will be taking the start on Saturday up front. “The car is fitted with a sequential gearbox, all the latest evolutions, except, unfortunately enough…air conditioning. We shan’t therefore be carrying out any double stints.”
A mere second was the gap between the Finnish Viper and the second car on the grid, the ... Viper GT1 of AD Sport (ex-GLPK) driven by the winners of the previous Dunlop Endurance Cup races, Wim Lumbeeck and the Dutchman Ron Marchal, backed up by Kenneth Heyer and Menno Kuus.
“We don’t have a sequential gearbox and we’ll be keeping to a lower rhythm in order to drive longer and spare the car”, Ron Marchal explained. “We’re aiming at durability and endurance.”
Two seconds behind the Kuismanen Viper we have the first GT3s and silhouettes, namely the First Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S GT3 with François Verbist, Bert Longin, Ruben Maes and Henk Haane, ahead of the fastest BTCS cars, the Renault Mégane Silhouette Delahaye of the « Dream Team » Goossens-Kumpen-Sougnez-Soulet. Behind the reigning BTCS champion we find the champion of the 2008 Belgian GT, namely the Ferrari F430 GT3 of Delahaye-Francorchamps Motors with Bouvy-Coens-Kelders-Mollekens, who were the only ones to sharpen their lap times on Thursday.
Just out of the top-5 we have the Dodge Viper of Koen Wauters and a poorly Jeffrey Van Hooydonk, the leaders in the Belgian GT Championship. They are teamed up for the occasion by Kris Wauters and Raf Vanthoor. Further in the top-12 we come across four other makes, with amongst others the Lamborghini of JD by KS, the BMW M3 Silhouette of Vanbellingen, the British Mosler and the Lémeret-De Doncker-Martin-Vanderstraeten Ford Mustang. The race promises to be wide open and unpredictable, and the initial hours will be undecided.
“In my opinion the Viper GT1 of Kuismanen starts off as the favourite, but behind them half a dozen cars have a chance of clinching victory”, fourfold winner Anthony Kumpen reckoned, but had high hopes for his own chances. “Everyone has their strong and weak points and consumption, the weather, luck and strategy... will all be major factors. Hopefully it will be less hot, because the cars will suffer under these high temperatures.”
Further down the pack we find the Porsche of Speedlover in 14th place, with Audi-drivers Jean-François Hemroulle and Tim Verbergt, who will be hoping to score points after 6, 12 and 24 hours for their GT-championship. The first Touring car is the BMW M3 of Olivier Muytjens, Michel De Coster, Willie Moore and “Brody”, the first GT4 is the First Motorsport Porsche 997 GT4 with Belien-Van Rompuy-Wouters-Derdaele, and in 23rd place we have the Signa Seat Leon Supercoppa, whilst the two small Renault Clios also managed to stay under the minimum qualifying time of 1.53.
In total 27 cars will take the start on Saturday at precisely 16.00hrs, for the 31st edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder, whilst beforehand you will be able to enjoy the Clio Cup, the European Cup GT4 and the Italian F3000, and this in addition to the numerous attractions and musical performances.
Top-15:
1. Kuismanen - Huisman - Behrens - Hasenbichler (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) in 1:31.936
2. Marchal - Lumbeeck - Kuus - Heyer (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) 1:32.925
3. Verbist - Longin - Maes - Haane (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S) 1:33.909
4. Kumpen - Goossens - Soulet - Sougnez (Renault Mégane Trophy) 1:34.040
5. Coens - Bouvy - Kelders - Mollekens (Ferrari F430 GT3) 1:34.169
6. Wauters - Van Hooydonk - Wauters - Vanthoor (Dodge Viper Comp. Coupé) 1:35.280
7. De Laet - Vollebergh - van der Zwaan - van der Zwaan (Lamborghini Gallardo) 1:35.748
8. Penders - Lamot - Loix - Machiels (Porsche 911 GT3 RS) 1:35.763
9. Vanbellingen - Vandermaesen - Schrauwen - Renard (BMW M3 Silhouette) 1:36.487
10. Beaumont - Gormley - Clucas - Smyth (Mosler MT900 GT3) 1:36.984
11. Becker - Vos - Kolen (Renault Mégane Trophy) 1:37.005
12. van der Straten - Lémeret - Martin - de Doncker (Ford Mustang FR500 GT3) 1:37.205
13. Moonens - Redant - Stoeltie - Gepts (BMW M3 Silhouette) 1:37.529
14. Van Hover - Verbergt - Hemroulle - Raus (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) 1:38.498
15. Thiers - Thiers - Thiers - Van Mol (Dodge Viper Comp. Coupé) 1:38:806
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