Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:32 pm Posts: 4318
Location: Walsall, United Kingdom
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I feel that this deserves its own thread since it is a tast track for the FIA GT cars to take part.
Quote:
A new destination. A new circuit. And a wonderful backdrop for the season finale ! The 2008 FIA GT Championship is heading further south than ever before, for its first-ever race in the southern hemisphere. Argentina will host the tenth round of 2008 at the exciting new circuit at Potrero de los Funes, in the Province of San Luis.
It has been a long journey, in all senses of the word. For all those working on the magnificent circuit with its brand-new infrastructures. For the cars and equipment, which left Europe immediately after Zolder to cross the Atlantic Ocean. And for the teams and drivers competing in the 2008 season, who have been battling it out on the track since the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy, at Silverstone back in May. A final two-hour race will finally see the 2008 GT1 Drivers Champions crowned, joining AF Corse’s Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, who secured the GT2 titles at Nogaro.
The ‘Lago Potrero de los Funes’ circuit, a semi-permanent circuit 14 km from San Luis, is 6.270 km long, making it the second-longest track on the FIA GT calendar, after Spa-Francorchamps. Circumnavigating a volcanic lake, climbing up and down the hillside, it should be a roller-coaster ride for the cars and drivers taking part, many of whom will be visiting Argentina for the first time.
The GT1 category will see the Vitaphone and Phoenix Carsport teams up against each other, as they have been all season. With Vitaphone claiming the GT1 Teams title in Zolder, Hezemans and Gollin still have a slender chance of taking the ultimate crown. But they need to win – and with 90 kg in the car, it will not be easy. As for Bartels and Bertolini, the 2006 Champions also have a heavy car – but as long as they finish 6th, they are guaranteed another trip to the FIA Gala Prize-Giving in Monaco. But there will be plenty of other cars looking to finish the season on a high point – so will it be an Aston Martin, a Corvette, a Maserati or a Saleen which will become the first name on the circuit’s record books ?
With one of the best-ever line-ups, the GT2 category has been amazing in 2008. But AF Corse’s duo of Bruni and Vilander put in a near-faultless performance, leading since the first round in Silverstone. They will be heavily laden for San Luis, with a total of 110 kg in the car, but are sure to be looking to claim a sixth win of the season… However, they will face plenty of opposition, especially with battle raging for second place in the GT2 Teams Championship between BMS Scuderia Italia, Prospeed Competition and CR Scuderia. Last but not least, Belgian Racing’s Gillet Vertigo will be looking to finish the season with a good result on a circuit apparently not dissimilar to its home track of Spa.
The race weekend will be a busy one, as the FIA GT Championship will share the event with the popular national touring car Championship, TC2000, as well as with the Formula Renault 1.6 series and the Historic Touring Car series.
San Luis (Argentina) – November 21st – 23rd, 2008 Provisional Timetable / Cronograma Provisorio
Friday, November 21st / Viernes 21 de noviembre
10.00 – 10.30 Support Race / CategorÃa soporte 1st Free Practice / 1ª práctica libre 30’ 11.00 – 12.00 TC 2000 1st Free Practice / 1ª práctica libre 60’ 12.15 – 12.45 Formula Renault 1.6 1st Free Practice / 1ª práctica libre 30’ 13.00 – 13.30 Support Race / CategorÃa soporte 2nd Free Practice / 2ª práctica libre 30’
15.00 - 15.30 Formula Renault 1.6 2nd Free Practice / 2ª práctica libre 30’ 15.45 – 16.15 Support Race / CategorÃa soporte Qualifying Practice / Clasificación 30’ 16.30 – 17.30 TC 2000 2nd Free Practice / 2ª práctica libre 60’
Saturday, November 22nd / Sábado 22 de noviembre
09.00 – 10.20 FIA GT Championship Free Practice / Práctica libre 80’ 10:35 – 11:05 TC 2000 3rd Free Practice / 3ª práctica libre 30’ 11:20 – 11.50 Formula Renault 1.6 1st Qualifying Practice /1º Clasificación 30’ 12.05 – 13.25 FIA GT Championship Pre-Qualifying / Pre-clasificación 80’
13.35 – 14.15 Animations - Pit walk / Visita a boxes
14.30 – 15:30 TC2000 Qualifying Practice / Clasificación 60’ 15.45 – 16.35 Support Race / CategorÃa soporte Race / Carrera 20/10/20’ 16.50 – 17.05 Porsche Customer Track recognition / vtas. cortesÃa 15’ 17.15 – 17.50 FIA GT Championship Qualifying Practice / Clasificación 15/5/15 18.05 – 18.35 Formula Renault 1.6 2nd Qualifying Practice / 2ª clasificación 30’
Sunday, November 23rd
09.00 – 09.30 FIA GT Championship Warm Up 30’ 09.45 Formula Renault 1.6 Pit lane open / Apertura boxes 09.55 – 10.25 Formula Renault 1.6 Race / Carrera 30’ 10.35 TC 2000 Pit lane open / Apertura boxes 11.00 – 11.50 TC 2000 Race / Carrera 50’
12.00 – 12.40 Animations / Pit walk
12.45 FIA GT Championship Pit lane open / Apertura boxes
13.15 – 15.15 FIA GT Championship Race / Carrera 2h
The “Lago Potrero de los Funes†circuit is located 14 kilometres away from San Luis, capital city of the province of San Luis. The government’s project consisted in developing a motor racing circuit with semipermanent characteristics in an urban-type layout.
Circuit: Technical Data • Length: 6.249,85 metres. With the exception of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which is 7.004 metres-long, “Potrero de los Funes†is the longest circuit in the 2008 FIA GT calendar. •Width: 14 metres, with 3-metre aprons on either side.
Pits: • Control Tower with Media Centre, which includes al the required communication services: telephones, mobile phones, and Internet. • Scrutineering bay for racing cars. • Small-sized, high-complexity hospital, 900 square metres of covered area. • Heliport. • Two concrete grandstands with sanitary facilities located below the stands which can each accomodate 4.000 people. • 1,2 metre-high and 450 metre-long contention wall which separates the track from the pits buildings. • Four sanitary modules with showers, distributed in the paddock area. • There are telephone and Internet services in the pit area.
So as to maintain the accessibility, and the traffic moving outside the track, a number of tunnels and bridges have been built. They connect an inner circulation road with the roads surrounding the track.
There are some figures which may give a more precise idea of what this huge undertaking involves:
• Concrete mixture: 25.000 cubic metres, a volume which is equivalent to a cube with sides which are 29 metres-long. • Soil transported: 250.000 cubic metres, a volume which is equivalent to a cube with sides which are 63 metres-long. • Granular base materials: 100.000 cubic metres, equivalent to a cube with sides which are 46 metres-long. • Asphalt layer: 50.000 Tons. Total construction period -- 10 months.
The circuit also includes all the safety measures required by FIA.
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:30 pm Posts: 11031
Location: Den Haag, The Netherlands
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This is one of the best tracks build the last phew years, I never thought they would build a track like that in modern days. With FIAGT style racing it should be epic
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:17 pm Posts: 271
Location: Overmere, Belgium
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Just seen the entry list, the Race Alliance cars are both missing, not really their year despite 3 wins imho. Both cars not in action in Bucharest, the second car also missed out on Nogara and Zolder.
Jetalliance Racing skips final round in Argentina 2008-11-15, The overall winners of the 2008 FIA GT Championship will be decided this coming weekend (22, 23 Nov) in Argentina. Maserati versus Corvette, or Andrea Bertolini/Michael Bartels (ITA/GER) versus Mike Hezemans/Fabrizio Gollin (NED/ITA), that will be the big fight – the two crews are separated by eight points! But this time, the television audience will have to do without Jetalliance Racing, since the team from Lower Austria will not enter the San Luis event.
Team owner Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer: “I already voiced my opposition against overseas races in this series for financial reasons last year. On the one hand, our title chance is already gone. On the other, being the proper businessmen that we are, the market slump is forcing us to take effective measures immediately in order to reduce costs associated with our ventures. Hence this unpopular decision.†The year in racing nevertheless closes on a successful note for Jetalliance Racing: Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp have taken a total of three wins – more than any other driver pairing. And third place in the team classification has already been secured, while amateur racer Lichtner-Hoyer, together with Alex Müller, has furthermore scored his first podium finish in Oschersleben. At present, Lichtner-Hoyer is remaining silent about his plans for the future: “We will be probing the market before issuing a decision in due course.†But the season is not quite over yet for Jetalliance Racing: During the San Luis weekend (November 22nd/23rd), Lichtner-Hoyer will partner Vitus Eckert in the new KTM X-Bow for the Vallelunga (ITA) six-hour race!
Here in Argentina there is a lot of people going to the race. The san luis province govt thinks that if they can held this event well they will have F1 in a near future This is a comeback for Argentina motorsports after a crisis time
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:30 pm Posts: 11031
Location: Den Haag, The Netherlands
Has thanked:403 times Been thanked:280 times
kakico wrote:
Here in Argentina there is a lot of people going to the race. The san luis province govt thinks that if they can held this event well they will have F1 in a near future This is a comeback for Argentina motorsports after a crisis time
That would be epic TBH, but it needs some adaptions for f1 that's for shure.
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