Adelaide ALMS 31/12/2000   Friday 1 First Two Sessions   Track images from the www.americanlemans.com sitelink Hugh Chamberlain supported the comments made by Rob Schirle yesterday: "Adelaide has spent a very great deal of time preparing for the race. This is obvious from the quality of the circuit, pit and paddock area. All our team have been treated extremely well and are being made welcome wherever we go. I see no reason why the race should not follow all this hard work and be a great success. We are looking forward to it." The entry remains remarkably similar to that originally posted. All 26 cars are present, and driver changes are few. David Murry is in dispute with Rohan Skea, and with the third Skea Porsche withdrawn two weeks ago as it still at the bodyshop in the US, Richard Dean partners Johnny Mowlem in the lead car, with Australian Des Wall hopping into #71 with Skea and Doc Bundy. Kyser Racing has added Canadian Jeff Pabst 911 GT3R #69, sharing with Kye Wankum and Joe Foster. The Konrad Lola has added local driver Alan Heath, Christian Menzel of Kelberg, Germany, drives the #15 Barbour Porsche, Toney Jennings no longer drives #6 PTG BMW, and finally, with #66 car owner Jurgen Lorenz on holiday, Christian D’Agostin of Melbourne, Australia drives this one – nominally a Racers Group entry but run by Cirtek Motorsport. David Brabham and Jason Bright appeared live on the “Today” TV show yesterday morning, standing in front of their #12 Panoz LMP-1 Roadster. They answered questions posed by Steve Leibman. Brilliant publicity. Not sure about the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ theme though. 40 drivers were mobbed at Adelaide’s Rundle Mall during an autograph session yesterday afternoon. More brilliant publicity. You have to hand it to the Aussies. Four of the cars drove from the track to Rundle Mall and back. The first practice session for the prototypes was a 40 minute period on Friday lunchtime. Capello was first out onto the track (significant pointer?), while Magnussen was in trouble with locking brakes on the #1 Panoz LMP07 (below). Not as much as Pirro, who dinged the wall at turn 3. Damage was slight. Biela returned to the track in #78 with a new undertray and repaired bodywork. Magnussen’s Panoz was a pit caller with an undisclosed engine problem, but he also returned to the track. The top three were predictably the two Audis (split by three tenths) and then the Brabham Panoz, less than four tenths behind. Capello had experienced a slight problem with the throttle not closing on the ‘Crocodile’ Audi. Perhaps its jaw was wedged slightly open by a piece of stray hunter. The GTS / GT classes then had a 35 minute spell on the track. The #37 Cirtek / Intersport Porsche stopped on Jones Straight early on and played no further part. Karl Wendlinger then had an uncharacteristic moment in the lead Oreca Viper, pitting with damage after contact with the wall at Banana Bend. He admitted losing the back end. A slippery, green surface? Or a banana skin? The #66 GT3R completed Rob Schirle’s day of woe by stopping with a mechanical problem, while Milka Duno left the track at turn 12 and then pitted with rear quarter damage in the Chamberlain Viper after contact with #92. The lead Skea Porsche had an oil temperature problem. The Oreca cars were split by three tenths, a whole six seconds clear of their only ‘challenger’ so far, the Chamberlain entry. The #51 Dick Barbour Porsche was fastest in GT (Brilliant Bob), a second clear of the quicker PTG BMWs, #10 and #7. Barbour’s car was only two tenths slower than Oreca’s #91, and a tenth faster than #92. Karl Wendlinger: "The track is still a little bit dirty as can be expected with a street circuit, but the surrounds are very well prepared. Unfortunately I lost the rear end in turns 7 and 8 and made contact with a concrete wall, ending my session early.” Sascha Maassen: “The Adelaide circuit is one of the best street circuits in the world and rates highly up against Monaco and the like." Milka Duno: “I slowed for a yellow flag and got tapped by another car, but there was no real damage." Sadly, the Roy Baker Pilbeam has been withdrawn from the meeting, as a result of the scrutineering troubles already reported. More crocodile antics - McNish is celebrating his 31st birthday today, and he was presented with a cake decorated with a…..well, you know, don’t you? Drivers sang happy birthday to the Scot at the media breakfast. Wendlinger’s Viper missed the second session at mid afternoon, the car still undergoing repairs. Next target is the Friday evening session in darkness. A 40 minutes session at 5.45 saw all the cars out together – an interesting prospect. Panoz #2 had a spin almost straight away, #1 then pulling in with electrical troubles. Konrad’s Lola had a water leak, but the Audis were still out front, #78 dipping into the 1:24s. The #92 Viper was into the 1:36s, the Cirtek / Intersport Porsche now its closest rival with a high 1:42. Maassen and Muller were both in the 1:38s in the faster Barbour Porsches. The Olive Garden Lola was late out, the team making major changes to the set up since the first session. It has been modified during the two month gap since the last race. The Konrad B2K / 10 was in a different sort of bother, Charlie Slater crashing at the turn 2 chicane and blocking the track. Slater was unhurt, but the Lola wasn’t. That ended the session early. Best times in each class were: PROTOTYPE: #78 1.24.838 / #77 1.25.501 / #2 1.27.289 GTS: #92 1.36.420 / #37 1.41.520 / #61 1.58.554 GT: #51 1.37.740 / #10 1.37.795 / #5 1.37.883 Close racing in the GT class looks the best prospect for Sunday. Johnny O’Connell summed up his Panoz performance: “We still have a lot of high speed oversteer on entry into the fast corners and we’re still some way away from where we should be." Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport