fia, championship, challenge, motorsport, historic, historic racing, series, vintage, racing, cars, automobile, Auto & Motor, Cars & Motor, Voiture et Motor, Autotuning, Oldtimer, challenges, events, european, fia-gtc, fia-tc, gtm, fia-gt, championships, touring, grandtouring, classic, oldtimer, race, races, photos, videos, AC Cobra, Alfa Romeo GTA, Austin Healey, Austin Mini Cooper S, BMW 2002 3.0 CSI CSL, Chevrolet Corvette, De Tomaso Pantera, Diva GT, Elva GT, Ferrari 365 GTB, Ford Escort MK RS, Ford Falcon Sprint, Ford Lotus Cortina, Ford Mustang, Jaguar E Type, Jaguar MK II, Lotus Elan Elite, Marcos, Mercedes 300 SLS, Mini Marcos, Morris Cooper S, Mustang GT, Porsche 356 906 910 911 RSR 3.0, Triumph TR4, TVR Grantura, TVR Griffith, Volvo 544,
                  

Racereport 2003 / 07 Estoril


Drifting by the sea

 

Anybody who expected a sunny weekend in the Portuguese autumn, was disappointed. But that is the only bad news from the final at the Atlantic coast in Southern Europe. Without the new FiA-GTC champion Bo Warmenius (S / Lotus Elan 1965), who concentrated on the FiA-TC decision, the first race was started on the wet track. It was the day of Heiko Ostmann (D) in the Porsche 911 SR (1971), Hans-Jürgen Malsbenden (D) in the open Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) and Bill Shepherd (GB) in his AC Cobra with a Le Mans-style hardtop (1963).

 

 

What a race!!

 

 

Polesetter Alexander Hack (D) lost position after position in his Porsche 911 SR (1971). Henrik Lindberg (DK), who started out of the second position, could go the pace of the top cars. But in the 7th lap the Elan crashed into the barrier. „It must have looked silly“, Lindberg reported. „But on the straight the car suddenly turned to the right, maybe a failure of the diff or oil on the rear tires“. The front of the Elan was damaged as well as the suspension. „We will try to repair the car to race tomorrow“. But the plan didn’t work.

 

 

But back to the first race: especially Bill Shepherd and Hans-Jürgen Malsbenden started GT fireworks in their V8 GTs. The fastest lap time was noticed for Bill Shepherd in the Cobra. But the Briton experienced a race like a rollercoaster. He stormed past Heiko Ostmanns Porsche on the straight into the leading position but also spun three times. In the end he was third. Malsbenden had a fantastic fight with Shepherd, sliding with his Corvette Sting Ray in the Portuguese rain like the AC Cobra but with a happy ending as second overall and fastest period F car.

 

 

Behind Ostmann, Malsbenden and Shepherd, Wolfgang Schachinger (A) missed the podium in his Corvette Sting Ray (1963), one of the rare split window coupés. Behind him Alexander Hack passed the chequered flag ahead of Jose Albuquerque (P) in his Ferrari 250 GT SWB (1961). The Portuguese, who lives only some kilometres away from the race track in Cascais, won the period E category in his home run. Oliver Heschl-Gillespie (A) had no chance with his Jaguar E-Type (1961) to follow the Ferrari.

 

 

But the Austrian driver, who is second in the final FiA-GTC championship, won the overall class 2003 for the period E-cars (pre-‘62). Nicolas and Michel Reitz (F), who missed with their Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II (1961) in Estoril, became second. Walter Antonacci (I) finished the FiA-GTC 2003 on the third position. With his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider (1957) he won the class in the first race. Lothar Franke (D) finished behind him. The German handled his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato (1959) very carefully in the wet: „I do not risk too much, because it is very difficult to repair the rare aluminium body, if it is damaged“.

 

In the second race at the Estoril International Historic Festival, the winning Porsche had to start from back of the grid, because the team boss Dirk Sadlowski (D) raced the 911 instead of Heiko Ostmann. So Hans-Jürgen Malsbenden started from the pole. In the first laps he struggled with Bill Shepherd. But after the AC Cobra found its way past the Corvette, it was up and away. Malsbenden secured the second position, but suddenly the American GT was missing. „My rear wheel passed me“, the German said. „I think the reason was, that the wheel bearing ran hot“. So Dirk Sadlowski came in the second position.

 

 

Behind him the spectators followed the duel of the FiA-GTC race. Alexander Hack in the Porsche 911 SR tried to defend the third position overall against Francisco Albuquerque, the 30-year-old son of Jose, in the beautiful Ferrari 250GT SWB (1961). In the second part of the race the Portuguese passed the Porsche and saw the chequer as third overall. He won the period E category as his father. Oliver Heschl-Gillespie again became second. „After the start I was ahead of him“, Heschl-Gillespie said. „But after some laps it was impossible to hold him“. The fifth position overall was his best result in the FiA-GTC season 2003. Lothar Franke finished as third in the category for the pre ‘62 cars and won his class.

 

 

Dirk Johae


track.estoril.jpg