NEWS
2009 SEASON REVIEW
By Corvette historian Walt Thurn
FIA GT1
Four ex-factory C6R Corvettes competed in the 2009 FIA GT1 Championship and brought drama wherever they competed.
Finishing on top of the heap was PK Carsport (PM chassis 005) with a fine second place finish in the season championship standings.
The privately funded team with drivers Hezemans/Kumpen finished only 2 points behind the highly financed Maserati MC-12 team.
Their run to second place included an impressive overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa.
Third in the championship was SRT Selleslagh Racing Team (PM chassis 006) with eight finishes and one victory.
DKR Engineering formed a new team titled Sangari Team Brazil and competed in four events that included one victory (PM chassis 002),
Luc Alphand Adventures competed in six events with (PM chassis (003 & 004).
FFSA GT1
Driver Eric Debard captured the 2009 French GT Championship with four victories in seven races.
Eric drove the DKR Engineering C6R (PM chassis 002) to four victories assisted by co-driver Olivier Panis.
FIA GT3
A significant FIA rule change pushed the 2007 and 2008 FIA GT3 championship winning Callaway Competition Corvette team into mid pack finishers for the 2009 season.
Marc Sourd Racing’s Corvette team finished sixth in the team championship.
Hopefully the FIA rule makers will loosen the Corvette’s handicap restrictions for the 2010 season.
ADAC GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Callaway Competition won the ADAC GT Masters team championship at the final round of the season in Oschersleben, Germany.
The hard fought battle between the private Callaway team and the factory Audi R8 effort was particularly satisfying to team owner Ernst Wöhr.
The Corvette Z06.R GT3, developed and built by Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany, was hard to beat this year.
Four victories put the team ahead of the factory Audi-DTM-Teams of Abt and Phoenix Racing.
Callaway also scored the most victories of the season.
Marc Hennerici and Luca Ludwig, son of touring car legend Klaus Ludwig, finished second in the driver’s championship.
Toni Seiler took the honours in the gentlemen drivers’ championship in his Callaway Z06.R GT3 Corvette.
“It can barely be better”, said Ernst Wöhr. “After a great season in the ADAC GT Masters, winning the team championship is a well deserved reward for the entire team.”
Corvette C6 GT4 attacks the Nürburgring-Nordschleife
The Callaway built Corvette C6 GT4 debuted on the legendary 25km long Nordschleife race circuit.
The team raced in two 4-hour races and captured consecutive second place finishes in the GT4 category.
The Corvette finished without any problems. The trio of Arno Klasen/ Tobias Guttroff/ Jens Richter (D) finished 35th out of 186 competitors.
Callaway Competition principal Ernst Wöhr explained. “The two trouble free races showed the big potential of our C6 GT4 on the Nordschleife.
We raced in both races with the same drive train. Our GT4-Corvette proved to be a perfect customer car, easy to handle and very reliable.”
Corvette victorious twice in Dubai
The House of Portiers/TAM Engineering had a perfect start in the first two rounds of the UAE GT championship in Dubai.
Driving the newest Callaway Corvette Z06.R GT3, Karim Al-Azhari made an impressive debut at the Dubai Autodrome.
Karim scored two pole positions and two victories in the first two races of the new championship.
Race two was won by .06 of a second after a spirited battle with the second place Porsche.
Corvette C6 GT4 the most successful car in "Dutch GT4"
The Callaway built Corvette C6 GT4 was successful in the inaugural season of the Dutch GT4.
In the 20 season races, three Corvette C6 GT4’s scored seven victories.
Jeroen Bleekemolen won four times, Danny van Dongen twice and Henry Zumbrink once.
