From GT1 World
Austria's Andreas Zuber claimed pole position for the Qualifying Race in Abu Dhabi after qualifying was halted following an accident involving the Swiss driver Natacha Gachnang.
Gachnang's Matech Competition Ford GT went off the circuit at Turn 8 and struck the safety barriers. The car failed to negotiate the corner and went down the escape road, hitting the Armco.
Qualifying was nearing the end of the first 20 minute period. Because the damage to the safety structure requires lengthy repairs, the FIA Race Director Eduardo Freitas decided to end the session, which meant an abandonment of Q2 and Q3.
The positions as they stood at the time will be the starting order for tomorrow's one-hour Qualifying Race between 16:00 and 17:00 (local time).
Gachnang sustained a broken leg and was airlifted to Sheik Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi for further precautionary checks.
A cameraman was also injured while filming the event from Turn 8. He was hit by his camera and sustained a suspected broken nose.
Zuber recorded a time of 2m06.780s around the Yas Marina circuit. Under the championship regulations, his team-mate Marc Hennerici will start from pole.
However, Zuber will not get to start the Championship Race at the sharp end of the grid even if and his German team-mate win the Qualifying Race.
All four Chevrolet Corvette C6.Rs will be given a 10-place grid penalty for the main event for a non-compliance with the regulations governing the position of ballast.
On the incident involving Gachnang, Hennerici said: “There was a really bad crash and I hope she’s OK. I’ve heard that her leg is broken, but in those circumstances, she can be happy that it’s just her leg, because when I saw the crash, and I got a good view of it, it was really bad.
Frederic Makowiecki in the Hexis AMR Aston Martin, was second fastest with a time almost a second slower than Zuber. The Frenchman was just ahead of the Vitaphone Maserati MC12 of Enrique Bernoldi.
Qualifying, Abu Dhabi:
1 - Zuber/Hennerici (Corvette C6R) - Phoenix - 2:06.780
2 - Makowiecki/Deletraz (Aston Martin DBR9) - Hexis - 2:07.705
3 - Bernoldi/Ramos (Maserati MC12) - Vitaphone - 2:07.763
4 - Maassen/Muller (Corvette C6R) - MadCroc - 2:08.049
5 - Bertolini/Bartels (Maserati MC12) - Vitaphone - 2:08.070
6 - Salo/Kuismanen (Corvette C6R) - MadCroc - 2:08.078
7 - Kox/Haase (Lamborghini Murcielago) - Reiter - 2:08.090
8 - Turner/Enge (Aston Martin DBR9) - Young Driver AMR - 2:08.143
9 - Krumm/Dumbreck (Nissan GT-R) - SumoPower - 2:08.287
10 - Leinders/Martin (Ford GT) - MarcVDS - 2:08.322
Etc.
Austria's Andreas Zuber claimed pole position for the Qualifying Race in Abu Dhabi after qualifying was halted following an accident involving the Swiss driver Natacha Gachnang.
Gachnang's Matech Competition Ford GT went off the circuit at Turn 8 and struck the safety barriers. The car failed to negotiate the corner and went down the escape road, hitting the Armco.
Qualifying was nearing the end of the first 20 minute period. Because the damage to the safety structure requires lengthy repairs, the FIA Race Director Eduardo Freitas decided to end the session, which meant an abandonment of Q2 and Q3.
The positions as they stood at the time will be the starting order for tomorrow's one-hour Qualifying Race between 16:00 and 17:00 (local time).
Gachnang sustained a broken leg and was airlifted to Sheik Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi for further precautionary checks.
A cameraman was also injured while filming the event from Turn 8. He was hit by his camera and sustained a suspected broken nose.
Zuber recorded a time of 2m06.780s around the Yas Marina circuit. Under the championship regulations, his team-mate Marc Hennerici will start from pole.
However, Zuber will not get to start the Championship Race at the sharp end of the grid even if and his German team-mate win the Qualifying Race.
All four Chevrolet Corvette C6.Rs will be given a 10-place grid penalty for the main event for a non-compliance with the regulations governing the position of ballast.
On the incident involving Gachnang, Hennerici said: “There was a really bad crash and I hope she’s OK. I’ve heard that her leg is broken, but in those circumstances, she can be happy that it’s just her leg, because when I saw the crash, and I got a good view of it, it was really bad.
Frederic Makowiecki in the Hexis AMR Aston Martin, was second fastest with a time almost a second slower than Zuber. The Frenchman was just ahead of the Vitaphone Maserati MC12 of Enrique Bernoldi.
Qualifying, Abu Dhabi:
1 - Zuber/Hennerici (Corvette C6R) - Phoenix - 2:06.780
2 - Makowiecki/Deletraz (Aston Martin DBR9) - Hexis - 2:07.705
3 - Bernoldi/Ramos (Maserati MC12) - Vitaphone - 2:07.763
4 - Maassen/Muller (Corvette C6R) - MadCroc - 2:08.049
5 - Bertolini/Bartels (Maserati MC12) - Vitaphone - 2:08.070
6 - Salo/Kuismanen (Corvette C6R) - MadCroc - 2:08.078
7 - Kox/Haase (Lamborghini Murcielago) - Reiter - 2:08.090
8 - Turner/Enge (Aston Martin DBR9) - Young Driver AMR - 2:08.143
9 - Krumm/Dumbreck (Nissan GT-R) - SumoPower - 2:08.287
10 - Leinders/Martin (Ford GT) - MarcVDS - 2:08.322
Etc.