Official Qualifying - GTS and GT

Konrad takes GTS pole with Liddell topping GT

Estoril, Portugal - Saturday 14th July 2001: Franz Konrad in his Konrad Motorsport Saleen S7R held off the challenge of Bruno Lambert in the RML Saleen to take pole position in the GTS class for tomorrows 1000km ELMS race. Robin Liddell took the GT pole after a session long battle with Xavier Pompidou and Magnus Wallinder.

GTS CLASS

Bobby Verdon-Roe was the fastest driver on the circuit in the early part of the session in the Brookspeed Viper but after five minutes Lambert joined the battle, moving ahead of Verdon-Roe within three laps. With 10 minutes of the session remaining Konrad made his move and went to the top of the timings with a time 0.6 seconds faster than Lambert. Lambert fought back, reducing the gap to 0.16 seconds but the honours went to Konrad as the chequered flag brought the session to a close.

GT CLASS

Magnus Wallinder in the Seikel Motorsport Porsche was the early pace setter as the 12 car GT field tried to find space to get a quick lap. Robin Liddell in the PK Sport Porsche soon had Lister in his sights and by his sixth lap he had managed to find enough pace to post the provisional pole time. Then Pompidou in the Freisinger Motorsport car managed to squeeze a little bit more out of his Porsche to move ahead of Liddell by a slender one hundredth of a second. Liddell tried to respond and with three minutes remaining he leapt back into the pole position with a time that was three tenths faster than Pompidou. Richard Dean moved his Skea Racing Porsche ahead of Wallinder as the session drew to a close to take third on the grid. Once again the Porsches are closely matched with the top six cars covered by 1.3 seconds.

Round 3 - Estoril - GTS and GT Qualifying -30 minutes

1 - 26 - GTS - Konrad / Brun / Slater - Saleen S7R - 1:38.864
2 - 41 - GTS - Lambert / McKellar / Goodwin - Saleen S7R - +0.160s
3 - 45 - GTS - Monteiro/ Verdon-Roe/ Breyner - Chrysler - +0.644s
4 - 60 - GT - Youles / Liddell / Maserati - Porsche - +4.718s
5 - 77 - GT - Pompidou / Dumas - Porsche - +5.015s
6 - 73 - GT - Dean / Mowlem - Porsche - +5.105s

- ENDS -