Category: Motorsport Events

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  • Sumo Power GT Round 7 Qualifying Race Report

    8th September 2010  Portimão Portugal

    FIA GT1 World Championship – Round Seven, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – Qualifying Race Report

    After a faultless performance in the Qualifying Race, driving Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R number 23, Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck recorded their first FIA GT1 World Championship victory at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Starting from second on the grid, they battled at the front of the field throughout the 34-lap race, taking the lead five laps from the end and going on to win by a margin of 2.4 seconds.

    Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter in car 22 also drove an exceptional race. A power steering problem during qualifying put them 22nd on the grid, but were able to make up a very impressive 13 places to finish ninth.
    With th    e Portimão circuit being a relatively new venue for all of the competitors, the team elected to try a different set up for each of its cars in Friday’s Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying sessions. The time sheets revealed that car 23 performed well, setting the third and fourth fastest times respectively whereas car 22 never got inside the top 10. Therefore the team decided to reconfigure the car to match the set up of car 23.

    However, a power steering problem on the first lap of today’s qualifying session, car 22 was forced into the pits and, although the mechanics fixed the problem and got Campbell-Walter back on track, there was no time left for a quick lap. This meant that Hughes would start 23rd and last on the grid. However, for Dumbreck and Krumm things went well and they posted a time good enough to put them in 3rd place.

    With the second-fastest Mark VDS Ford GT being sent to the back of the grid for a technical infringement found during post-qualifying checks, the two Sumo Power GT Nissans each moved up a place. Therefore, Krumm, who was first to drive car 23, started on the front row in 2nd place  and Hughes in car 22 in 22nd
    Krumm made a clean start and kept to the outside of the track for the downhill run into turn one, exiting the corner in second place behind the Corvette of Alexander Margeritis. Hughes, on the other hand, blasted past four cars and ended the first lap in 17th place.
    As the Corvette edged away, lap-by-lap Krumm concentrated on keeping the Maserati of Michael Bartels behind him for the remainder of his stint, the three cars never separated by more than four seconds. Meanwhile, Hughes had quickly acclimatized himself to his car’s new handling characteristics and was overtaking others at the rate of almost one car per lap. Therefore, by the time he pulled into the pits for the compulsory driver and tyre change, he was up to 12th place.
    Krumm came into the pits a lap later after a flawless drive having co    nsolidated his second place and, following a super-fast, 25.8-second pit-stop, Dumbreck took over. Once all teams had ‘pitted’, he found himself back in second and closer to the Corvette, now with Marc Hennerici behind the wheel.

    Campbell-Walter continued where Hughes left off – which was no mean feat, as he had done very few laps in the car so far this weekend – and, although losing a position whilst getting used to his Nissan’s new set-up, he was able to climb a further three places to cross the line in ninth place.
    At the front of the field, things were beginning to look good for Dumbreck, as    he started to reel-in Hennerici from lap 20 onwards – the Corvette’s tyres now past their prime. However, the Maserati – now being driven Andrea Bertolini – was beginning to close the gap, forcing Dumbreck to defend as he attacked Hennerici.

    Sizing-up the situation for a few laps, Dumbreck made him move at the start of lap 29, faking a move to the right and then moving to the left to go round the outside of Corvette in turn one and then holding position to take the inside line for turn two. Dumbreck then pulled away from his two pursuers, his case helped as Hennerici held up Bertolini for another lap.

    For the remainder of the race, the whole of the Sumo Power GT team held it breath as it watched Dumbreck drive a faultless five laps to cross the line and score his and Krumm’s first FIA GT1 World Championship victory.

    The team now looks forward to tomorrow’s (Sunday) main Championship Race, scheduled to take place at 15.30, with its cars starting in ninth and in pole position.
     Team quotes
     Michael Krumm – Driver Car 23 “It was a perfect race for us, which is just what we wanted after the last two rounds. The team did a great job in setting up the car, qualifying went well, I had a good first stint, the team did a fantastic pit stop and Peter drove a perfect second half of the race. So, if you put all these things together this is the result. I’m now looking forward to the main race tomorrow.”

    Peter Dumbreck – Driver Car 23 “The car felt fantastic today. Once I could see the Corvette’s tyres going off, I knew we were in with a chance. It was always going to be difficult getting past and I wanted to make sure I kept it clean and didn’t cause any problems – not only so we could win in a fair way – but to make sure I didn’t jeopardise my second place. This result sets us up perfectly to score even more points tomorrow.”

    Warren Hughes – Driver Car 22 “After qualifying I would have been delighted to think we would finish ninth. The new set up worked well right from the start and it didn’t take long to get used to the way the car was handling. Seeing that when we had a clear track we were setting the same lap times as car 23, we’re now in a good position to improve on our position in the main race.”Jamie Campbell-Walter – Driver Car 22“I was worried that, having not done many laps before the race this weekend, I was going to struggle to get used to the car, but as soon as I left the pit lane it felt fantastic. It’s great that we’ve been able to turn our disappointment of qualifying into a top ten finish.”

    Nigel Stepney – Team Manager “It’s great to have won today. Everything went well for us and the circuit really suited our cars. Michael and Peter drove a perfect race and others around us seemed to have more problems with tyre wear. We were able to get the set-up right too and this proved to work for both cars. It would be interesting to see how car 22 would have got on if it had started further up the grid. We’ll see tomorrow.”

    James Rumsey – Team Principal “I’m delighted with the outcome of today’s race. To win is fantastic and it was a great performance by everyone in the team. Also, for car 22 to make up 13 places in the race, is also an excellent achievement. With one car on pole and another in ninth, we’re in a good position for tomorrow and, having now moved upto fourth in the Teams’ Championship, another haul of points would be great.”

  • Sumo Power GT – Race 7 Preview

    14th September 2010
    Rye, East Sussex,  England
    FIA GT1 World Championship – Round Seven, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – Preview
    After just a three-week gap between races, the Sumo Power GT team are in action again this weekend when they head to the Algarve for round seven of the FIA GT1 World Championship. Once again, Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck will drive Nissan GT-R number 23, with Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter behind the wheel of car 22.
    Following a weekend of mixed fortunes for both its cars in round six at Nürburgring the team has been seeking to overcome the issues that diluted its qualifying performance last time out. However, even with low-starting positions, car 22 managed to finish in the top-ten and consequently, a points-scoring position.
    With the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve a circuit which rises and falls with
    the terrain and includes a mixture of both fast and slow corners, it shares some of its characteristics to that of Nürburgring. Therefore, taking into account the information and data that was gained by the team in Germany, it is hoping that this and the warmer conditions may have a positive effect in Portugal, as one of the main factors for review has been the generation of heat and the management of tyres – teams only allowed to use four sets per throughout the whole weekend.

    Located near the city of Portimão in the Faro region of the Algarve, this relatively new circuit was opened in October 2008. A lap of the track is 4.692 kilometres (2,915 miles) long and is regarded by drivers as ‘challenging’, because of its undulations, blind crests and combination of bends.

    Sumo Power GT heads to Portugal lying 6th in the Teams’ standings, with Hughes and Campbell-Walter 12th and Krumm and Dumbreck 13th in the Drivers’ Championship.

    This weekend’s action starts at on Friday at 09.50 with Free Practice, followed by Pre-Qualifying at 14.35. Qualifying takes place on Saturday at 11.15, with the first hour-long race starting at 16.45 and the main Championship race, also one-hour long, scheduled for 15.30 on Sunday.
    The team had the following to say regarding the Algarve race:
    Michael Krumm – Driver Car 23
    “I’ve only driven the Algarve track whilst testing and not raced there before. It has lots of ups and downs which make it quite challenging, but this is what also makes it an enjoyable circuit to drive. It’s not as high-speed as Spa and probably closer to Nürburgring in its characteristics, so we can take what we learnt from Germany and this should make us stronger in Portugal, although to get a good result this weekend the whole team has to aim to do a perfect job.”
    Peter Dumbreck – Driver Car 23
    “I raced at the circuit a couple of months ago in the 1000kms of Algarve. It’s a rollercoaster of a circuit with a lot of blind crests, which makes it interesting. There are a lot of 2nd gear corners that may not suit our cars ideally, but we should be able to make up for that on the fast and challenging sections, which is where the Nissan GT-R excels. We know we have the car, team and drivers that are capable of fighting at the front at most circuits and, if we approach this weekend with our previous achievements in mind, then we can push for a good result.”
    Warren Hughes – Driver Car 22
    “I raced at the Algarve track in an LMS race in July, where I won the Le Mans class and finished sixth overall. The circuit’s undulations, high and low-speed corners and bumpy surface in places makes it very technical and rewarding to drive. Hopefully it will suit our cars better that Nürburgring, especially if the weather is warmer and we can overcome some of the tyres issues. We will also be focussing on a better qualifying result, as that will set us up for the whole weekend.”
    Jamie Campbell-Walter – Driver Car 22
    “I am the only driver from our team who hasn’t driven the circuit, but it sounds like it shouldn’t be a handicap, especially as Warren (Hughes) is a great team-mate and shares information.  It would be good for us to get a result this weekend, but we’ve got to make sure we get through Q1 and into Q2 or Q3, because it ruins your weekend if you don’t.”
    Nigel Stepney – Team Manager
    “Taking into account our performance at the Nürburgring – coupled to other recent events – we are approaching some of the ways we do things differently when it comes to set-ups. We have carried out a great deal of work back at base since the previous round and therefore, I’m looking forward to seeing how this equates to our performance in Portugal.”
    James Rumsey – Team Principal
    “I think the team could do well this weekend.  Everyone is working well together and we’ve done some good testing on our rig since Nürburgring.  As always, our focus will be to get both our cars into a points scoring position and to do that we need to improve our qualifying performance. We seem to have the race pace, so if we can nail some good grid positions we should be right up there.”

  • Sumo Power GT – Nurburgring Race Report 2

    29th August 2010
    Nürburgring, Germany
    FIA GT1 World Championship – Round Six, Nürburgring
    Championship Race report
    Both Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-Rs fought their way through the field in a tough round six of the FIA GT1 World Championship at Nürburgring. Car 22, driven by Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter, climbed from 16th on the gird up to animpressive eighth and car 23, driven by Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck, went from 20th to 15th, in a race that featured some hard, panel-beating action.
    With the results of  race one determining the grid positions for the main Championship Race, it was always going to be a tough call for both of the Sumo Power GT Nissans to claim
    a top-ten place. The task was thought to be even harder following the morning’s warm-up session, with drivers reporting difficulty in getting the right amount of heat in the tyres.
    Beginning the race from 16th on the grid, Hughes in car 22 made a great start and powered past four cars on the run up to the turn one. Four places further back, Krumm in car 23 was eager to keep out of trouble and avoid another first corner incident that put him and Dumbreck out of race one.

    At the end of the first lap, Hughes was up to 12th and Krumm 18th, both cars making good progress – with Hughes even moving up another place on lap four. However, Krumm was now stuck in traffic and, unwillingly trading paint with the cars around him, was nudged into a spin and dropped back to 20th on lap five.
    A combination of his Nissan handling well, coupled with others dropping out, saw Hughes climb into the top-ten and up to ninth before the mandatory pit stop to change drivers and tyres on lap 13. Even nursing a suspected slow puncture from one of the earlier clashes, Krumm was also overtaking and climbed to 17th before he pulled into the pits.
    The stops for both cars were carried out in under 30 seconds, but unfortunately some of the team’s good work in the pits was undone as each of its Nissans re-joined the race in slower traffic. Once all the cars had stopped and the true positions we displayed on the timing screens, it was revealed that Campbell-Walter, who had taken over from Hughes, was in 10th and Dumbreck, who had replaced Krumm, was in 18th.
    Campbell-Walter was happy with the pace of his Nissan and, on lap 19, went past the similar car of Henry Moser in one of his hallmark out-braking manoeuvres. This, coupled with a drive-through penalty applied to a car in front, moved the Sumo Power GT driver up to eighth place. He then spent the rest of the race ensuring that the pursuing Maserati did not get past and was pleased to cross the line in a top ten – and more importantly – a points-scoring position.
    Once his tyres bedded in, Dumbreck also found himself making up places and, even as light rain started to fall, he was able to hunt-down slower cars ahead of him and get past, ending the race in 15th position. Although not the result he and Krumm were looking for, the speed of their car suggested that by starting higher on the grid, a top-ten finish would have been achievable.
    Overall, the race saw a considerable amount of ‘contact’ between other cars and therefore, the Sumo Power GT team was pleased that both its Nissans came away relatively unscathed. First place went to Darren Turner and Tomas Enge, who took their Aston Martin to its second win of the weekend.
    The outcome for Sumo Power GT means that it now lies 6th in the Teams’ standings, with Hughes and Campbell-Walter 12th and Krumm and Dumbreck 13th in the Drivers’ Championship. The team now turns its attentions to round seven, which takes place at the Portimao track in the Algarve on 18 & 19 September.
    The team gave their thoughts on the result of the championship race afterwards:
    Michael Krumm – Driver Car 23
    “Even though I tried to keep out of the way, because I was overtaking I became involved with quite a lot of contact at the start of the race. I think this must have damaged a wheel or a tyre and from then on the car wasn’t 100%. It could have been a better weekend for us, but I know from our times that the car can be good, so I’m now looking forward to the next round in Portugal.”
    Peter Dumbreck – Driver Car 23
    “Once I was able to get some heat into the tyres I was pleased with the pace of the car and was able to start overtaking. Our lap times were consistent and, if it wasn’t for the low start position and the problems that come with that, I’m sure we would have finished in the top ten.”
    Warren Hughes – Driver Car 22
    “We made a few changes to the car after yesterday’s race and it felt better. I was able to get a really good start and then catch and pass the cars ahead of me. Our race-pace doesn’t seem to be a problem. At the moment its our qualifying that needs work, so if we can get that right, I’m sure we’ll be running at the front again.”
    Jamie Campbell-Walter – Driver Car 22
    “Our lap times were not far off the leading cars in the end. I’m really pleased we’ve been able to get into the points again, which is good for us and the team. Although grip levels could have been a bit better, it was a good race and, if we can get on top of things for qualifying, then I think we’ve cracked it.”
    Nigel Stepney – Team Manager
    “There’s no doubt that both cars had the speed in the race, but fighting through from the back is always going to make things difficult. There’s more pace to come from the cars. We know what areas we have to work on and we’ve now got three weeks to do it.”
    James Rumsey – Team Principal
    “It’s good to finish in the points, with one car, but the pace of both was good. If qualifying and yesterday’s race had gone better for us then there’s no doubt the outcome would be different today. I’m pleased that it was another good all-round effort from the team.”