News September 2008

The No.10 Aston Martin DBR9 was punted out of the 7th round of the FIA GT Championship in Brno.

Gigawave MotorSport’s starting driver, Allan Simonsen, was hit in a first corner clash by another car under braking.

The disappointment of the first lap incident was apparent in the faces of the Gigawave MotorSport team and guests.

The incident itself started in the braking zone of the first corner, when one of the Aston Martins of Jetalliance came down the inside of Simonsen, sending him into a slide. Having rescued and controlled the car through the apex of turn 1, Simonsen was hit again at the front by a Saleen and again at the rear by one of the Vitaphone Maseratis.

Having posted the fastest time of the morning’s warm-up session, the letdown was all the harder to take for the team and drivers.

At 13:27, unable to repair the damage and send the car back out, the team pulled down the garage doors.

Austrian driver Philipp Peter had a frustrating qualifying session in the Gigawave MotorSport DBR9, qualifying in 5th place during the 7th round of the FIA GT Series in Brno.

The exciting Czech circuit played host to a tense qualifying session that could not quite deliver the positive expectations of the Gigawave MotorSport team.

With only 5 kg’s of success ballast on board, this weekend represents a good opportunity for the British team to shine.

The crew remains upbeat however as their DBR9 is working well on this track, one that allows plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Hopes remain high.

Sunday’s race can be viewed at www.gt1live.tv at 12.15 BST.

This weekend sees the Essex-based Gigawave MotorSport team travel out to the Czech Republic for Round 7 of the 2008 FIA GT Championship.

Brno will see the team’s DBR9 competing in the traditional two-hour Sunday race, a format which has not been seen since Oschersleben back at the start of July.

With a fantastic 3rd place at the Spa 24 Hours and two solid points-paying finishes on the streets of Bucharest, the team is now looking for its first outright win.

With only 5kg of success ballast on board for the 5.4km Brno circuit, hopes are high and the team’s chances are good. At a circuit that is undulating and punishing on the heavier cars, Gigawave MotorSport must attack this weekend with everything it has.

Driver Allan Simonsen is confident: “Although I have not raced at Brno before, I am still very positive going into this event. Bucharest was an important learning curve for us and we left there with new direction and motivation. It takes very little time to learn a new circuit and I am looking forward to maximising this weekend. Points are a must.”

Philipp Peter, Gigawave MotorSport’s other DBR9 driver, explains: “We had a very responsive car in Bucharest which will suit Brno really well because of the mix of fast and slow corners. The track has a lot of height changes, so I am pleased we have such little ballast for this race. With the team working so efficiently at the moment, I think we can afford to aim for a big result in Brno.”

Having just moved into its new state-of-the-art 18,000 sq ft facility in Earls Colne, Essex, the team has a large new trophy cabinet to fill… having outgrown the last one! So sights are set high this weekend.

Gigawave MotorSport has moved into its new, state-of-the-art home: an 18,000 square foot complex, just a short walk from its previous home on the Earls Colne Business Park. The new premises offer more room for the team’s ever-growing workforce as well as catering for its imminent expansion.

The scenic surroundings of the Essex Golf and Country Club and the Marks Hall Arboretum offer little indication that Essex’s most prominent and successful motorsport team is preparing its Aston Martin DBR9 race car here, a car competing in the FIA GT 2008 Championship.

Success on the track comes from solid foundations and a strong infrastructure off the track, and this move further cements Gigawave MotorSport’s ambitions for the future. The new premises are just one part of the team’s expansion plans over the next few years.

Gigawave MotorSport will continue to run its FIA GT project from the new site, as well as taking on some fresh and exciting motorsport challenges, including a Le Mans LMP1 project.

In addition, the Earls Colne-based company continues to develop race-bred technologies and is investing in the modern facility to expand its capability.