EU-GT3: Brno: Marc VDS event summary

Difficult start for the Marc VDS Ford of De Doncker-Maxwell The Ford GT3 of Marc VDS Racing Team had a difficult start in the FIA GT3 Championship. Eric De Doncker and his Canadian teammate Scott Maxwell could do no better than a 23rd and 20th ...

Difficult start for the Marc VDS Ford of De Doncker-Maxwell

The Ford GT3 of Marc VDS Racing Team had a difficult start in the FIA GT3 Championship. Eric De Doncker and his Canadian teammate Scott Maxwell could do no better than a 23rd and 20th spot in the races on the Czech track of Brno.

Due to a still not so clear administrative ruling the Marc VDS Racing Team was forced to sit out the opening race of the FIA GT3 championship in Silverstone, but for the second race in Brno they were admitted to the race. It turned out to be a difficult debut of the Ford GT, because the car suffered from road holding problems that turned out to be unsolvable on the twisty Czech track. During qualifying the Ford GT3 managed a 28th and 27th time, to finish on a 23rd and 20th spot in the races. Not the results the team had in mind, but it makes very much clear what the objectives for the rest of the program are.

Eric De Doncker:
"My teammate Scott and I had the displeasure to discover that our car was very hard to drive in Brno, even though we had the same set-up than the one that gave us much satisfaction during the last test sessions in Magny-Cours. The situation was rather bad, since we set lap times that were 4,5 seconds slower than the top times. But we kept on working, even though our progress was marred by the rain. Our situation improved a bit, but we were unable to get away from the wrong end of the grid, especially since fuelpump gremlins made the situation a bit worse. During the races, it all went a bit better, but we still have a lot to do. Fortunately we were able to make a deal with the people of the Brno track, so that we can test on Monday and try to find a solution for our problems. Of course these are disappointing results, but we have to focus on the silver lining. The engine, gearbox and other vital organs all performed without any problem whatsoever, which is rather exceptional for a brand new car. Now we have to find the right solutions to be able to develop our car in the right direction."