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EU-GT3: Silverstone: Philip Geipel event summary

Strong performance by Philip Geipel at the first round of the FIA European GT3 Championship in Silverstone! During his first appearance in the FIA European GT3 Championship at England's most famous race track in Silverstone, Philip ...

Published: May 7, 2010, 10:45 PM

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Strong performance by Philip Geipel at the first round of the FIA European GT3 Championship in Silverstone!

During his first appearance in the FIA European GT3 Championship at England's most famous race track in Silverstone, Philip Geipel (Plauen, Saxony region) has shown a stunning performance with the brand new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 entered by the ARGO/Reiter Racing Team.

During the first free practice sessions he already underlined his capabilities:

Fastest time and pole position! A nobody turning into a star in motorsports? He proved his outstanding talent in the following 1hour race. With 33 of the best GT cars like the Audi R8 LMS, Aston Martin DBR9S, BMW Alpina B6 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Ford GT, Corvette Z06R, BMW Z4 GT3 and the Ferrari 430 on the grid, the 23 year old Philip Geipel defended his first position and controlled the field by margins up to 15 seconds on a slightly wet race track. He further set the fastest lap time of the race. A comparable debut of a new driver has never been seen in the history of the FIA European GT3 Championship. Up to the driver change after the first 30 minutes, (Geipel handed over to the former DTM driver Ellen Lohr) he extended his lead to a magnificent margin of 18 seconds. Ages in motor sports!

Unfortunately Ellen has not been able to keep the same pace in the Lamborghini and her lead was slowly melting away. Until the end of the race and the checkered flag, the Monaco based German driver lost 2 positions but still managed to finish 3rd on the podium. A great success as a result of the team's efforts!

Ellen Lohr started the second race of the meeting, held on Sunday, from position 22 of the grid. Until the driver change with Philip Geipel after half an hour, she had no chance gaining places due to the extremely difficult track conditions. So it was up to Philip in his stint. He started a fantastic comeback after being back behind the steering wheel. Philip was not racing with but through the field in his ARGO/ Reiter Lamborghini, set again the fastest lap time of the race and wrestled 17 of his competitors down. Place 4 was the result of his unbelievable catch-up race!

The smashing performance of a newcomer!

"Everything fit today; the Lamborghini was brilliantly adjusted and prepared by the ARGO Team.

"I liked the new, converted Formula One race track in Silverstone from the beginning and felt really confident despite the wet and slippery conditions." Said a pretty exited Philip Geipel.

"Due to Philips extraordinary performance this weekend, our team has been able to claim the 3rd and 4th position in the two races! Hats off!" appreciated Ellen Lohr Philip's efforts.

"Getting the chance to take the start in the team of ARGO/ Reiter is due to my manager Wolfgang Koepp, who always believed in me and was able to convince Hans Reiter (Reiter Engineering) and the technical director of ARGO, Werder Schroeder, to give me a chance in the new Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3!"

In the FIA European GT3 Championship standings, Philip Geipel and Ellen Lohr are on second position.

Philip Geipel's brother on the grid with a Porsche GT3

Philip Geipel has a younger brother; Charlie Geipel, a race driver cut from the same cloth and as well managed by Wolfgang Koepp. Next weekend Charlie has the great opportunity to participate in the ADAC GT Masters race at the Sachsenring in a GT3 race car! He is sharing the Porsche GT3 - entered by Muehlner Racing - with the experienced Frank Schmickler. Wolfgang Koepp is sure that: "This could be a great show, similar to what we have seen in Silverstone by his brother Philip."

The TV network - Kabel 1 - ins broadcasting live from the Sachsenring on Saturday and Sunday.

-source: Philip Geipel

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