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7th Jun 2011
Silverstone Results: STP AF Corse Ferrari
Lows then highs characterised Rounds 3 & 4 of the FIA GT3 Europe Championship for the AF Corse STP Ferrari F458 of Daniel Brown and Glynn Geddie.
Racing on the newly configured Silverstone race circuit , the FIA GT3 Europe Championship's youngest driver pairing in the AF Corse STP Ferrari F458 came away with valuable points after a weekend of changing fortunes.
They struggled through free practice periods on the Friday due to severe vibration from the front of the car when decelerating from high speed. "It was scary - so severe that neither us could focus and we had to back-off constantly to restore vision", said Brown.
The Italian AF Corse team from Piacenza, contesting the super-competitive European sports car series, burnt the midnight oil throughout Friday night, successfully rectifying the problem, but had no track time to fine-tune the car's set-up before official qualifying on Saturday.
Nevertheless, both Brown (19) and Geddie (20) placed the car an impressive 6th and 7th on the grid of 26 starters amidst a varied field from the cream of sports car marques - Ferrari, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Lamborghini, Mercedes and Porsche - for the two one-hour Championship rounds on the Saturday and Sunday.
The first of these saw Brown on a charge from the drop of the flag, and for much of his 30-minute driving stint, he was the fastest of all drivers, reeling in those in front. Peeling in to the pits in fourth spot, for the compulsory driver change-over, the team were eyeing up a podium finish, with a possible win on the cards.
However, the compulsory engine switch-off during the change, proved the end of their bid as a mechanical fault in the starter system left the car motionless for the reminder of the race.
A dejected Brown commented: "I managed just eight laps in the car prior to qualifying due to the vibration problem and so we were pleased with the practice result. The car was very strong in the race. A big bag of points was on the cards, and it was so frustrating to retire the car before Glynn could finish the job ".
The second Championship round on the Sunday , saw the duo line up seventh on the grid. This time Geddie set off from the grid and was immediately in the tightest of tussles. "The field is so competitive and the cars so similar in performance that set-up is critical to wring the best from the car. Given a clear track I could lap quicker than cars in front of me but passing was really tough," he said.
Nevertheless, a fine drive saw Geddie dive for the pits for the driver change, which passed without incident, and Daniel Brown set about making up for the disappointment of the previous race.
Trapped behind a slower Audi R8 for lap after lap whilst in fifth place, with a brace of snapping Mercedes on his heels, Brown kept up relentless pressure, whilst also defending his position, and finally forced his way past the Audi.
He then demonstrated just how much he had been held up, by consistently slashing over two seconds from his lap time. However, there was insufficient time to hunt down the leading trio and so as the flag fell, Brown bought his car home to a fine 4th place finish, netting valuable Championship points.
Reflecting after the races, Brown said: "Despite the difficulties, it was was good to leave Silverstone with more points under our belt which has bought us into the Championship top ten. At the next round at Navarra, Spain, on 2 & 3 July, I'm confident we will show what the AF Corse STP Ferrari is really capable of in our hands."
The AF Corse Ferrari F458 in partnered by STP, Apex Tubulars and Brown & Geeson.
Website: www.stp.eu, and www.gt3europe.com
