2009 FIA GT Championship


The 2009 FIA GT Championship season was the thirteenth season of the FIA GT Championship for grand tourer cars competing in the GT1 and GT2 categories. The season began 3 May, and ended 25 October after eight races. This was also the final season of a combined GT1 and GT2 championship before the launch of the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010.
Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati drivers Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini successfully defended their GT1 Championships, pulling clear of the rivals in the final two events of the season after a close battle with the Peka Racing Chevrolet team of Anthony Kumpen and Mike Hezemans. Bartels and Bertolini won races at Adria International Raceway and Hungaroring in the way to the title, a third championship each for the pair. With the assistance of Miguel Ramos and Alex Müller in the team's second Maserati MC12 GT1, Vitaphone Racing Team also secured the Teams Championship.
In the lower specification GT2 category, former Porsche Supercup champion Richard Westbrook won the GT2 championship, driving a Prospeed Competition Porsche. Westbrook won the title by just two points over AF Corse Ferrari pairing of Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander. Controversially Westbrook was split from his season long partner Emmanuel Collard at the final round, swapping cars with Brixia Racing driver Marco Holzer in a successful attempt to maximise Porsche's chances of defeating the Ferrari pairing. AF Corse, with the help of the team's second car of Álvaro Barba and Niki Cadei, did defeat Prospeed in the teams championship. CRS Racing driver Chris Niarchos was awarded the Citation Cup for amateur drivers.

Schedule

The 2009 schedule was initially announced by the FIA on 5 November 2008, with seven events consisting of two-hour races, the Bucharest City Challenge of two separate one-hour races, and the Spa 24 Hours. Adria's event was once again scheduled to take place at night. However at a further meeting of the FIA on 17 March 2009 the calendar was set at eight rounds, with the cancellation of the Potrero de los Funes event and the inclusion of Circuit Paul Ricard. This decreased the number of two-hour races from seven to six.
On 16 June the Bucharest Ring, Romania cancelled their planned FIA GT event. The series therefore replaced the fifth round with an event at the Hungaroring in Hungary which would return to the normal two-hour race format.
RndRaceCircuitDate
1 RAC Tourist TrophySilverstone Circuit3 May
2 Adria 2 HoursAdria International Raceway16 May
3 Oschersleben 2 HoursMotorsport Arena Oschersleben21 June
4 24 Hours of SpaCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps25 July
26 July
5 Budapest City ChallengeHungaroring30 August
6 Algarve 2 HoursAutódromo Internacional do Algarve20 September
7 Paul Ricard 2 HoursCircuit Paul Ricard4 October
8 Zolder 2 HoursCircuit Zolder25 October

Entry list

GT1

GT2

Season results

Championships

Points were awarded to the top eight finishers in the order of 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1. Cars which failed to complete 75% of the winner's distance were not awarded points. Drivers who did not drive for at least 35 minutes do not receive points.

Driver championships

GT1 standings

GT2 standings

DriverTeamSIL
ADR
OSC
SPA
BUD
ALG
PAU
ZOL
Total
points
1 Richard Westbrook Prospeed Competition11RetDSQ122156
2 Gianmaria Bruni AF Corse11211261454
2 Toni Vilander AF Corse11211261454
3 Emmanuel Collard Prospeed Competition11RetDSQ12249
3 Emmanuel Collard Brixia Racing649
4 Álvaro Barba AF Corse537Ret513734
4 Niki Cadei AF Corse537Ret513734
5 Rob Bell CRS Racing3752658334
5 Andrew Kirkaldy CRS Racing3752658334
6 Luís Pérez Companc Pecom Racing2Ret7441030
6 Luís Pérez Companc AF Corse130
7 Paolo Ruberti BMS Scuderia Italia410RetRet337227
7 Matteo Malucelli BMS Scuderia Italia410RetRet337227
8 Marco Holzer Prospeed Competition64DSQ4RetDSQ123
8 Marco Holzer Brixia RacingDSQ23
9 Tim Mullen CRS Racing9633885Ret21
9 Chris Niarchos CRS Racing963388521
10 Matías Russo Pecom Racing2Ret7441020
10 Matías Russo AF CorseRet20
11 Martin Ragginger Brixia Racing854DSQ976618
12 Luigi Lucchini Brixia Racing854DSQ97615
12 Luigi Lucchini BMS Scuderia ItaliaRet15
13 Darryl O'Young Prospeed Competition64DSQ4RetDSQ814
14 Jaime Melo AF Corse110
15 Frédéric Makowiecki Hexis Racing AMR7210
15 Stefan Mücke Hexis Racing AMR7210
16 Antonio García CRS Racing2Ret8
16 Peter Kox CRS Racing28
17 Jörg Bergmeister Trackspeed Racing6DSQ57
18 Phil Quaife CRS Racing36
18 Chris Goodwin CRS Racing36
19 Maurizio Basso JMB Racing45
19 Peter Kutemann JMB Racing45
19 John Hartshone JMB Racing45
19 Stéphane Daoudi JMB Racing45
20 Chris Mamerow Trackspeed Racing54
21 David Ashburn Trackspeed RacingRet86DSQ1110994
22 Diego Romanini BMS Scuderia Italia1098Ret109Ret1
23 Kenneth Heyer BMS Scuderia Italia1098Ret101
24 Tim Sugden Trackspeed RacingRet8DSQ11101
25 Marc Lieb Prospeed Competition81
DriverTeamSIL
ADR
OSC
SPA
BUD
ALG
PAU
ZOL
Total
points

Citation Cup

New for 2009, the Citation Cup involved amateur drivers in the GT2 category rather than the GT1 category used since 2007. Drivers rated as bronze by the GT Bureau driver classification system were allowed to enter the Citation Cup if they competed in a car which was homologated before 2009. Points in the Citation Cup were awarded at every FIA GT round except for the Spa 24 Hours.
PosDriverTeamRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5Rd 6Rd 7Rd 8Total
1 Chris Niarchos CRS Racing8101088852
2 Luís Pérez Companc PeCom Racing Team100101010848
3 David Ashburn Trackspeed Racing0886661044
4 Jean-Claude Lagniez Red Racing66

Team championships

GT1 standings

The Nissan Motorsports entry was not allowed to score championship points due to being run as a factory team.

GT2 standings

TeamSIL
ADR
OSC
SPA
BUD
ALG
PAU
ZOL
Total
points
1 AF Corse5211211488
1 AF Corse1137Ret563788
2 Prospeed Competition11DSQDSQ122170
2 Prospeed Competition64RetDSQ4RetDSQ870
3 CRS Racing3632655355
3 CRS Racing9753888Ret55
4 BMS Scuderia Italia498Ret337228
4 BMS Scuderia Italia1010RetRet109RetRet28
5 Pecom Racing2RetRetRet7441020
6 Brixia Racing854DSQ976618
7 Hexis Racing AMR7210
8 Trackspeed RacingRet86DSQ1110958
8 Trackspeed Racing98
9 JMB Racing45
IMSA Performance MatmutDSQ0

Manufacturers Cups

Results of the GT2 Manufacturers’ Cup were as follows.
Although a GT1 Manufacturers’ Cup was listed in the Sporting Regulations for the 2009 FIA GT Championship, no points table for this award was published. An award was given only for the manufacturers in the GT2 category.
PosManufacturerRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5Rd 6Rd 7Rd 8Total
1 Ferrari231922192102521150
2 Porsche14208191501118105
3 Aston Martin2810

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