Jetalliance Racing looks set for a solid season in the
FIA GT Championship in 2008 after impressing during the two-day pre-season test session at Monza.
Returning duo Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp were consistently near the top of the field in the #33 Aston Martin DBR9, posting the quickest time during the Thursday part of the test before slipping back to fourth overall after day two, albeit just four tenths of a second away from the quickest lap of the test.
Former
F1 racer Wendlinger admitted he was happy with how the test had gone as the team continues to plan for the year ahead, although he admitted that the campaign will be far from easy with the times at Monza having suggested that a closely-fought battle lies ahead.
“After the successful Paul Ricard test, we've made another giant step forward in terms of set-up at Monza,” he said. “We've gained additional knowledge concerning springs in particular. But we've also seen in Italy that the overall quality of the front runners is even higher this year.
“In my opinion, eight to ten teams will be fighting for the title. It's going to a hard nut to crack; that's why our final test at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in two weeks' time has become so much more important.”
Team owner Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer meanwhile will have a new team-mate in the sister car after reaching agreement with former Italian F3 title winner Alex Muller for the season ahead.
The 29-year-old has past experience of sportscar racing having finished third in the Spa 24 Hours – alongside Wendlinger – in 2004 and Lichtner-Hoyer said he was pleased to welcome the German onboard.
“We've deliberately taken our time chosing a driver because we simply wanted to find someone who'll blend with the structures of the team, and one who is fast on top of that,” he said. “I'm optimistic that Alex is our man.
“Jetalliance Racing is aiming high this year. In our third year, we're going for the FIA GT title. Our entire team is working very hard towards that goal.”
![Wendlinger/Sharp - Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin DBR9 [Pic credit: FIA GT/DPPI]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/418419.jpg)
