After a dramatic win in the season opener at Silverstone, Jetalliance Racing will hope to extend its lead in the
FIA GT Championship as the series heads to Monza this weekend for the second round of the year.
Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp took honours at Silverstone after Sharp battled past the similar Aston Martin DBR9 of Phillip Peter in the closing stages and while that gives them the points lead heading to Monza, it also means the pair will be forced to carry maximum success ballast on their car.
However, Wendlinger and Sharp have shown their pace at Monza in the past after securing victory at the Italian venue last year and will now hope to repeat the feat in their quest to take the 2008 title.
"We were fastest in every session, got pole position and then the first win of the season," Wendlinger reflected. "That was really a very nice feeling.
"We showed last year that we are able to win with penalty weight. Of course, the competition is very strong this year, but if we work hard, another good result should be possible. For me that's a challenge."
Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer too has fond memories of last year's Monza race, where he managed to finish in the GT1 points for the first time and he and team-mate Alex Muller will now look to build on their sixth place finish at
Silverstone.
"I'll never forget that day last year," he said. "That seventh place was fantastic.
"Silverstone has shown that we perform well. If we follow up on that performance in Monza, another points finish is certainly possible."
