The summer months are over, and after the excitement of the 24 Hours of Spa and the Bucharest City Challenge, the FIA GT Championship is returning to the more usual format and surroundings.  Brno, which has been on the calendar every year since 2000, will host the seventh round of the 2008 season on the beautiful, undulating circuit which is so popular with teams and drivers alike.

The 5.402 km Brno circuit has seen some excellent races over the past eight years, and there is no reason why 2008 should be any different.  The past six races have seen five different winning cars, from three different makes, with the most recent being Phoenix Carsport, whose Corvette C6R of Deletraz and Fässler was victorious in Bucharest.  However, the recent races have meant that the main Championship contenders, including the points leaders, Vitaphone drivers Bertolini and Bartels, are now heavily laden with success ballast, which is extremely penalising on this track, with its uphill sections.  A fine opportunity for some of their rivals to claim the honours in the Czech Republic !

These include the likes of Austrian team Jetalliance,  for whom Brno is effectively a home race, Gigawave – who have claimed numerous podiums but who are still looking for their maiden win – SRT, whose duo of Bouchut and Maassen proved their winning skills in Monza, and PK Carsport, whose Saleen showed its speed in Bucharest, finishing just off the podium in fourth.  However, Vitaphone won in Brno last year with the Maserati MC 12, and despite their penalty weight, should never be ruled out !

In GT2, AF Corse are still in command in both team and driver classifications, after Bruni and Vilander won three races out of the first four. But after wins for BMS Scuderia Italia in Spa, and CR Scuderia in Bucharest, their rivals are hoping for more.  Brno has traditionally seen some fine Porsche victories, and Prospeed Competition, currently fighting for second place in the classification, are sure to put on a good battle in the Czech Republic.