Vitaphone Racing
The Vitaphone Racing Team is a German motor racing team, which comes from Herborn. The main sponsor is the Vitaphone GmbH.
The team currently consists of 32 employees. In the 2009 FIA GT Championship season are the team boss Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, Miguel Ramos and Alex Müller on duty. For the 24 - hour race at Spa -Francorchamps additional drivers are added fetched.
History
In 2004, the name Vitaphone Racing Team was created. The Saleen S7 -R, which ran under this designation, but sat Konrad Motorsport one. At the end of the year, the team consisting of Michael Bartels and Uwe Alzen finished fifth in the team standings of the FIA GT Championship.
For the 2005 season separated by Franz Konrad, Michael Bartels and the Saleen S7 -R, and sat on the Maserati MC12, which made its debut in the championship at the end of the previous season. The technical management of the inserts of two Maserati has now coordinated by Schnabl Engineering from Butzbach. The regular driver duo this season was Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider, who at the end of the second driver's championship were. With the help of Eric van de Poele as third driver Vitaphone Racing could also win the 24 - hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. The constructors' championship went to the team.
For the 2006 season, Vitaphone Racing could win the Pirelli factory driver Andrea Bertolini for the team after Scheider sought the way back to the DTM. Bartels and Bertolini won three championship races and the drivers' championship the GT1 category. Together with Eric van de Poele won the driver trio again in the 24- hour race at Spa -Francorchamps and the constructors' title went to the team.
Before the 2007 season, the Vitaphone Racing Team moved into his own team, based in Herborn, from which now took place the entire Direction of interventions from his own hand. Sporty is no longer deals in Pirelli but on Michelin tires this year. Thus, the team Andrea Bertolini lost as a partner of Michael Bartels and Thomas Biagi internally displaced from the second vehicle in the first. This won the drivers' title in the FIA GT Championship, which went to the Italians alone because Bartels for health reasons, the first race could not deny. For the third year in a row, Vitaphone Racing could win the constructors' title. At the 24 -hour race in Spa -Francorchamps, the team Bartels Biagi drove to second place overall with the help of Eric van de Poele and Pedro Lamy.
Da Andrea Bertolini ahead of the 2008 season, lost his factory rider status at Pirelli, he returned to Vitaphone. With only two victories, but by consistently good individual results, the driver's and constructors' titles were defended again. In addition to the 24-hour race in Spa, where they won again with Eric van de Poele and Stéphane Sarrazin, the team also went to the 24- hour race at Le Mans. Since the Maserati MC12, however, was not corrected start here, was one from the nomination to the Strakka Racing Team, who used an Aston Martin DBR9. Thus, the use by drivers of the British partner ran.
In 2009, sat Vitaphone Racing in the FIA GT Championship first two Maserati MC12 in a. From the 24 -hour race in Spa -Francorchamps, a third car was reported as Vitaphone Racing Team DHL, which was initially planned only for the race in Belgium. After the finale at Zolder put main competitor Peka Racing against, among others not permissible team orders of the third vehicle protest. This and two other protests were rejected and the team champion again.
With the upheaval of the regulations of the GT1 group for the 2010 season was initially unclear whether the Maserati MC12 can still be used. After negotiations between the team, the FIA and the organizer SRO, but the vehicle was, however, allowed in the championship once again adapt to the rules valid in 2010.