2010 sees me take on the challenge of driving
the Sumo Power 600BHP Nissan GTR in the FIA
GT1 World Championship as well as rejoining
the ambitious Spyker Squadron to pilot the C8 Laviolette GT2R car in the Le Mans Series and
Le Mans 24hours.
Please check out my race calendar and come
and say hello.
Peter Dumbreck
| Hungaroring 21 - 22 August 2010 |
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| Nurburgring 26 - 29 August 2010 |
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| Silverstone 12 - 14 September 2010 |
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| Algarve 17 - 19 September 2010 |
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| Durban 5 - 7 November 2010 |
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2010 Spyker Squandron LMS Video Diary
Visit http://www.vimeo.com/13412081 to view the Spyker Squadron LMS Video Diary.
SPYKER SQUADRON FINISHES NINTH IN PORTUGAL
PORTIMAO, JULY 17, 2010 - Spyker Squadron topped off a strong race at the Portimao circuit with an ninth place finish. The Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R of Peter Dumbreck and Jeroen Bleekemolen had a trouble-free run for most the race, before problems with the power steering threw a spanner in the works.
2010 Spyker Squadron Algarve LMS Race Day
After a traditional Le Mans starting procedure it was Jeroen who took the start of the 1000 KM do Algarve as it is his last race for Spyker Squadron this season. Right from the word go the Spyker was on the pace and swiftly moved through the field. At the end of his first stint Jeroen was already in eight place in the GT2 class.
Peter took over and rejoined the race behind the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari and a great battle began. All through his stint Peter was fighting with Farnbacher and eventually managed to pass the Ferrari. In the meantime the team had already moved into sixth place in its class.
Both Jeroen and Peter were right on the pace and drove strong second stints in which they were more than once engaged in nice fights with other GT2 cars for top positions. Less than an hour before the end of the race a power steering issue however meant that the team had to came in to replace the ECU during what would be their last pit stop. As a result the pit stop was a minute longer than normal and the team lost some valuable positions.
Peter Dumbreck: “We again showed that we don’t have the ultimate pace when it comes to qualifying but in the race we can fight as we had some good fights. It was realistic to fight for a top five position, if not we had been in sixth place. The failure though is something you can’t plan it.”
?Jeroen Bleekemolen: “We did well. We were able to fight with the other guys and we were really part of the race. It was a pity that we had to come from this far, as that meant we had to do extra overtaking, but for the rest all went fine. Unfortunately the we had a problem with the power steering towards the end of the race, which made steering the car much harder. It was really a pity that happened.”
?Peter van Erp: “We were really competitive on the track and our drivers really gave their all. We were always between third and seventh place, a position that changed all the time after the pitstops. Eventually the power steering failed and we had to change the ECU, which cost us a minute and that meant we dropped back to ninth place. It again shows how strong this category is. Of course I am not satisfied with the result but I am with the way our race went. It was incredible to see how our drivers raced and how quick our pitstops were.”
The next round of the Le Mans Series will take place at the Hungaroring in a month time. In Hungary Tom Coronel will rejoin Peter Dumbreck again in the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R. The 1000KM of the Hungaroring will again be a night race.
SPYKER SQUADRON TWELFTH IN PORTIMAO QUALIFYING
After the three practice sessions on Friday Spyker Squadron went into qualifying this morning with Peter Dumbreck behind the wheel of the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R. Peter completed six laps in qualifying and posted a 1:45.526, which was eight tenths of a second quicker than the best lap time set yesterday.
2010 Spyker Squadron Algarve LMS Qualifying
Unfortunately for Peter the other GT2 teams also went quicker than yesterday and at the end of the qualifying session the team was twelfth fastest.
Jeroen Bleekemolen will be driving the car in the warm up before gearing up for the start of the race. The pit will open at 3.15 p.m. with the cars all going out on the grid for the ear of corn starting procedure. At 5.00 p.m. the green flag will be waved for the 1000 KM do Algarve.
Peter van Erp, managing director: “I think qualifying went well. Our lap time was good, and the car went well. I had hoped for a top 8 or even top 6 position, but it wasn’t to be as all other teams went quicker. It shows how competitive the GT2 category is, but at the same time it also almost feels as if something was stolen from us. The quickest cars in the class were even quicker than the GT1 cars, so it will be interesting in the race with the GT1 cars in between the GT2 cars.”
Peter Dumbreck: “The car was okay. The time we did this morning was the quickest so far, but the thing is everyone else has gone quicker this morning as well. We need to think about the race now. We don’t have really the ultimate qualifying pace, but I think in the race, as usual, we can get a bit closer and as the track gets better grip we should be getting closer. I’m a little bit unsatisfied, but I think in the race should be better.”
SPYKER SQUADRON 1000 KM DO ALGARVE PREVIEW
PORTIMAO, July 15, 2010 – After finishing ninth at Le Mans in June Spyker Squadron returns to action in the Le Mans Series this weekend. After races at Paul Ricard and Spa-Francorchamps the third round of the 2010 Le Mans Series will take place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. 
In 2009 the Le Mans Series raced at the Portuguese circuit for the first time in a race that finished at 01:15. This weekend the finish will again be in the dark, but this time the winner will be known by eleven o'clock in the evening. Track action is limited to only two days this weekend. On Friday afternoon two free practice sessions are planned, followed by a night practice between 21:30 and 23:00. On Saturday morning all teams will be back at the circuit for qualifying. Early in the afternoon a warm up session is scheduled and at 17:00 the 1000 KM do Algarve will start.
After returning from Le Mans the team completely rebuilt the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R at the workshop in Zeewolde and at Portimão the car will be like new, including a revised rear wheel suspension. Peter Dumbreck and Jeroen Bleekemolen will be driving the car this weekend. Dumbreck and Bleekemolen have not raced at the 4.69 km long Portimão circuit before and will therefore use the first practice session to get familiar with the track.
Last year Spyker Squadron started from the back of the grid but Tom Coronel and Jarek Janis swiftly moved forward to fourth place in the competitive GT2 field before technical issues ended the race just after midnight. This year the team is obviously hoping for a better result.
Sumo Power GT scores impressive second place in France
Driving the Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R no. 23, Michael Krumm and Peter Dumbreck finished an excellent second in today’s Championship race at Paul Ricard HTTT (High Tech Test Track) in France. Team mates Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter brought car 22 home in eighth place, fighting their way through the field after having to take a drive through penalty earlier in the race. 
After finishing an excellent third in yesterday’s race one, Hughes/Campbell-Walter were to start third on the grid, with Krumm/Dumbreck ninth following a frustrating race one due to what was first thought to be excessive tyre wear. However, after inspection, it was found that their car’s front air dam had been damaged in a clash with another car, which had contributed greatly to a lack of grip.
However, with temperatures well into the thirties, tyre degredation for all teams was going to be a major issue for today’s main race. With this in mind, Krumm and Dumbreck opted to save their best sets, whilst Hughes and Campbell-Walter were forced to use the best of their used stock.
But that didn’t stop Hughes - who was first to drive car 22 - from making a storming start and blast up the inside of the Maserati of Andrea Bertolini/Michael Bartels in pole position to take second place in the first corner. But, in the same way that car 23 started to lose places in yesterday’s race one due to worn tyres, Hughes found he was unable to keep the chasing pack at bay and had to yield to the Masterati at the end of the first lap.
For Krumm in car 23 the situation was reversed and, with new tyres and the aerodynamics repaired, he quickly realised that his Nissan was back to what it was during testing and qualifying - and by the end of lap four was up to 7th place. However, for car 22 the opposite was the case, particularly when race officials deemed Hughes’ start-line overtaking manoeuvre to have exceeded track limits when using some of the blue line at the side of the track.
The subsequent pit-lane drive-through after lap four meant that Hughes re-joined the race in 22nd place, putting he and Campbell-Walter in a situation that looked irretrievable. In the mean time, battles between other competitors were taking place throughout the field, resulting in a number of spins and retirements as the race went on. 
Added to this, Krumm and Hughes found themselves quicker than their rivals around them and began to gain places. The upshot of their progress saw Hughes in 18th place when he pulled into the pits for the mandatory change of tyres and driver on lap 12 -and Krumm in 4th when he came in after lap 14 – their positions consolidated by two, sub 30-second pit stops by the Sumo Power GT team.
Now with a set of better tyres, Campbell-Walter found he was able to push in car 22 and lap-by-lap started to reel in the competitors ahead of him. The same applied to Dumbreck, who was eager to emulate the previous day’s performance of his team mates and claim a place on the podium.
An excellent move to get past the Ford GT of Romain Grosjean/Thomas Musch on lap 16 was enough to get he and Krumm on the first step and then, when the Corvette of Andrea Piccini/Marc Henerrici in second place was ordered to serve a drive-through penalty for causing a crash earlier in the race, the Sumo Power GT Nissan was elevated to the second behind Bertolini/Bartels.
Now, with just three laps to go, Campbell-Walter was up to 11th and right on the tail of two cars. Determined to get past and thereby secure a top-ten position and consequently score championship points.
Building up his attack on the penultimate lap he got alongside on the start-finish straight and, in what has been described as the ‘best overtaking move of the championship so far’, he passed both cars under braking for turn one. With the bit between his teeth, Campbell-Walter passed another car with three corners to go, eventually crossing the line in a hard-earned eighth place.
With Krumm/Dumbreck securing their highest finish of the season so far, the second-place result brings the number of podiums scored by the team in the FIA GT1 World Championship to five out of the eight races that have been held so far – not a bad statistic for a team that was only formed in February!
Following today’s race, Sumo Power GT now lies second in the FIA GT1 World Championship Team’s standings, with Krumm/Dumbreck fourth and Hughes/Campbell-Walter fifth in the Driver’s Championship.
The team now heads to Spa for a test in advance of round five of the FIA GT1 World Championship, which takes place at the famous Belgium circuit on 29 – 31 July.
FIA GT1 World Championship Round 4 Qualifying and Qualifying Race report
For the fourth time in succession, the Sumo Power GT team achieved a top-three position in an FIA GT1 World Championship race, when Jamie Campbell-Walter and Warren Hughes - driving car no. 22 - finished an impressive third in the Qualifying race, the first of two taking place at this weekend’s round four at Paul Richard HTTT (High Tech Test Track). 
Team mates Peter Dumbreck and Michael Krumm in car 23 were the quicker of the team’s two Nissan GT-Rs in the testing and qualifying sessions, but were slowed in the race when its tyres were affected by excessive wear. However, they fought back to score a hard-earned ninth place and hope that saving their new tyres until today's main race will provide them with an advantage.
Qualifying for the FIA GT1 World Championship took place Saturday morning and was split into three sessions, with the fastest 16 going through to the second, then the fastest eight going through to the third and final session. Both Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-Rs ran superbly to make it into the final eight and with Krumm setting the fastest lap in Q1, he and Dumbreck went on to qualify third and Hughes/Campbell-Walter fifth.
In the race, Dumbreck was first to drive in car 23, with Campbell-Walter in car 22 and, as the field streamed in to the first corner, Dumbreck found himself pushed back a place to fourth, quickly realising that his car was not handling as it should. He was hotly pursued by Campbell-Walter who squeezed by and into fourth at the end of the second lap.
Much to Dumbreck’s frustration, his handling issues became worse and on almost every lap he was passed by one of the chasing pack, it soon becoming obvious that the Sumo Power GT driver was powerless to do anything about the loss of grip.
The problem was later found to be the rapid degradation of the tyres in the hot conditions, as with only four sets allowed throughout the weekend, his team opted for previously used rubber to be able to run new tyres for the main race on today.
Dumbreck’s journey down the field meant that he became involved in a few less than courteous overtaking manoeuvres by his fellow competitors, but luckily the damage to his Nissan was only slight. Meanwhile, Campbell-Walter set about catching the leading trio of cars, which he did and, by lap eight, was right behind the third-placed Lamborghini of Peter Kox/Christopher Haase, which he eventually overtook on lap 12.
Dumbreck was only too pleased when the pit-stop window opened after 25-minutes and, whilst in 12th place, went in to have a much needed set of tyres fitted and swap with Krumm. Car 22 pitted on lap 14 and, after a sub-30-second pit stop, Hughes realised the ignition master switch was off as he tried to re-start the engine and, loosing a few seconds in the process, rejoined the race in fourth.
With fresh drivers and tyres, both Sumo Power GT Nissans set a blistering pace in the second half of the race, Krumm doing all he could to recover the earlier lost time and Hughes going on to set the fastest lap on lap 19.
Krumm had battled his way up to ninth by lap 20, whilst Hughes was now on a mission to regain third. Then, with a masterly move on lap 25, he drove round the outside of the Corvette of Mike Hezemans/Xavier Maassen and pulled away during the remaining two laps to score the Sumo Power GT team’s fourth podium finish in as many races.
The race was won by Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini in a Maserati, with Kox/Haase in second.
Adding to the success of the day for the Sumo Power GT team, Hughes and Campbell-Walter were later presented with their first-place awards for winning round two at Silverstone in May. This was after the results were overturned when penalties were applied to the two cars that finished ahead of them.
The team now prepares for this weekend’s main Championship race which takes place at 14.45, when Hughes/Campbell-Walter will start third and Krumm/Dumbreck start ninth on the grid and hoping that, with a better selection of tyres to chose from, their race fortunes will improve dramatically.
Team quotes
Jamie Campbell-Walter – Driver Car 22
“After getting past Peter (Dumbreck), I then drove as hard as I could to close the gap on the leaders whilst trying to manage tyre wear. However, I believe we had a really good set up for the conditions and, having started from fifth, it’s great to have finished third, especially as this gives us P3 on the grid for tomorrow’s main race.”
Warren Hughes – Driver Car 22
“Today was all about tyre management and the work we did before the race with set ups really paid off. The car was very strong and performed consistently and I was delighted that we were on the race-pace today, so we are in a great position for tomorrow.”
Peter Dumbreck – Driver Car 23
“I knew I was starting with a used set of tyres, but I had no idea they would deteriorate as quickly as they did. I thought they would reach a point and stay the same, but they just seemed to get worse lap-by-lap. It was very frustrating. I just hope that we will have the advantage when we use the new tyres in tomorrow’s race.”
Michael Krumm – Driver Car 23
“I really don’t know why we were so quick in practice and qualifying and then slower today. At first I thought something had broken, but it appears that it was the degradation of the tyres. I’m therefore pleased that we will be running on good sets tomorrow.”
Allen Orchard – Team Manager
“Another podium. Fantastic! Both cars have performed well this weekend: Car 23 in qualifying and car 22 in the race. I’m hoping that things will balance out tomorrow and car 23 will again have its day too.”
James Rumsey – Team Principal
“Third is a great result and to set the fastest lap of the race as well shows that our cars are right on the pace. I am therefore hoping that tomorrow we can achieve our goal of getting both cars at the front of the field.”
