The GRT Grasser Racing Team supported by Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse has started the new season of the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS with a solid performance. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 delivered impressive lap times, especially in qualifying for the six-hour race at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper therefore started from third position with the #63. The trio were just 0.135 seconds off the combined pole time.

Lamborghini Factory Driver Mirko Bortolotti took responsibility for the first stint, setting the fastest times in the field of 59 cars and making up a place on the first lap. As darkness fell, however, the track cooled down and the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was no longer able to keep up with the pace of the leaders. As a result, the #63 dropped back in the Pro Cup and finished the first race of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season in twelfth place overall and ninth in class after 179 laps. GRT thus achieved the best result of the day for a Lamborghini Huracán GT3.

The #19, on the other hand, even improved by one position in the Silver Cup. Ivan Ekelchik, Baptiste Moulin and Dante Rappange started the race from ninth place in their class. Despite unfortunate timing at the pit stop during a full-course yellow phase and a ten-second penalty after contact at the start, the trio worked their way forward. When the car crossed the finish line at midnight, it was eighth in the Silver category, scoring the first four championship points of the seaspn.

The next GT World Challenge Europe race weekend is scheduled for 3rd and 4th May at the Brands Hatch Circuit. The traditional British track will serve as the venue for the season opener of the Sprint Cup, where the GRT Grasser-Racing-Team will also be represented with one Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the Pro Cup and one in the Silver Cup.

Mirko Bortolotti (ITA) / Luca Engstler (GER) / Jordan Pepper (RSA)
#63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
PRO CUP
Qualifying: P3 – Race: P12

Mirko Bortolotti: “I’m happy with qualifying and the first part of the race, but the race kept slipping away from us. Twelfth place is not the result we came for. However, we will draw the right conclusions from this weekend. What we learn from it and how we deal with it will be crucial for the remainder of the season.”

Luca Engstler: “All in all, it was a frustrating weekend. After a strong qualifying session with third place, we were unfortunately unable to maintain our position in the race. That’s disappointing, of course, but at the same time it’s also an incentive. It gives us an extra boost of motivation to continue working hard together as a team and to tweak everything. The season is still young and we still have enough time to fully attack again.”

Jordan Pepper: “Not quite the start to the season that we had hoped for in the title fight. We were strong in qualifying and also got off to a good start in the race. Unfortunately, we lacked pace as night fell. We were able to show the speed of the Lamborghini time and again, but the colder conditions and the additional pick-up made it extremely challenging. Nevertheless, I am very proud of us. We will learn our lessons and come back in Spa. But now the focus is on Brands Hatch and a successful start to the Sprint Cup season.”

Ivan Ekelchik / Baptiste Moulin (FRA) / Dante Rappange (NED)
#19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
SILVER CUP
Qualifying: P9 – Race: P8

Ivan Ekelchik: “Firstly, I would like to thank the Grasser-Racing-Team. It was a great start to the season. I’m particularly happy with our qualifying performance. We were only three tenths of a second off pole time in the Silver Cup. The car felt good, even if there were a few challenging moments in the race. Nevertheless, we were able to score points. I think we have the potential to get involved in the title fight.”

Baptiste Moulin: “It was certainly not an easy weekend and the race itself was quite tough. Nevertheless, it was fun. Now my full focus is on the next race. We didn’t quite achieve the result we wanted here, but the title fight is far from over after one race.”

Dante Rappange: “I was very happy with my first stint and everything went according to plan at the beginning. The ten-second penalty set us back a bit. We struggled a bit with the tyre pressures due to the changing weather conditions. But it was okay for the first race. We have a solid foundation that we can build on to finish on the podium in the next race.”

Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: “It was a very mixed weekend. We showed good speed in practice and qualifying but didn’t have the best strategy in the race. Now we have to analyse why there was such a big difference in performance between the old and new tyres. We still have a lot to learn. Our drivers in the Silver Cup did a flawless job and achieved a good result. We will build on this next week at the DTM season opener at Oschersleben, where we want to give it our all again.”