The GRT Grasser-Racing-Team made an impressive comeback at the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup this weekend. With an outstanding catch-up performance, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper finished the turbulent Saturday race in second place overall. Jordan Pepper also set the fastest lap of all PRO participants with a time of 1:34.717 minutes. On Sunday, the duo followed up with a similarly strong performance and another podium finish.

 

In qualifying on Saturday morning, which was split into two sessions due to the large starting field of 41 cars, Luca Engstler in the #63 initially qualified in sixth position on the grid. The 25-year-old made up one position on the first lap, which was marked by several incidents. After an early pit stop, his team-mate Jordan Pepper found himself in fourth place. In the second half of the race, the South African took advantage of a duel between the two cars in front of him, subsequently working his way up to second place with some clever manoeuvres.

 

Jordan Pepper started the much less eventful Sunday race from third on the grid in the #63 car. Due to the different classes having separate pit stop windows, the order of the field was mixed up halfway through the race. Nevertheless, Luca Engstler remained third after taking over the cockpit. On the narrow Grand Prix circuit with few overtaking opportunities, he was unable to make a decisive move, despite several attempts, and finished in third place.

 

In the SILVER CUP, Ivan Ekelchik and Baptiste Moulin finished in the points in both races. On Saturday, the duo were rewarded with 4.5 points for finishing sixth in class. On Sunday, the #19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 crossed the finish line in ninth place in the SILVER class, earning the two drivers another point.

 

The BRONZE category also got off to a late start to the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season on the Dutch dune circuit. Georgi Donchev and Christian Engelhart drove the #1 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 to a top 10 finish in their class in both races and scored the first four championship points in the BRONZE classification thanks to a solid and faultless performance.

 

The next race weekend in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup will take place between 18 and 20 July at the Misano World Circuit. The next round of the Endurance Cup season will be held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza from 30 May to 1 June.

Luca Engstler (GER) / Jordan Pepper (RSA)

#63 GRT Grasser-Racing-Team

PRO CUP

Qualifying 1: P6 – Race 1: P2

Qualifying 2: P3 – Race 2: P3

 

Luca Engstler: „I’m very happy with the weekend and the two podium finishes. That was hugely important for us, especially after the setback at Brands Hatch. I’m very grateful that the team didn’t give up. It’s also a great sign for the rest of the season. We are now in the championship fight and will continue to do our best week after week to achieve this goal. The focus is already on the next races in Monza, Spa and Misano.“

 

Jordan Pepper: „Now the GT World Challenge Europe season is really starting for us. Two podiums are a good result and everyone in the team was delighted that the hard work over the winter has finally been rewarded. I was very fast on Sunday, but unfortunately I couldn’t overtake. Due to the new regulations with the different pit stop windows, we were stuck in third place until the end. You don’t want to be disappointed after two podiums, but a win would have been possible under different circumstances.“

 

Ivan Ekelchik / Baptiste Moulin (FRA)

#19 GRT Grasser-Racing-Team

SILVER CUP

Qualifying 1: P9 – Race 1: P6

Qualifying 2: P11 – Race 2: P9

 

Ivan Ekelchik: „It was a tough weekend. I’m sorry for the team that I wasn’t able to achieve a good grid position in qualifying. In the end, however, we got the best possible result. We scored points with sixth place in the first race and ninth place in the second. That’s the most important thing in the end. The car was great, but we drivers have to rectify our mistakes.“

 

Baptiste Moulin: „They certainly weren’t the best races of my career, but I really enjoyed driving at Circuit Zandvoort. I would like to thank the team. The only area where we need to improve is the driving. I struggled to fin my rhythm quickly in every session. Then, of course, overtaking was also difficult.“

 

Georgi Donchev (BUL) / Christian Engelhart (GER)

#1 GRT Grasser-Racing-Team

BRONZE CUP

Qualifying 1: P8 – Race 1: P7

Qualifying 2: P5 – Race 2: P9

 

Georgi Donchev: „At the start of the weekend, we felt very comfortable in the car. We showed good pace in practice, but then things went downhill. Given my foot injury, the unsatisfactory qualifying sessions, the organiser’s last-minute rule changes for the pit stops, and the penalty in Sunday’s race, it’s fair to say that it wasn’t the start to the season I had hoped for. Nevertheless, we learnt a lot and are looking forward to the next race.“

Christian Engelhart: „It was a tough first weekend for us, definitely too turbulent and eventful. Georgi fought bravely through the races despite his foot injury and showed great pace considering the circumstances. The team prepared the car perfectly, but unfortunately we didn’t get everything right together when it mattered. But we will analyse this together and come back stronger in Misano!“

 

Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal GRT: „It was a very successful weekend for our PRO car. The guys scored the points they deserved. We performed similarly well at Brands Hatch. Given the strength of the field, we can be more than satisfied with the two podiums. With our SILVER car, however, we fell short of our expectations in the qualifying sessions. Consequently, it was challenging to advance in a field of 41 cars and secure additional points. The situation was similar with the BRONZE car. That’s why we have to work on our performance over one lap. Ultimately, we had one of the fastest cars, made good pit stops, and can look back on this weekend positively.“