The No.22 GT-R of Brits Struan Moore, Matt Parry and Australian GT Academy winner Matt Simmons pulled off a 13th place finish in the three hour battle.

The trio had looked set for a top ten finish only to suffer a late race drive-through penalty for contact.
The No.23 machine piloted by the Nissan factory stars was even more unlucky with Lucas Ordóñez left with nowhere to go when he was caught up in a massive green flag crash.

Contact between two cars on the start caused drama for the tightly packed 50 car field with Ordóñez one of 16 cars caught in the crash – an incredible 32 per cent of the field involved in the incident.

Teammates Katsumasa Chiyo and Alex Buncombe sadly never got to drive in the race.

The 13th place finish for the No.22 car came after a brilliant performance in qualifying by Matt Parry who put the car sixth on the grid.

“It felt good to be able to pick off the cars ahead of me at the start of my stint, and the car felt really good for the entire time I was on track,” Parry said.

“The penalty was just one of those things, and I’ll learn from it, but it’s disappointing to think that, without the drive-though, we could have finished well inside the top ten.

“That would have been a fantastic debut for the No.22 car, but I think we can look forward to the next race with a lot of confidence.”

Motul Team RJN will now set its sights on the second round of the championship at Silverstone in the UK on May 13-14.

The first test for the for the new car took place on April 11-12 at Fuji International Speedway where development drivers, Masataka Yanagida and Michael Krumm were joined by Mitsunori Takaboshi, who is competing in this season’s Super GT GT300 class driving the current model Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

Additional tests will take place in both Japan and Europe to develop the new GT-R which will replace the current specification car which is competing in championships around the world in 2017 including Super GT GT300 in Japan, Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup throughout Europe and Pirelli World Challenge in the USA.

“It was amazing how all the systems worked so well right from the beginning and the potential for making further improvements is very high,” said Michael Krumm.

“As this car will be used worldwide by a variety of drivers with different styles, I want to work hard to ensure that it is possible to drive it safely at high speeds. I’m looking forward to the next tests.”

Alex Tagliani has two decades of professional motorsport experience behind him, racing in some of North America’s most famous and competitive series. He is an eight time Indianapolis 500 entrant, taking pole position at the illustrious event in 2011 to achieve one of motorsports’ great career milestones. Tagliani has also been a regular competitor in various NASCAR series over the years, contesting the Truck Series and Canadian Tire Series where he took 3rd overall in 2016 with his own team, Tagliani AutoSports. Over the last three years the Canadian has driven with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series, most recently at Road America in 2016. Not content with just open-wheel and stock car racing, Tagliani got his first taste of prototype competition in 2014 when he ran in the United Sports Car Championship in LMPC, preparing him for the challenges that he will face in the FRD LMP3 Series. As a driver, Tagliani presents the complete package; his experience at the highest level of open-wheel, GT, stock car, prototype and endurance racing makes him one of the most skilled competitors on the grid who is also armed with a strong technical background.

Greg Taylor is an experienced GT driver who has competed throughout Australia and more recently in the Asian region in the Audi R8 LMS Cup China. After developing his race craft in the Bridgestone NZ Porsche Championship over numerous seasons, Taylor went on to compete in the 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia before taking on the 2015 Australian GT Trophy Championship where he would claim the drivers’ championship title. The following year, Taylor made his prototype debut where he drove a Ligier JS P3 at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi.  He went on to impress by taking a class victory in the endurance race and gain valuable experience in the LMP3 category.  In the same year, he went on to claim a Bathurst 12 Hour win in the AM class, finishing sixth overall in an Audi R8 LMS GT3.  The Australian driver continued his string of success and finished second in the Australian GT Trophy for 2016. He now joins Craft-Bamboo Racing to tackle the maiden FRD LMP3 Series season with teammate, Tagliani. Thanks to Taylor’s experience in the Ligier, the GT champion will be able to hit the ground running and will take no time in getting up to speed and putting the #20 Craft-Bamboo Ligier JS P3 on the top step of the podium.

With the FRD LMP3 Series offering a clear path to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Craft-Bamboo’s sole intention is to score the drivers’ title and claim the championship prize, which grants free entry into the Asian Le Mans Series with an LMP2 car. Upon winning the Asian Le Mans class title, the team would be awarded a place at the most celebrated endurance event on the planet, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Craft-Bamboo is aiming to return to the Circuit De La Sarthe since their last competitive outing in the World Endurance Championship in 2014.  The team will release details on their second LMP3 entry and its confirmed all-star lineup in the coming weeks.

Quotes

Richard Coleman, CEO of Craft-Bamboo Racing

“I would like to welcome Alex Tagliani and Greg Taylor to Craft-Bamboo Racing. Our intentions are clear for this season, which are to claim both the drivers’ and teams’ championship in the FRD LMP3 Series.  The new concept of sprint format races with LMP3 prototypes is a concept we believe in very much, and it will have a strong future here in China.  Alex needs little introduction, as he has built a hugely successful career at the top levels of IndyCar, and with the LMP3’s being new to the team, his technical knowledge will prove invaluable to the overall setup of the car. Both drivers have extensive racing backgrounds and experience in prototypes, so I expect them to be challenging for the win from the very first race in May.”

Alex Tagliani, #20 Driver

“I am really excited about working with Craft-Bamboo and really thankful for the opportunity to race in this series. Pairing with an Aussie teammate (Greg Taylor) after being married to an Aussie girl is a perfect fit. This season looks like a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to driving the Ligier LMP3 as well. Everyone I know has great things to say about the Ligier, so driving a car like that on these amazing circuits with a team like Craft-Bamboo is awesome and I am really enthusiastic about the start of the season.

The excitement for racing in Asia comes from knowing that I will be driving for a professional team that will provide us with the right equipment, and this is always a very difficult thing to find in racing. It is the tracks and cars that brings me the most excitement, so looking at the calendar, I feel this series will become very popular and it is what made me accept the deal and want to race here. The big thing in sports car racing is your teammate and I’ve heard great things about Greg and I think that the pairing becomes a big part of the decision. These were all a factor in choosing to race with Craft-Bamboo and I can’t wait to get started.”

Greg Taylor, #20 Driver

“I am very excited to be a part of the new FRD LMP3 series. This series will see us competing at some fantastic circuits in China, which will all be new to me. I love driving the LMP3 cars and took victory in the Ligier JS P3 in the Gulf 12 Hours in 2016, so I’m looking forward to returning back to the cockpit of the LMP3.  Being paired with Alex is fantastic, I’m sure it will be a rewarding experience that I will be able to learn a lot from.  I can’t wait to get the season started!”

“For Oman Racing with TF Sport to win on its debut in Blancpain is mind blowing,” said TF Sport Director Tom Ferrier. “The level of the championship is so strong. Going into the weekend I just wanted strong points, so to achieve this surpassed expectations. We are on the crest of a wave as a team at present. We have improvements to make in all areas so I know we can be stronger.”

Competing as Oman Racing with TF Sport, Jonny Adam and Ahmad Al Harthy teamed up for their first race of the season together in the #97 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. Practice saw both drivers working race setup initially before switching to qualifying setup and they carried that momentum in qualifying where Ahmad Al Harthy and Adam were seventh and quickest overall in the class.

The three-hour race saw Ahmad Al Harthy compete a double stint, surviving a dramatic first lap incident whilst fending off the attentions of the #911 Porsche. The team battled a small fuel rig issue which allowed the #11 Kessel Racing entry to pass in the second stop, before Adam took over for the final stint and with over a ten second deficit to the leading Pro-Am #11. With a flurry of fastest laps, Adam closed the deficit and in a late race shoot out, gained the position and with it the Pro-Am race win and eighth position overall.

“It’s been a great weekend for TF Sport and Oman Racing,” said Adam. “Qualifying was very important and to get seventh and first in class set us up nicely for the three-hour race. Ahmad’s first two stints were very impressive and gave us track position.
 
“The last 30 minutes was a big push to catch the Pro-Am leader. I was relieved to get by in the dying moments of a tough race but the team gave me a fast and perfectly handing Aston Martin GT3. I am happy for Ahmad and all of his partners at Oman Racing as we’ve been working hard to achieve this win for a few years now.”

Oman Racing with TF Sport return to the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone for the second round of championship on May 11-12.

This was the Qualification Race for the 24 Hours, and I joined the famous Schnitzer Motorsport team, who are legendary among BMW fans and who I’ll be doing the 24 Hours with. Antonio had already done the first two four-hour VLN rounds of the season on the Nordschleife in an M6, whereas I’d done them in a much-slower M235i in order to get my licence to race a GT3 car on the circuit, so Antonio came to the race much more up-to-speed than I was.

Those VLN races have about 200 cars whereas this Qualification Race was ‘only’ about 100, and quite a lot of those 100 are the quick GT3 and GT4 cars. To be honest, the act of qualifying for the 24 Hours was a formality, but a top-30 position does give you the right to have a blue light for the big race itself, which alerts all the slower cars that the big boys are coming. Apart from that it’s more of a test race, getting some experience, with about half the cars on track that you’ll get in the 24 Hours.

Testing and practice went well, and we had a long qualifying session that went into the night, which was quite important for me and Antonio. Then Antonio did the qualifying for grid positions and put the car 12th on the grid. From my side, it was my first run around the Nordschleife in the GT3 car and the first time I was able to attack it without having to worry about getting my licence. There was a lot of learning, but I was pretty happy with what I achieved.

Antonio did the first stint and had a fantastic start to go from 12th into the top five on the first lap – typical Antonio! He did quite a short stint and then I got in. I was on old tyres so I lost some places, but when I got new tyres at the next stop it was much better, and things carried on improving. It’s mental – new tyres give you 10 seconds a lap without you even feeling as though you’re driving any faster! In the end I drove for four of the six hours, because the team wanted me to get as much experience in the car as possible as preparation for the 24 Hours.

It was just an amazing experience, and I’m really enjoying the family atmosphere not only at the Schnitzer team but within BMW as a whole. All my team-mates have been very supportive, and those with experience have gone out of their way to be helpful. When you’ve got people like Marco Wittmann and Martin Tomczyk around you, both of whom are legends in German racing, you can’t really go wrong – they’re the kinds of guys you draw a lot from. Also, Timo Scheider and Augusto Farfus will be joining Antonio and I in our car for the 24 Hours, so that will also be a massive boost.

As far as the driving was concerned, I thought this after night qualifying, and it was reiterated in the race, after spending a lot of time in big gaggles of GT3 cars fighting it out while we lapped slower machinery: you think you’re a racing driver, but you’re not a proper racing driver until you’ve done this. The Nordschleife is a very humbling track. You think you’ve got skills until you come up against these guys, and you start getting passed. But then one stint later you’re up to speed and you’re being as aggressive as they are.

My last two stints were a big step for me. I think we should have finished sixth, but we lost out on strategy and that put me at the bottom of the top 10 when I climbed back in to bring the car to the finish. But I made up time, and did a lap in 8m18s, which was only one second off the fastest BMW time of the race. On the last lap I grabbed eighth by diving down the inside of a Porsche at the Dunlop Kurve – there was a light bit of contact but it was cool: my first-ever proper GT move!

I nearly caught the BMW in front of me for seventh but that’s not the important thing. We went there, learned, and now I’m keeping my fingers crossed as I write this, but I don’t see any reason why we don’t have a good chance for the 24 Hours.

“It’s great to have Jeroen back with us,” stated team owner and co-driver Tim Pappas. “The SprintX format give us a unique opportunity to bring in a second driver for an all-out push to the finish, and Jeroen couldn’t be a better fit. Not only did many of our greatest accomplishments come with him joining us, but he’s had a lot of experience with the car and should be able to provide valuable insight. We’re all very glad to see him return, and hopefully we can add another chapter of success to the team.”

No stranger to success, Bleekemolen first arrived on the U.S. scene in 2010, with Black Swan Racing and Tim Pappas providing his first full-season home in the former American Le Mans Series GTC ranks. Wasting no time to deliver results, the duo would go on to have a landmark series of years, dominating the category from 2010-2011 with nine victories en route to successive championships, including wins at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Since that time, the pair have gone on to run in a variety of cars and categories, with Bleekemolen taking another championship in the GTC ranks in 2013, and most recently taking yet another Sebring victory in March with the venerable Mercedes-AMG GT3.

With a strong wave of momentum, the addition of Bleekemolen is just the latest in an increasingly strong roster of drivers in the Pirelli World Challenge’s SprintX championship. A 10-race series that combines the heritage of endurance racing with the excitement of sprint racing, the schedule will feature a double-header weekend of 60-minute races, with each driver taking his turn during a portion of that. This presents a dynamic unlike any other, as drivers will have to share the car and adapt to each other’s setup needs, but with extremely limited time to make up ground.

For Bleekemolen, a return to a familiar home is a welcome one.

“It’s great to be back with Black Swan Racing,” stated Bleekemolen. “The SprintX championship is a unique approach to multi-driver racing, and it should be interesting to compete in an all-out sprint. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has repeatedly proven to be a great car in categories all over the world, and we hope to have the same success here. I really appreciate the opportunity from Tim and the whole team, they played an instrumental role in beginning my U.S. career.”

While only 27 years old, Morad’s 10 year racing resume boats strong results. In 2007, the Toronto native won the Formula BMW USA Championship, setting a record of six race wins in one championship. In 2015, Morad’s career in sports car racing began to blossom when he finished second in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada with nine podiums in ten races. The following year, he returned to the series to clinch the championship, earning four wins and ten podiums in twelve races. Morad closed out the 2016 race season with another championship title, winning the inaugural season of the IMSA Porsche GT3 North American Cup. His 2017 race season got off to the best kind of start, with a GTD class win at the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona with Alegra Motorsports.  Morad’s first laps in the No. 2 Mercedes AMG GT3 will occur on Wednesday at the promoter test day at Virginia International Raceway.

“I am really happy to join CRP for the 2017 SprintX Championship,” said Morad. “There were a lot of top drivers in the mix for the seat so it is a real honor to have been chosen to pursue this exciting challenge. The past 12 months have been career changing, and I really appreciate the opportunity from Nick Short and the whole team.”

Morad will join full time driver Ryan Dalziel in the No. 2 Mercedes AMG GT3, who has already completed three races with the team. Dalziel holds two second place finishes at the 3.27 mile, 17 turn road course in Alton, Virginia.

“I’m really looking forward to Virginia International Raceway,” said Dalziel. “I haven’t been there since the resurfacing, but we’ve heard it is perfect now. I am excited about the first SprintX race of this season, and hoping Daniel and I can get a win.”

The two will be up against strong competition in the already highly competitive series, as the SprintX events have attracted professional drivers from around the world.

Competitors will have just under four and a half hours of testing and practice before Saturday’s qualifying session. The current driver rankings hold Dalziel at a Gold, and Morad as a Silver, meaning their Pro/Pro lineup will not require a minimum amount of time spent in pit lane during the mandatory pit stop. Both drivers will have to complete a minimum of 25 minutes of racing, but no more than 35 minutes.

“We are delighted to further cement our relationship with Ligier, having run the 2015-16 Asian Le Mans LMP3 Championship winning Ligier along with victory in the 2016 Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup,” said Team Principal Mark Goddard. “Our aim is to finish what will be as ever a gruelling race. With two bronze drivers, our expectations are realistic, however, a trouble-free run can pay huge dividends and we want to make sure we are there at the flag with Ligier.”

The 2017 event marks Eurasia Motorsport’s second 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last year the team finished in fifth position in class, the first non WEC team across the line. This year’s driver line-up is all familiar with each other, having raced alongside each other in the European Le Mans Series last year.

Erik Maris competed in both LMP2 and LMP3 machinery last year in the Le Mans 24 Hours and European Le Mans Series respectively. Prior to that the Frenchman competed in selected rounds of the 2015 WEC in the LMP2 class, including Le Mans 24 Hours, and ran in GT classes in various series, classic and modern, since 2012.

Jacques Nicolet competed alongside Erik Maris last year with a Ligier JS P3 in the European Le Mans Series. Prior to that, he began racing in 2001 and ran in various endurance international series, including 8 participations to Le Mans 24 Hours from 2007 to 2015, in LM P1 and LM P2 classes.

Son Pierre competed last year with his father in the Road to Le Mans as well as the ELMS. From 2011 to 2015, he evolved into different series and categories, including notably single-seater and CN among others.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans race takes place 17-18 June, with practice and qualifying commencing from Wednesday 14 June.

While Pirelli World Challenge competition in previous years has spotlighted single-driver entries, the series new “SprintX” format will combine the heritage of endurance racing with the the excitement sprint racing. With all races will featuring two drivers sharing the car, much like at endurance races, all events will be only 60 minutes, putting a premium on maximizing every lap in search of top results.

Martin Fuentes returns to the team as the reigning Pirelli World Challenge GTA category champion following a landmark 2016 season. Last year, not only did he take nine victories, but seven of them consecutively – a record for the Series’ GTA category – and amassing enough points that his championship was clinched with two races remaining in the season.

Returning to competition as Fuentes’ co-driver will be former F1 driver Stefan Johansson. Boasting one of the strongest résumés in motorsport, the Los Angeles resident and current Scuderia Corsa Sporting Director has competed in everything from Formula One, to IndyCar, to driving some of the most legendary cars to ever compete at the 24 Hours of LeMans. Beyond having driven with teammates that included names like Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, the native of Sweden has also enjoyed a fantastic history with the Ferrari brand, driving for their Formula One team from 1985-1986.

For Fuentes, the opportunity to return to competition in 2017 is one he has looked forward to.

“I’m very excited to be back with Scuderia Corsa and racing this 2017 championship,” stated Fuentes. “I’m looking forward to a great season just like we had in 2016, and there’s new challenges of course. There’s two championships that we’ll be fighting for this year, and I’m very excited and motivated. I’m in great shape, and have done my pre-season training and I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m looking forward to a good start for both championships in the Pirelli World Challenge and Ferrari Challenge as well.”

For Stefan Johansson, a return to driving is an exciting one.

“I really look forward to returning to the cockpit with this program, it’s always something special to be racing for Ferrari” stated Johansson. “We’ve worked hard to develop this organization, and having Martin return to the team is a great testament to what we continue to build. He obviously had a tremendous 2016 season, so I’m confident that with the two of us teaming together we can have a great season, we’re both prepared and ready. The Pirelli World Challenge’s SprintX championship is a really interesting approach, and the current roster of teams and drivers is at a very high level, it should be a great experience.”

For Team Owner Giacomo Mattioli, the team’s return to Pirelli World Challenge competition is one they have all looked forward to.

“We are delighted to be back with Martin and the Pirelli World Challenge,” stated Mattioli. “Our 2016 program together was a big part of Scuderia Corsa amazing 2016 season and, with Stefan’s return, all the ingredients are there to continue that legacy in to 2017. We’ll be one of very few teams representing Ferrari, and we are looking forward to deliver a good show!”

Practice for the Grand Prix of VIR begins this Friday, April 28, with races taking place on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. Live event coverage can be found on http://world-challenge.com/streamvideo/ , with continuous updated provided via the team’s social media accounts as the event draws closer. Delayed television coverage will also be available on CBS Sports Network the following Sunday, May 7, at 6PM ET.

Pro class. Ferrari crews were caught up in a chaotic start in the Pro class. Miguel Molina, in car no. 72 of SMP Racing, got off to a great start, which saw him in the lead at the entrance to the first chicane. Immediately behind him was the Bentley no. 7 of Guy Smith that in pulling ahead of the no. 50 488 GT3 of AF Corse team touched the Lamborghini no. 19 of Ezequiel Perez-Companc, sowing panic among the group and putting ten other cars out of the race, including the Ferraris of Lorenzo Bontempelli (AF Corse) and Mirko Zanuttini (Kessel Racing), with Marco Cioci, in the 488 GT3 of Kaspersky Motorsport, pulling off a miraculous manoeuvre to emerge unscathed. Molina drove to the first pit stop when he handed the wheel to Victor Shaytar. At that stage the Lamborghini of Grasser Racing with Engelhart-Bortolotti-Caldarelli took the lead, which it held to the end. Behind the 63 car the Ferrari of SMP Racing looked set to secure a podium before running into a drive-through penalty for overtaking under the yellow flag. The standard bearers of AF Corse, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Michele Rugolo and Pasin Lathouras thus inherited second, while the 488 GT3 of Kaspersky Motorsport climbed back up to fourth, finishing ahead of the car of Rigon-Shaytar-Molina.

Am Cup. The Am Cup saw another triumph for a woman Ferrari driver. After Christina Nielsen won the title and three rounds of the IMSA series in 2016, now it was the turn of 25 year-old British driver Abigail Eaton, a competitor in last season’s British GT4 Championship at the wheel of a Maserati. At Monza she triumphed along with Italy’s Davide Rizzo and Lebanon’s Alex Demirdjian in the 488 GT3 of AF Corse. The crew of Ferrari no. 961 also came first in their class after starting from last position due to having to replace the gearbox, an operation that the AF Corse mechanics performed in a record time of 45 minutes. The same class witnessed an unlucky race for the 488 GT3 of Rinaldi Racing with Pierre Ehret and Rino Mastronardi, which had dominated for the first two hours.

Pro-Am Cup. Ferrari also won a podium in the Pro-Am Cup where after a great recovery victory slipped from the grasp of reigning champion Michael Broniszewski with just two laps to go. The Kessel Racing team crew had been slowed by the accident at the start but Matteo Cressoni’s extraordinary stint put them in first position. However, in the end Andrea Rizzoli was powerless in the face of a comeback from the Aston Martin of Oman Racing Team with TF Sport of Jonny Adam who also clocked the race’s fastest lap. The Blancpain GT championship returns on 6 and 7 May at Brands Hatch for the Sprint Cup. The Endurance Cup returns to Silverstone on 13 and 14 May.

Their enjoyment was guaranteed by some brilliant action on track too – not least of all from the Sasol GTC brigade, as South Africa’s fledgling premier tin-top race series shrugged off some recent criticism to deliver a cracking pair of races. Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) won a lovely opening race from Simon Moss (Engen Audi), Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW) and Mathew Hodges (VW Jetta) after early leader Michael Stephen (Engen Audi) slowed with mechanical bothers.

Race two delivered spectacular action off a reversed grid, with several leaders and thrilling dices. Michael Van Rooyen (RSC BMW) initially led the way but a fraught dice evolved that first saw Johan Fourie’s BMW ending up in the Esses wall before Robert Wolk lost his BMW in the kink to trigger a dusty incident and Simon Moss spinning in avoidance. That left Michael Stephen to win from Hodges, the recovered Moss, Bonafede and van Rooyen after Wolk stopped.

The production GTC2 class delivered great racing too. Keagan Masters beat his works VW Golf GTI teammate Mandla Mdkane and Trevor Bland (VW Golf GTI) in race 1, but Mdakane took the GTC2 honours from Charl Smallberger (VW Golf GTI) and Masters in a most entertaining second race.

The G&H Transport Extreme Supercars was another Kyalami Motorsport Festival drawcard, but it was all about Kyalami owner Toby Venter, who not only blasted his works Porsche 911 GTR to a popular double victory, but he also lowered his own class lap record by almost three seconds in the process. Toby beat Cape visitor Johan Engelbrecht (JogaJoga Porsche), Charl Arangies (Stradale Ferrari 430), Franco Scribante (Ferrari 430) and Dawie Olivier (G&H BMW M3) in the first race and from Engelbrecht, Scribante, Arangies and Marcel Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 458) in race 2.

A family wedding saw Pepper Racing’s Senior Team duo missing Kyalami, but team boss Iain played a masterful wildcard to enter Lee Thompson in absent groom Shaun La Réserveé’s Alpine Polo and Dewald Brummer in maid of honour Tasmin Pepper’s Campos Polo. Thompson promptly went on to annihilate the regular field to take a stunning pole position before going on to beat Devin Robertson (Payen Polo) and Clinton Bezuidenhout (Glyco Polo) in race 1 and Brummer and Juan Gerber (Glasfit) in race 2.

Julian van der Watt (Investchem Mygale) took both Investchem Formula 1600 single seater races to continue his iron grip on the new wings and slicks class over future stars Stuart White (Fantastic Mygale), who was second on both occasions, with Alex Gillespie and Cameron O’Connor sharing the third places.

Pole man Ben Morgenrood’s Ford Mustang dropped out on the warm-up lap for the first V8 Supercar race to leave Mackie Adlem (Mapogo Jaguar) to win from 17-year old lass Lonika Maartens (Hoosier Chev Lumina) and Franco di Matteo (Delco Batteries Jaguar). Adlem did the double in race two to beat another 17-year old, Ben’s son Benjamin Morgenrood (Ford Mustang) and Terry Wilford (Fuchs Jaguar), while Fabio Tafani (APF Mustang) took both visiting Cape V8 Masters wins from Carl Nel and Charles Arton each time.

Jason Campos (Shelby V8) took an easy couple of victories in the National Sports Car Championship races on his way to setting a new overall Kyalami lap record of 1 minute 45,309 seconds. Campos was followed by Shelby CanAm duo Brian Algar  and Michael Jensen each time.

The SKF Legends Classics delivered some great Kyalami memories and close racing as Jonathan du Toit (Chevron B9) narrowly beat Keegan Campos (Porsche RSR) with Ben Morgenrood third in his Ford Mustang. Morgenrood and Campos touched at the end of the main straight, sending the Porsche into the sand trap in race 2 to leave du Toit to a second second victory of the day from Morgenrood and Mark du Toit (Lola T70).

But the biggest winner on the day was the new Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, which not only delivered some great racing, but it also went down in a classic atmosphere as fans lapped up the action alongside their braais and friends at an iconic venue – just like it once always was. National racing returns to Kyalami in November.

Today was also race two of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, won by Antonelli Motorsport drivers Loris Spinelli and Mikael Grenier.

Matteo Braga (Pirelli circuit activity manager):
“The tyres performed well from start to finish, even though the conditions weren’t easy: there was a lot of debris on the track due to various race incidents. Still, we had a very entertaining three hours of competition and the tyres enabled all the manufacturers to have a close battle all the way to the flag, which is our key objective.”

Christian Engelhart (#63, GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracan GT3):
“For me it was the perfect stint, getting in the car in the lead and driving for one hour; managing the tyres to the end. I couldn’t feel any drop off on the tyre, it was very consistent over the whole race and it was easy to manage them.”

Fact of the day:
Tyre strategy was absolutely at the heart of the strategy for the winning Lamborghini today. The crew deliberately saved three new sets of tyres for the race, using only two sets for free practice and qualifying to ensure peak performance throughout all three race stints. Andrea Calderelli said: “In my view, that strategy helped us win the race. We sacrificed a bit in qualifying, but it meant that we had peak performance after each pit stop, when it counted, which really made the difference.”

Number of the day:
32. The number of cars within one second of each other during qualifying today: a new Blancpain GT record.

Kevin Ceccon
“It wasn’t the best week-end of my life, but still a good chance to make more experience on a GT car. Thanks to Zakspeed for the call and for the support in this race. I would have like to know this car a bit better before enter qualifying, but in the laps I did during the race, the feeling was good. I was almost on the same pace for Ludwigh, which is a specialist on this car. Unluckily I had to stop as suddenly the steering wheel wasn’t properly working anymore and had strong vibrations. It’s a shame as from 16th row we’re fighting for Top-15, and looking at some final issue for other opponents, maybe as well Top-10 was in our reach”.

Current BMW DTM driver Maxime Martin from Belgium, who shared the cockpit of the #99 BMW M6 GT3 with BMW works drivers Philipp Eng from Austria, Britain’s Alexander Sims and the team’s new German Nordschleife specialist Marc Basseng, battled a Mercedes for fifth place as the race drew to a close, attempting to secure early confirmation of a place in top 30 qualifying for the 24h race. Martin had started the race from 14th place and was faster than his opposite number, but had no chance to overtake on the last lap on the long straights from Döttinger Höhe down to the finish line. He missed out by just 1.027 seconds.

British driver Sims, who competed in both cars, started the chase in the #98 car from even further back. Starting from 25th place, he took the M6 up to 17th before the first change of drivers. Together with Dutch driver Nick Catsburg, Finland’s Markus Palttala and his compatriot Richard Westbrook, Sims was able to further improve, reaching eleventh place as the race progressed.

The team is still searching for some top speed improvement before the 24h race, without losing the strengths of the BMW M6 GT3 in the numerous fast corners on the 25.378-kilometre long combination of Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife. However, this will be no easy task with the current “balance of performance”. Nonetheless, those in charge of ROWE RACING were very pleased with the reliability of the cars and the faultless work of the drivers and the team at the dress rehearsal.

Hans-Peter Naundorf, ROWE RACING team principal: “We are noticing a positive trend approaching the 24-hour race and we are coordinating better in all areas. I am very pleased with the performance of the drivers and the whole team, who didn’t make a single error and were always battling to progress, especially with regard to the starting positions. We were not so dead-set on top times in qualifying, but were working more towards the race and this strategy proved itself. However, we were a little unlucky that some other teams improved so much in second qualifying. Had we started a few places higher up, we may have been able to achieve a little more. We must certainly work on our performance, which takes us to the current BoP. If the faster car cannot overtake on the straights, some questions must be asked.”

Alexander Sims, ROWE RACING #99 BMW M6 GT3: “Sixth place is a solid result. Of course, we would have liked to have secured starting place in the top 30 qualifying here already, but now we have to do that in four weeks’ time. I would think that we will be OK to do this. We learned a few things during the race that will help us with the 24-hour race. The tyres seemed to start working a bit better during the race, which was the main difference to qualifying and why our racing speed was better. All in all, I am satisfied with the qualification race.”

The Swiss team set all hopes into the opening round of the Endurance Cup in a bid to end the enduring string of bad luck at the Autodrome Nazionale Monza. The intensive work over the winter paid already off during the free practice sessions and pre-qualifying. With competitive lap-times, Emil Frey Jaguar Racing was able to fight with the big teams. However, due to BoP regulations, the GT3 Jaguar were the second heaviest cars in the entire field of 54 cars.

With P17 (GT3 Jaguar #114) and P22 for the #14 GT3 Jaguar, the hoped for qualifying positions were not met and the team hoped for the race, knowing well of the cat’s strong performance in the long-runs.

Right at the beginning of the race, there was a heavy accident with a number of cars towards the first chicane, in which the #114 suffered severe damage to the left-hand-side of the car. The mechanics used the 30-minute break of the race to repair the damage as best as they could. Despite all efforts, the car did not get out on track at the re-start and lost six laps to the front.

The sister car (#14) was luckier and could start the race again from 22nd position. Ortelli put down a fantastic stint with twelve overtaking moves and handed the GT3 Jaguar #14 to Lorenz Frey from 10th place. Frey also had a strong stint until Albert Costa Balboa took over the car for his stint in P12. A technical problem ended the great drive 45 minutes before the end of the race, with Costa Balboa having to stop the #14 Jaguar in the second chicane out on track.

The sister car suffered bad luck once again: 300 metres after passing the entrance to the pitlane, the car had another tyre puncture front left. Marco Seefried lost a lot of time bringing the car back into the pits on a slow lap. After the tyre change, team-mate Jonathan Hirschi took to the wheel in the #114. But there was a further tyre problem in the following stint and the team was forced to retire the GT3 Jaguar.

“It already started in qualifying, because we didn´t get the results we should have done and were surely beaten below value”, said Jürg Flach, Technical Director Emil Frey Jaguar Racing. “We knew that we would be able to do something in the race, because we tested here twice during the winter and we had very good lap-times especially during the Long-Runs, which we did show in today´s race. I was convinced, that we would improve from our positions in qualifying and work our way up. But the starting accident destroyed the race for the #114, because you could not make up the lost laps. The #14 suffered a technical issue in the engine area towards the end.”

So once more, the team did not see the finishing line in Monza. After great performances and consistently strong speed, the Team from Switzerland did not reach the deserved results.

Driver Quotes Emil Frey GT3 Jaguar #14

Stéphane Ortelli (MCO)
“I could see that the green Lamborghini was not spinning, but I could see that it could be a mess so I decided to back-off and actually stop the car. We did lose a lot of positions, we could have even lost more, but it was my choice. At the re-start we were in P22 and I had twelve overtakings and a really good stint. We received great support by the new Pirelli tyres, which I think are very consistent. However, it was mainly down to our hard work over the winter. The car was always strong and we have come a long way from last year. We have also improved on our pit-stops and the team did a great job. I am very proud that we are able to fight against the bigger teams and we are right there at the front. It is a good sign for the future.”
 
Lorenz Frey (CH)
“After the driver change, I was able to meet the pace of Stéphane and everything worked well on the car. The conditions were not easy today, because there was not much grip on the track. The second pit-stop was very good and quick and Albert was able to drive up into eighth place. Unfortunately, he had to stop the car in the second chicane. Therefore, it was the same as last year when we had to retire right before the end whilst running in the points ranking. It is really really sad, because the car does have the potential to drive in the Top-10. Now we have to prepare the cars for Silverstone, especially the #114 suffered quite a bid of damage.”

Albert Costa Balboa (ESP)
“After the re-start, both Stéphane and Lorenz had great stints and were able to make up some ground. That underlined the performance the GT3 Jaguar is capable of doing. When I went into my stint, everything was normal to start off with, but then I lost power in the engine area and there was also an alarm within the car. The car rolled out slowly and I parked it at the side of the track. It is really a frustrating end to the weekend, because we really hoped for a good result here following the good tests we had during the winter.”

Driver Quotes Emil Frey GT3 Jaguar #114

Marco Seefried (GER)
“I did not have much time to react at the start. I simply did not have enough room at the front left. It looked like the Lamborghini stayed on the throttle, because once he came back on track, he caught me again at the rear left. The boys did an amazing job to get our car back out altogether. I did not really know where we were from a speed point of view, but I was really impressed with our pace. The car was more difficult to drive afterwards because of the movement of the front bumper, making it that more difficult to turn into the chicanes. But still, the car had a great balance and we were the sixth quickest car in the field. The second tyre puncture was simply bad luck, but the performance of the GT3 Jaguar was top.“

Jonathan Hirschi (CH)
“After the accident, the steering was bend. We had such a good start to the weekend and in the end it all came different. We did not go back on track after the second tyre failure, because the damage on the car was already quite big and it was a wise decision to stop the race earlier than intended. The team did a great job for the entire weekend. Unfortunately, it is what it is and it is very disappointing, but we are looking ahead to Silverstone.”

Christian Klien (A)
“It is very annoying, because the car has much more potential. We were not able to exhaust the potential during qualifying, and we also had a lot of traffic. The GT3 Jaguar should have been in the Top-10 and it simply shows the great work, the team has put into this during the winter. The race start was pure bad luck and there is nothing you can do about it. Afterwards, the car was bend. Shame, no points despite a great performance, but that makes us hoping for the rest of the season.”

Team Principal Vincent Vosse was philosophical on Sunday eve: “It has been a chaotic weekend, and I don’t want to sound like Calimero, but we had again a good share of bad luck. We lose two cars on circumstances out of our control. The two others do a good race despite starting from the second half of the grid. It’s really not the start of the season we wanted, but it’s not the first set-back that we have to overcome. We have the strength and the determination to fight back and that is what we have to do as from the British races.”

From the start of the weekend, it was clear that competition, with 53 cars on rack, was going to be extremely close, as proven by the result of the combined qualifying, which saw no less than 32 cars within a second! In a power track such as Monza, the Audis R8 LMS did relatively well, with car #5 of Fässler-Stevens-Vanthoor being in the top 4 in free practice and pre-qualifying. Qualifying proved to be a more difficult exercise, as expected, and started with total drama for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT: Berthon got hit from the back by the Lambo of Filippi, who missed his braking, in the very opening lap of the session. The consequences for car #2 were catastrophic, with damages to the chassis, which meant ‘weekend over’.

Car #5 eventually qualified in P20, although only 6 tenths from the pole, with car #17 in P33 and car #3 in P47.

More drama was to strike as soon as the start was given on Sunday, with the Bentley of Smith and the Lambo of Pérez-Companc at the front of the field colliding in the straight, well before the first chicane. The spinning Lambo inevitably provoked disaster in the middle of the field, resulting in ten cars out of contention and the race being red-flagged. Unfortunately, among the innocent victims, was the #5 of Will Stevens. The team made a great effort trying to repair the car during the stop of the race, and the Brit effectively re-took the track once the race had restarted but only to stop after a few laps, as the car’s behaviour had been severely affected by the damage sustained. “It’s just bad luck, there is nothing to say”, commented Dries Vanthoor, “It’s a pity, because we were quick, despite we couldn’t do that well in qualifying because of traffic.”

For the two surviving Audis of the Belgian squad it was a catch-up race. In car #17, Markus Winkelhock did a good stint, running among the top 18, but lost some positions after a spin at the first chicane caused by a contact from the back. The car performed an early and perfect pit stop, with Stuart Leonard going back to the track in P17 and gaining ground during his stint. The young Jake Dennis finished the race strongly, climbing some more positions to finish 12^th and very close to the points.

Car #3 performed an even bigger come-back, benefitting at the beginning from the numerous retirements. Niki Mayr-Melnhof managed to get in in the top 25 during his stint, with the car gaining four positions more during the pit stop. Jon Venter and Josh Caygill, in their first outing in the Endurance Cup, had to battle hard in the most crowded part of the field, and did it well, the car crossing the line in P24.

The Blancpain GT Series will continue now with the UK campaign, with the Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch on 6-7 May and the Endurance Cup round at Silverstone one week later.

The victory of the Grasser Racing Team’ Huracán GT3 comes after the first place at the Nürburgring last September, during the last race of the 2016 Blancpain GT season. This demonstrates the growth in the past few months, thanks to teamwork and drivers. Talking about drivers, the crew that has brought the Grasser Racing Team’s Lamborghini to the victory is partially new for the current season: Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart, already teammate in 2016, welcomed the talented Italian driver Andrea Caldarelli.

The three-hour race held at the Autodromo of Monza, with ten Huracán GT3s fielded on track out of fifty cars on grid, began with a thrill: the # 7 Bentley Continental GT3 caused a collision In which ten cars were involved, including the Lamborghini # 19, the sister car of Grasser Racing Team, started from the front row with Perez Companc, Giammaria and Siedler.

After restarting, the # 63 Hurácan GT3 with Mirko Bortolotti behind the wheel started gaining positions, from fifth to the lead thanks to the impressive race pace imposed by Bortolotti. After the first hour, Andrea Caldarelli took the wheel for the second stint. Again, the Lamborghini Factory Driver kept an impressive pace that allowed to leave the car to Christian Engelhart with about 20 seconds of advantage. Engelhart, during his last stint, managed perfectly the race and led the Lamborghini to the checkered flag over the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 and the HTP Motorsport Mercedes AMG-GT3.

Thanks to a perfect race strategy, teamwork and drivers work, Lamborghini now leads the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup standings.

Noteworthy is also the excellent debut of the Huracán GT3 fielded by Orange 1 Team Lazarus, the 2016 International GT Open champion and now engaged in the Blancpain GT. The # 27 Lamborghini driven by Lamborghini Squadra Corse GT3 Junior Drivers Fabrizio Crestani, Gustavo Yacaman and Nicholas Pohler, fought in the top ten during the first stint but due to a tire issue and the consequent time loss had to end at 21st place.

The next round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup is scheduled at Silverstone Circuit from 12 to 14 May.

On a dry track in the Green Hell, the Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number 47 secured pole position after the two qualifying sessions on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. After a turbulent start, the cars with the three-pointed star established themselves among the front-runners. The pole-sitter with starting driver Christian Hohenadel (GER) had bad luck on lap three, having to retire from the race following a collision.
In the second half of the race, Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON emerged as one of the contenders for a top 5 result. Starting driver Maro Engel having made his way up from fifth on the grid into the top 3, team-mate Thomas Jäger took over with a double stint. Dirk Müller and final driver Jan Seyffarth also drove the Mercedes-AMG GT3 through the six-hour race with over 100 competitors without any problems. Eventually, they crossed the finish line after 41 laps and were able to acquire valuable experience for the upcoming endurance racing classic at the end of May.

Thus, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport reached the goal that had been set, namely to get as many of the participating performance cars to already secure their Top 30 qualifying slots for the 24-hour race. The HARIBO Racing Team Mercedes-AMG had already secured its slot based on its achievements in the first two VLN season rounds, Mercedes-AMG Teams HTP Motorsport and BLACK FALCON did so by means of their successful results in qualifying for the qualification race.

Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON #3: “I am really happy that we managed to secure our place for the Top 30 qualifying for the 24-hour race during qualifying this weekend, that was our goal. In the race, I took the start, it was a close and tough fight, but it was huge fun. My first stint went really well and I made it through the opening stage without contact. I am already massively looking forward to the 24-hour race in four weeks’ time. But one thing is clear: when you want to win the race at the end of May, everything has to fit perfectly and of course, you need to have the necessary bit of luck on your side.”
 
Thomas Jäger, Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON #3: “Of course, we were really happy with pole position for HTP Motorsport and we wanted to carry that speed over into the race and use it. Concerning the average lap times, we weren’t quite able to keep up. As a result, we didn’t make it all the way to the front, but we will analyse it and carry out the according bit of fine-tuning. Of course, we hope that we can still improve in the build-up to the 24-hour race.”

Maximilian Götz, HARIBO Racing Team Mercedes-AMG #8: “Today, the verdict of our race has to be ‘we racked up relevant testing mileage’. Unfortunately, we had a technical problem that made us lose a lot of time. However, we headed back out on track to continue testing. The team is highly motivated and we were able to get some good lap times in at the end. We are confident for the 24-hour race in four weeks’ time.”

In Pro-Am the #97 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport Aston Martin took the win after a majestic final stint of Jonny Adam, while the honours in Am Cup went to the #961 AF Corse Ferrari. The race was red-flagged for some 20 minutes after a crash at the start. All drivers involved were ok, but more than a dozen cars were unable to take the restart.

The TM Performance 3 Hours of Monza were yet again one of the must-attend events of the international motorsports calendar. 20.500 spectators travelled to the mythical Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, not only to enjoy the beautiful Italian weather, but also to admire a plethora of impressive supercars, witness some interesting support races and meet the teams and drivers of the Blancpain GT Series.

But it was the TM Performance 3 Hours of Monza, the first endurance race of the 2017 Blancpain GT Series that claimed most of the interest. With 52 cars on the entry list, the Blancpain GT Series emphasized its status as the biggest GT series on the motorsports planet. Unfortunately, not all cars made it through the first corner. A contact in the run-up to the Rettifilio chicane caused the #19 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini to spin in front of the oncoming cars and mayhem was unavoidable. Some 16 cars were involved in the crash, but fortunately no driver was injured. The necessary race stoppage to clear the track only took 20 minutes, and after a safety car start the remaining cars could well and truly get underway.

Meanwhile, the race stewards had found the #7 Bentley Team M-Sport Continental responsible for the crash and the car was given a 15 second stop&go penalty. When the car did not serve that time penalty during the reglementary three laps, the car was black-flagged. This reduced the fight for the lead to two cars, the #72 SMP Racing Ferrari of Miguel Molina and the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini driven by Mirko Bortolotti. During the first pitstop the Austrian squad made the difference, leaving the pitlane with a five-second advantage. Blancpain GT Series rookie Andrea Caldarelli and Christian Engelhart increased the lead to a massive 29 seconds at the chequered flag. For the Grasser Racing Team, Bortolotti and Engelhart, this is the second consecutive endurance victory in the Blancpain GT Series after taking the win in the Nürburgring round at the end of the 2016 season.

Behind the green Huracan, the fight for the other podium positions was decided by a closely fought duel between the #72 SMP Racing Ferrari, the #75 ISR Audi and the #50 Spirit of Race Ferrari. But when Davide Rigon had to serve a drive-through in the Russian Ferrari (for overtaking under yellow) and Clemens Schmid suffered the cruel fate of having to park the ISR R8 some six minutes from the end – the left rear tyre let go – Alessandro Pier Guidi (who had set the car on pole), Michele Rugolo and Pasin Lathouras took the second step on the Monza rostrum.

Behind them, championship leaders Maxi Buhk and Franck Perera, sharing the #84 Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport car with Jimmy Eriksson, scored important points by moving up to third. Buhk, who had started from 16th, showed his reflexes at the start and barely avoided the crashing cars. Behind the Mercedes-AMG, the Ferraris of Kaspersky Motorsport and SMP Racing completed the top five.

Another driver that had a lucky escape in those first lap incidents was Ahmad Al-Harthy in the #97 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport Aston Martin. In the Italian heat, the Omani driver went on to complete an impressive double-stint, holding off the #911 Herberth Motorsport Porsche early on, in an effort to hang on to the Pro-Am Cup lead as long as possible. But when Jonny Adam took the wheel to complete the final stint, the Scotsman had some 12 seconds to make up to the new leader, Andrea Rizzoli in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari. Thanks to some magnificent driving – Adam even set the overall fastest lap of the race – the Aston Martin driver managed to close the gap and take the Pro-Am Cup lead with only a couple of laps to go. Adam, who on Sunday morning had placed the Aston on the Pro-Am Cup pole, also finished in eighth overall. Behind the Kessel Racing 488 the #53 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Niek Hommerson, Louis Machiels and Andrea Bertolini took third in the Pro-Am Cup. No fewer than eight Pro-Am cars finished in the top-20, clearly showing the high level of the category.

In the Am Cup the #488 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of Pierre Ehret and Rino Mastronardi looked set to take an emphatic win, but when Mastronardi ended the middle stint with well over a minute in hand, the green Ferrari caught fire and that was that. The Am Cup lead went to the #961 AF Corse Ferrari, a car that barely made it to the start. The AF Corse mechanics had to change the gearbox less than an hour before, but managed to do so. Alex Demirdjian, Blancpain GT Series rookie Abbie Eaton and Davide Rizzo completed the job with a faultless drive. Eaton thus becomes the first woman driver to win her class in a Blancpain GT Series race.

The next round of the Blancpain GT Series will be held in Brands Hatch. The second sprint event of 2017 takes place on May 6th/7th.

Christian Engelhart (#63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini, 1st overall): “This is amazing. I’ve been watching this Series for a long time before I made my debut at the Nürburgring last year, and now to be in it, to be working with this team and these drivers is just a dream for me. Especially since I was able my second endurance race. For the championship this win is important, and now we want to be at the front at all of the races.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi (#50 Spirit of Race Ferrari, 2nd overall): “I know we were a bit lucky to take second – it would have been very difficult to overtake the Audi, for it was quicker on the straights – but that does not diminish the fact that this is a fantastic result for us. We had a perfect strategy, perfect pitstops and the car felt pretty good. We will try to beat the Lamborghini next time, for sure.”

Maxi Buhk (#84 Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, 3rd overall): “I had to take to the grass to avoid the crash at the start, but I gave Blancpain some extra promotion by hitting one of the distance markers with their label on it. After that I had pretty busy first stint. There was plenty of overtaking all the time. We were a bit lucky to finish third, but we take it. These are important points for the championship.”

Jonny Adam (#97 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport Aston Martin, 1st Pro-Am Cup): “I was never really sure that I could take the lead to be honest. In the beginning of my stint I had to fight with some Pro cars, but we did a lot of work on this new car and it paid off. The Aston behaved perfectly. The team was keeping me informed of the gap and I knew I had the pace, but it wasn’t until the Ferrari made a slight mistake that I was able to overtake him. We have been waiting a long time for this win. I know how much work Ahmad does behind the scenes, to get the sponsors, to get Oman Racing here, so this one’s for him and the team.”

Alex Demirdjian (#961 AF Corse Ferrari, 1st Am Cup): “I have to thank the whole AF Corse team for changing the gearbox right before the start. Everybody helped, it was very stressful, but we made it just in time. After my stint Abbie and Davide did a perfect job and I am very happy to take the win here. It’s a reward for an exceptional effort of the whole team.”

“We’ve made the conscious decision to back our customer teams rather than compete against them in the VLN races and at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. We’re supporting them by supplying works drivers as well as technical assistance,” says Sebastian Golz, Project Manager GT Customer Motorsport. “The expertise of our teams Falken Motorsports, Frikadelli Racing and Manthey Racing combined with our support and the concept of the 911 GT3 R have underlined in the VLN1 and VLN2 preparation races that we’re currently on the right path. We claimed pole position and overall victory at both of these events and also won the amateur classification. With our customer squads we’ll now take on the challenge of the Nürburgring 24-hour race and the strong opposition from other manufacturers’ works teams.”

Porsche customer teams at the Nürburgring 24 Hours

Manthey Racing, 911 GT3 R #911 *
Romain Dumas, Richard Lietz, Frédéric Makowiecki, Patrick Pilet
Falken Motorsports, 911 GT3 R #44 *
Jörg Bergmeister, Martin Ragginger, Laurens Vanthoor, Dirk Werner
Manthey Racing, 911 GT3 R #12 **
Matteo Cairoli, Mathieu Jaminet, Otto Klohs, Robert Renauer
Frikadelli Racing Team, 911 GT3 R #30 **
Klaus Abbelen, Sabine Schmitz, Andreas Ziegler
Frikadelli Racing Team, 911 GT3 R #31 *
Klaus Bachler, Michael Christensen, Lucas Luhr, Norbert Siedler
Manthey Racing, 911 GT3 R #59 **
Sven Müller, Hari Proczyk, Reinhold Renger, S. Smith

* Pro category ** Amateur category

The IMSA WeatherTech Championship Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown at COTA, May 4 – 6, will be the first of four IMSA GT Daytona (GTD) races that Lone Star Racing, Knox and Skeen will contest this year in the team’s new Mercedes-AMG GT3.

In addition to COTA, Lone Star Racing will also race in the three-race stretch of IMSA events at Road America, August 3 – 6, VIRginia International Raceway, August 25 – 27, and Laguna Seca, September 22 – 24.

Lone Star’s 2017 schedule includes the same four races that the team selected last year for its IMSA GTD racing schedule.

“This schedule worked for us last year and we are looking forward to visiting four of our favorite tracks again in 2017,” Knox said. “We would love to do more races, who wouldn’t, but I also have many time commitments away from race track with family and business. It has been six months since we last raced so we are anxious to get things going very soon at COTA.”

Skeen partnered Knox at all four IMSA races in 2016 and the duo also co-drove in the Pirelli World Challenge GT and Sprint-X events at Laguna Seca.

“Last year we were knocking on the door of a top-five finish on a couple of occasions but never quite got the result due to a few different reasons,” Skeen said. “The competition is as strong as ever, but I think we are capable of that performance again if we put everything together. Like always, execution is the name of the game.”

Lone Star, which is based in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, took delivery of its new Mercedes-AMG GT3 very late last year. The team has thoroughly prepared the new car over the last few months at the team’s Motorsports Ranch-based shop in Cresson, Texas and recently completed its first test at COTA.

The two-day session last week at COTA allowed the team to test with the on-site support of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Engineers.

“I am very excited,” said Lone Star Racing Team Manager AJ Petersen. “Our COTA test went well, and it will be special for us to race in front of a home-state crowd in a couple of weeks. There will be friends and family attending this event. It will be one of our most important races of the year.”

Knox, Skeen and Lone Star earned an IMSA season-best finish of eighth last year at COTA. They were as high as fifth in the late stages of the race only to be forced to serve a penalty for an earlier contact incident in the final minutes.

“Our recent test at COTA has shown that the returning members of the team are all ready to go, and we have some excellent new additions as well,” Skeen said. “The new car, for one, is very exciting and should prove very competitive. The racing in IMSA is always good although I believe we should be able to find some good success at COTA. We had a strong run last year even though we didn’t have the best results, so hopefully we can hit the ground running when we get back to Austin.”

Lone Star raced a Dodge Viper GT3-R the last three seasons, a big-bore, front-engine race car similar to the basic platform of the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“The cars are somewhat similar,” Petersen said. “Mercedes-AMG has done a great job with this car. It has high levels of downforce and quick responses to driver input, which brings driver confidence. It has less torque than the Viper that should help the car be easier on the tires and make for a more consistent pace throughout a stint.”

Skeen also sees the long-run consistency and potential of the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“I think the levels of downforce are significantly higher with the Mercedes-AMG and the platform is much more direct,” Skeen said. “This gives the driver more confidence that the car is going to go where you place. Perhaps more importantly, I think the car will prove to be much more consistent over a race stint, so we should be able to maintain a strong pace to fight for positions at the end of a race.”

Noteworthy

- Petersen and his team have had to learn more than just a new race car in their switch to Mercedes-AMG. “The biggest change for me is my tool box,” Petersen said. “Going from Viper to Mercedes has meant a new assortment of metric tools and torx drivers. I am also becoming proficient at reading German and the current Dollar to Euro exchange rates!”

- Lone Star’s participation at COTA and the other three races will give Mercedes-AMG a fourth entry in those events in its bid for the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Manufacturers Championship in its first year in the series. Victories in the last two series races and a third-place finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona have given Mercedes-AMG an early-season lead in the GTD manufacturer title race over Porsche, 100 – 91. “We can’t help but be encouraged by the performance of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 so far this year,” Petersen said.

- Petersen hasn’t ruled out more IMSA races for Lone Star this year if the right customer can be found. “I really look forward to the consecutive races that we have scheduled late in the season,” Petersen said. “It will be good to bring the team into the routine of the events and for us to hit our stride. We are still working to add to our 2017 schedule with other drivers with budget that desire to run a Mercedes AMG-GT3 in IMSA.”

The organizing committee responsible for the direction and operation of the series are:
* Kenneth Ma, Formula Racing Development Limited Founder and Director;
* Jean-Michel Pialot, who will act as Technical Delegate for the FRD LMP3 Series in addition to his duties with the Asian Le Mans Series;
* Stewart Tan, General Manager of the Zhuhai International Circuit; and
* Shane Rogers, Series Manager of the FRD LMP3 Series and Asian Formula Renault Series.

The officials appointed to the series will be:
* Arnaud Vercauteren, Experienced international official, will lead the Stewards Panel as Chief Steward.
* Jaije Wong and Josephine Lei, Macau Grand Prix and Formula E stewards, will join Mr Vercauteren on the stewards panel.
* Mario Sin, experienced international steward, race director, and Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee member, will act as the series Race Director.

Kenneth Ma: “It is vitally important in any racing series to have the right people at the top, but it is especially vital for a new series. Putting in a mix of people with vast experience puts us in a good position to develop a premium experience, and that’s what we intend to do with the FRD LMP3 Series.”

Shane Rogers, Series Manager: “Starting the FRD LMP3 series from scratch, and delivering a great experience for all our stakeholders requires a great amount of skill, experience and enthusiasm. This team of people meets all those criteria. From a series point of view I’m very happy with the team that Kenneth (Ma) has been able to put together, and confident that they can put together a series that lives up to the LMP3 standard.”

The first round of the FRD LMP3 Series will christen the new Zhejiang International Circuit on 27-28 May, with a second visit on 1-2 July. The series will then make two stops at Shanghai on 29-30 July and 26-27 August, before completing the inaugural season on 16-17 September at Zhuhai International Circuit.

The teams who have will travel to Portugal for the official test will have 14 hours of testing on the circuit that will host the season finale in October.

2013 ELMS GTE Champions RAM Racing will field one of the two Mercedes, while FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE AM front runners Gulf Racing UK will enter a Porsche 911.  British outfits Lee Mowle and Optimum Racing will enter a Mercedes AMG and an Audi R8, while Austrian team SVC Sport Management will run the Lamborghini Huracan.

In LMP3 there is the usual mix of Nissan powered Ligier JS P3s, with one of the new Norma M 30s run by M.Racing-YMR also joining the test in the Algarve, with the French team running their Ligier as well.

ELMS regulars RLR M Sport, By Speed Factory and Graff will  be joining the Le Mans Cup grid, while Dutch team Kox Racing, Spanish team Ibran Pardo Javier and SPV Motorsport will have the opportunity to test in Portugal.  In addition to their GT3 entry, Austrian team SVC Sport Management will also be running an LMP3 Ligier.

The Michelin Le Mans Cup Collective Test will take place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 April with seven hours of testing on each day.  The morning session will be from 09h00 to 12h00 and the afternoon session from 14h00 to 18h00 each day.

“We’re just trying to get a jump start with the programme really,” stated Team Principal Stewart Cox. “It’s a good opportunity to get some laps on the Ligier with the four drivers, two of which we know well.”
 
Dean Koutsoumidis joins the team for the test and is no stranger to the Algarve Pro team having competed with them during the 2015/16 season in the same series, finishing second overall on the back of three podium positions.

The Australian is joined for the test by another familiar name in TackSung Kim, who raced with the team last year. The duo will team up again for the 2017/18 campaign and for this test are joined by Até De Jong and Dimitrios Zartaloudis.

De Jong hails from Manila and competed last year with PRT Racing in the Asian Le Mans Series Sprint Cup, finishing second in the LMP3 class with one win in his Ginetta and four podium positions.

Zartaloudis has a racing background in Australia and most recently competed in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship and for him, this test marks his first time at the wheel of prototype machinery.

The Asian Le Mans Series consists of five rounds, starting in China in October and finishing at Sepang in February.

Rain on a Bank Holiday Monday rarely comes as a surprise to British race fans and a drizzly start to the day’s racing meant that everyone would be happy to survive the first of two races at the fast but tricky parkland circuit, near Tarporley in Cheshire.

RACE ONE
After a fine qualifying run from Jack Mitchell on Saturday, the team’s new Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 lined up in third spot on the grid for the first Round of the Championship, with Jack behind the wheel, eager for his GT3 debut. Unfortunately, as the field started to pull away on the warm-up lap, the no.24 Aston was dramatically engulfed in clouds of steam.

The car was pushed off the grid and back to the pits, where the Macmillan AMR crew set to work. A blown water hose meant the first race was a write-off but organisers gave permission for the team to take to the track late in the race, to ensure repairs had been properly made and the car would be ready for Race 2.

In GT4, the no.42 Aston Martin Vantage V8 started from 4th on the grid, with Will Phillips at the wheel.  A good getaway saw Will grab third place in the charge through the first few corners, before he was hit from behind at the second chicane and knocked into a long spin on the soaking grass, that dropped the Aston way down the order and cost Will’s assailant a penalty.

“The car was mega,” said Will, “it had a lot of grip in the wet and I was able to keep picking other cars off, to get back up to fourth place, by the time I handed over to Jan. Apart from being punted off, it was a really good race, I’m really pleased with that result.”
 
“My first-ever stint in GT racing was tough,” reckoned Jan Jønck, “everyone had rain tyres on and there was a definite dry line. That isn’t something we’d experienced in testing, so I was really having to learn fast! I’m pleased to have survived with no damage and a decent points haul.”
 
The GT4 team finished in 4th position, after their assailant on Lap 1 was excluded, claiming second in the Silver drivers’ points as well. A decent start to the season and – critically – the car was still in fine fettle for the second race.

RACE TWO
The afternoon’s second race saw the no.24 GT3 Aston line up in 6th position. James Littlejohn took the start, and in the drier conditions, kept his place in the top 6 all the way through his stint. It was not without drama, though, as the Aston was clattered at Lodge Corner by Seb Morris – despite James leaving the fast-approaching Bentley plenty of room to get by, as the Welshman recovered from a crash, a penalty and a spin!

“All we wanted to do was score points, after Race 1’s disappointment,” reckoned James, “so my plan was to stay out of trouble, especially as half the track was dry but the other half was still wet.

“I saw Bentleys off the track but when Seb Morris came up behind me, I didn’t know he’d had a penalty. He was closing at quite a rate, so at Lodge, I decided I’d let him go… I kept as far over to the left as I could and braked a little earlier. To my surprise, he side-swiped me and I had a big moment, gathering the car back up.

“Fortunately, the collision didn’t damage the car and after that, it was relatively calm. I was happy with the pace in the car, despite the extra weight we’re carrying. The effects of that are actually pretty clear, because tyre degredation was very noticeable, by the time I handed over to Jack.”
 
Jack Mitchell finally got his chance to complete some racing laps, exiting the pits in 6th, clear of a tight battle, further down the top 10.

“I was really looking forward to getting into the car,” said Jack. “Even though we’re carrying a lot of ballast – because we’re both Silver-rated drivers – the car has great balance and I felt sure we could make some progress.

“Not long into my stint, though, the Safety Car came out. When I came out of the first chicane, it looked like a plane crash at the top of the hill, with cars and debris everywhere. After a couple of laps, they brought out the chequered flag, bringing things to an end, which was a shame, as I’d just set the fastest lap and was really into the groove.

“Nevertheless, we ended up with a 6th-placed finish, earned some points and came away with no damage – which not everyone can say! Now. I’m looking forward to Rockingham and really kick-starting our season.”

Jan Jønck lined up in 8th place in GT4 for his first GT start and made a clean getaway.

“I managed to avoid the carnage at the start,” smiled Jan, “but then, I got held up by a GT3 car and lost a couple of places. It was really hard to overtake but when the other started pitting, I was able to really fly in clear air.”

Among the very last of the stoppers in the 10-minute pit window, Jan handed the car over to partner Will Phillips in third place in GT4, allowing his more experienced team-mate to try and grab a podium finish.

Shortly after Will had taken over the car a huge accident, between a pair of GT3 cars, forced the organisers to scramble the Safety Car.

Both drivers involved were OK but significant damage to the safety barriers led to the race being curtailed almost 15 minutes early.

Unfortunately, the no.42 was among a number of cars penalized for pit-stop infringements, handed a 30-second penalty that dropped them down to 8th spot in the final reckoning.

“The penalty was very unfortunate,” said Will, “but overall it was a great weekend. I’m really pleased with the way the team is performing and Jan is performing well too. The year should be interesting. We know we’ve got the pace, we know the car’s good, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

“We knew Oulton Park wasn’t going to be easy,” said Team Principal David Macmillan, “and when Monday dawned grey and wet, that just raised the stakes. I know we were not alone in prioritizing taking points and sustaining as little damage as possible, given the weather and the nature of the Oulton track.
 
“The races proved exactly what we thought during winter testing – that we’ve got two good cars and two very strong driver line-ups… that’s really promising for the rest of the season. The team is all-new this season and I know the boys and girls on the crew are mortified with the two slip-ups but they weren’t alone in making mistakes – we’re all human.
 
“With a brand-new GT3 car, three new drivers – two of whom are rookies – and an entirely new crew of engineers and mechanics, there was a lot to get right… and almost everything worked like clockwork. I’m immensely proud of the whole team. We’ll all get our heads down and work even harder for Rockingham.”
 
Round 3 of the British GT Championship is at Rockingham, Northamptonshire on Sunday 30th April.

Car #2 sees a completely new trio, composed of Nathanaël Berthon, who has won this year the Tropée Andros with Team WRT on a very different kind of ground, Stéphane Richelmi, who comes back to the Belgian squad for which he drove in 2015, and Bénoît Tréluyer. The 40-year-old Frenchman joins with one WEC World Champion title and three wins at Le Mans 24 Hours under his belt, but ready to enrich its string of successes with Audi.  “This season, I want to enjoy myself and push my limits”, explains the Frenchman, “In LMP, due to the technology, we drivers were dependant on the car and were less involved in the overall performance. This is not the case in GT racing where “attack” really does mean attack! I’m lucky to still be defending the colours of Audi and  WRT is an incredible organization, I am really impressed. After working with the best WEC team, I was expecting to go down a step… Not at all! In addition, there is a very friendly atmosphere. The only difference is that here everybody speaks French, which is obviously a bonus!  Nathanaël and Stéphane are quick and friendly, I am delighted to be able to bring some experience to the line-up.”

Car #3 will also see a welcome returnee, as Niki Mayr-Melnhof is back with the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT after a few seasons. The personable Austrian will have as team mates two newcomers, young guns Josh Caygill from Great Britain and Australia’s Jonathan Venter.

In car #5, two established values of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT such as Will Stevens and Dries Vanthoor will team up with another member of Audi’s former WEC squad, Marcel Fässler, who has shared WEC and Le Mans crowns with Tréluyer. The youngest of the trio, Dries Vanthoor, is ready to go for big things: “I think we have a strong trio of fast drivers”, says the young Belgian, “and I am sure we will benefit a lot from Marcel’s great experience in long-distance races. Monza, for sure, is not listed among the most favorable tracks to us, but we are ready to fight against the power cars with the good weapons we have in Endurance races: consistency,  team work, strategy. The objective is to reach a good result and score as many points as we can. We’ll also have to see how the new tires perform. What reassures me is that at Misano, even if we didn’t have a good weekend, once the car’s set-up was good, Marcel and I had an excellent pace.”

Finally, car #17, will combine experience and youth, as newcomer Jake Dennis joins the team and GT racing from GP3, alongside Stuart Leonard and Robin Frijns, who start their second and third season, respectively, with the team. This line-up, though, is experiencing a last-minute change, as it was known today that Robin Frijns has to withdraw due to a knee injury yesterday while training. It will be an expert driver such as Markus Winkelhock subbing for the Dutchman in this situation of force majeure.

Ahead of the traditional Spring event at Monza, Team Principal Vincent Vosse sets out clearly his expectations: “We never go to Monza with full confidence, as we know it is not the most favourable track for us, but we are definitely motivated to get a good result. It’s some years now that we haven’t achieved a podium finish at Monza, and it would be nice to be on the rostrum this year and get things straight after what we went through at Misano. We know that we are good in longer races and that we have four excellent entries, so we definitely have some cards in our hands… It is going to be a very busy weekend for Team WRT, as we are busy on many fronts, but this happens quite often these days, and we are able to manage it. Last weekend, we were happy to celebrate the title of Mohammed Bin Saud in the Saudi GT Championship and we made prime time news on TV there, which is great. We hope this is well-wishing for this weekend!”

Action at the Autodromo will start on Friday, with qualifying scheduled on Sunday morning and the “3 Ore” kicking-off at 14:45 in the afternoon.

BMW Team Schnitzer wrote the first chapter of its glorious history at the Nürburgring 24 Hours back in 1989. The team from Freilassing (GER) claimed its first overall victory at the endurance classic on the Nordschleife in the same year as it won its maiden DTM title. After 143 laps of racing, eventual DTM champion Roberto Ravaglia, Emanuele Pirro (both ITA) and Fabien Giroix (FRA) crossed the finish line first in the iconic BMW M3 E30. In memory of this success BMW Team Schnitzer will return to the Eifel track in 2017 with one of the two BMW M6 GT3s sporting the same historic design as the winning car from 1989.

This is a particularly special honour for Charly Lamm, who was team principal when BMW Team Schnitzer claimed its first major Nordschleife success – a role he still occupies today: “BMW Motorsport has a big tradition in motor racing, and we have been fortunate to work together for many decades. The historic livery on the BMW M6 GT3 is a nice throw-back to our first victory – one we are very proud of. The stripes in the classic BMW Motorsport colours, in particular, evoke a lot of memories among the many BMW fans in the Eifel region and give us extra motivation to do everything in our power to get a good result on our return to the Nordschleife.”

Lamm still has fond memories of that first victory in 1989: “We were competing in both the DTM and the 24-hour race on the same weekend. Our drivers did a perfect job, as did the entire team. It was a fantastic race and a really emotional experience for the whole team.”
 
Just two years later, BMW Team Schnitzer added a second success. In 1991, Armin Hahne, Joachim Winkelhock (both GER) and Kris Nissen (DEN) were victorious – again at the wheel of the BMW M3 E30, which took overall victory in the four consecutive years from 1989 to 1992. The car remains by far the most successful touring car ever fielded by BMW Motorsport. It made its DTM debut in 1987 and propelled Eric van de Poele (BEL) to the title at the first attempt. Ravaglia was also crowned world touring car champion with the BMW M3 E30 in the same year. In total, the car has 41 DTM race wins to its name.

BMW Team Schnitzer claimed overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours on a further three occasions: in 2004 and 2005 with the BMW M3 GTR and most recently with the BMW M3 GT2 in 2010. In 2017, the team lines up with two BMW M6 GT3s and top-class drivers. Reigning DTM champion Marco Wittmann (GER) will be joined by fellow DTM drivers Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Tom Blomqvist (GBR). Also in action will be BMW works drivers Martin Tomczyk (GER) and António Félix da Costa (POR), as well as two newcomers to the BMW fold, Timo Scheider (GER) and Alex Lynn (GBR).

Farfus, Félix da Costa, Scheider and Lynn will share the driving duties in the car with the historic livery. Fans will get their first glimpse of this very special BMW M6 GT3 in action this weekend, at the qualifying race for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The 45th staging of the classic endurance race will take place on 27th and 28th May 2017.

Audi has already celebrated the overall victory in the ADAC GT Masters three times: Christian Abt in 2009, René Rast/Kelvin van der Linde in 2014 and Connor De Phillippi/Christopher Mies in 2016. The two champions from last year will be looking to defend their title with team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport. Their team mate Jeffrey Schmidt will share a cockpit with Christopher Haase. In 2007, Haase wrote history as the first ADAC GT Masters champion. In the South African Kelvin van der Linde from the Aust Motorsport team, another former title-holder will be in action in an Audi R8 LMS. Furthermore, Frank Aust’s team will provide a cockpit for a rising star from the Audi Sport TT Cup. Dennis Marschall is the 2016 runner-up from the Audi one-make cup. Yaco Racing, as another Audi customer team, has already proven that it is capable of victories with two race triumphs in the ADAC GT Masters.

Three more teams will be relying on the Audi R8 LMS for the first time in this year’s ADAC GT3 racing series. The Audi Sport racing academy is giving a chance to the junior duo Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky/Ricardo Feller, and is counting on Elia Erhart/Christopher Höher in the second car. The team BWT Mücke Motorsport has, among others, Markus Winkelhock and Frank Stippler in the cockpit – two established Audi Sport drivers who have already celebrated many endurance race victories. Marc and Dennis Busch also have endurance experience. The twins from Bensheim have already celebrated overall victories on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, and together face the challenge of the ADAC GT Masters for the first time with their family team Twin Busch Motorsport. The series has 14 rounds on seven weekends in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands and is considered one of the most professional and toughest national GT3 series. All races are broadcast live and in full-length by Sport1.

“Audi is represented the strongest out of all seven participating brands on a grid of 32 racing cars. Almost a third of the field are R8 LMS cars,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We are expecting a similarly tough title fight like last year, and we are eager to see whether the newcomers and junior drivers can hold their own with the established racers.”

Not only in the ADAC GT Masters is the Audi R8 LMS popular. In the German club sport racing series DMV GTC, six GT3 sports cars with the four rings are competing, as well as other customer teams in the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. Also outside of Germany, Audi is represented in a national GT3 racing series in Europe: at the same time as the German opener in Oschersleben, the Italian GT Championship begins beyond the Alps. At Imola, Audi Sport Italia contests its ninth season in a row with the Audi R8 LMS. The Audi factory driver and three-time Le Mans winner Benoît Tréluyer and Vittorio Ghirelli are the confirmed drivers. Emilio Radaelli’s team has already won a drivers’ title, as well as two runner-up drivers’ titles and two team titles.

Audi Sport customer racing teams in the ADAC GT Masters:

Montaplast by Land-Motorsport

#1 Christopher Mies/Connor De Phillippi

#2            Christopher Haase/Jeffrey Schmidt

Aust Motorsport

#3            Kelvin van der Linde/Markus Pommer

#4            Dennis Marschall/Patric Niederhauser

Audi Sport racing academy

#8            Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky/Ricardo Feller

#9            Elia Erhart/Christopher Höher

BWT Mücke Motorsport

#24         Filip Salaquarda/Markus Winkelhock

#25         Mike David Ortmann/Frank Stippler

Twin Busch Motorsport

#44         Dennis Busch/Marc Busch

Yaco Racing

#50         Rahel Frey/Philip Geipel

The four driver categories of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, namely  PRO, PRO-AM, AM and Lamborghini Cup, have been confirmed also this year, with an international and high-level line-up. Many are also the new features, with a presence of almost 20 teams.

In the highest category, the focus will be especially on the young drivers, the true lifeblood of Lamborghini competitions; the company has dedicated to them a growth path by establishing the Youngster Programs. This growth program also involves teams and uses the four continental series of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo (Europe, Asia, North America and Middle East) as a springboard for the main GT championships worldwide, as recently demonstrated by some teams which are now taking part in international competitions with their  Huracán GT3s, after gaining some experience in the one-make series.

It is also worth mentioning the constant change of protagonists, starting from the PRO class, which will be a real area of confrontation between three illustrious sons of motorsport legends. Two of them will share the cockpit of the car of Bonaldi Motorsport, which will see the debut in this category of the eighteen-year-old Brazilian Pedro Piquet  (his father Nelson won three world F1 titles between 1981 and 1987) and the Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto Jr., son of the former F1 driver and champion on two wheels, Johnny Alberto. In the past two seasons, Piquet took part in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and previously won two Brazilian titles in his category. Cecotto participated in GP2 Series for several years and has been a F1 test driver for various teams.

Among the “new entries”, there is the seventeen-year-old Jonathan Cecotto, Johnny Cecotto Jr.’s brother, who will be at his debut with Imperiale Racing beside the expert driver Vito Postiglione. The latter, after fighting till the end for the title last year, is ready to take another challenge with the colors of Ivano Pignatti’s team.

The level will be equally high also in the PRO category, with the confirmed presence of  Rik Breukers and Axcil Jefferies (aged respectively 18 and 22). The two drivers have already conquered the title of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East with GDL Racing earlier this year and are now aiming at winning, with the same team, that of the European series, where the former got very close to success in the PRO-AM class in 2016.

What is new is instead the crew fielded by the team Antonelli Motorsport, which has reconfirmed the presence of Loris Spinelli, 2015 PRO-AM champion, who will share the cockpit of the car with the twenty-four-year-old Canadian Mikaël Grenier, who has some experience in the American Indy Lights and is at his debut in the Super Trofeo.

In the same PRO class, the team VS Racing will also field a new crew formed by the Brazilian Raphael Abbate, already a champion of the South American F3, and the Japanese Yuki Nemoto, who gained some experience in the Italian GT Championship with Vincenzo Sospiri’s team last year and scored four wins with a Huracán Super Trofeo. The team Leipert Motorsport has also renewed his commitment in the championship and in the PRO category, they will field two new drivers: the 23-year-old Australian Morgan Haber and the Pole Jan Kisiel.

In the PRO-AM class, one of the top crews of the team Konrad Motorsport is surely that formed by the German drivers Hendrik Still and Paul Scheuschner, who also participated in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East. The team Antonelli Motorsport will field the 18-year-old driver Kikko Galbiati, who debuted during the past season in the final round in Valencia and immediately scored a victory in the AM category. He will share the cockpit with Davide Roda, who won the opening round of the Middle East Series in Abu Dhabi last February. In the same category, the team ArtLine will be able to count on two expert drivers such as Shota Abkhazava (winner of the AM title two years ago) and Gerhard Tweraser. The team will also field a car in the PRO category for Sergey Afanasiev and Kelvin Snoeks. Fabio Onidi, another driver with some experience in the GP2 Series, will debut with Automobile Tricolore and will share the cockpit with another Italian driver, Raffaele Giannoni.

In the AM class, the team Bonaldi Motorsport will see the return of Eugenio Amos and Mirko Zanardini.

In the Lamborghini Cup, instead, the Dutchman Gerard Van der Horst (Van der Horst Motorsport) will try and defend the title conquered in 2016 and will have his teammate,  William Van Deyzen , among his opponents.

It is also worth mentioning the return of the team Autovitesse with the 2013 AM champion Laurent Jenny, who will share the cockpit with Cyril Leimer.

The other teams participating in the series are: AGS Event, ARC Bratislava, Attempto Racing, Dörr Motorsport, GT3 Poland, MN Development, Petri Corse and Target Racing.