Lamborghini squad Emil Frey Racing will add three Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evos to this year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS grid, bringing two Pro line-up and one Silver Cup cars.
Owing to increased interest from drivers in becoming part of Emil Frey Racing, the team states, it has decided to increase its number of cars entered in the 2021 season.
Norbert Siedler, Albert Costa and Giacomo Altoè return to the team, albeit in a reshuffled driver line-up. Competing in the Sprint Cup aboard the #163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo will be Siedler alongside Costa, while Altoè jumps in for the Endurance rounds. Costa and Altoè were responsible for two victories last year for the Swiss team, while Siedler scored pole twice for the Zandvoort Sprint round.
The second full-Pro car entered in the overall championship will be driven by newcomers Jack Aitken, Konsta Lappalainen and Arthur Rougier. Aitken raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship last year when he made his Formula One debut in Bahrain with Williams Racing substituting for George Russell. 19-year-old Lappalainen also comes over from the world of open-wheel racing, having won the 2018 SMP F4 Championship and competing in Formula 3 in recent years. Rougier, finally, is the most experienced of the youngsters with one season of GT3 racing with Saintéloc Racing in the GTWC Europe under his belt. He steps aboard the #114 machine for the Endurance rounds.
For its first Silver Cup entry with a Lamborghini, Emil Frey Racing has looked close to home. An all-Swiss, all-Silver line-up consisting of Ricardo Feller, Alex Fontana and Rolf Ineichen will take on the season in the #14 Lambo. Feller was also part of the team last year and stays on in the #14 car which becomes a Silver Cup entry in 2021. He is joined by Emil Frey-returnee Alex Fontana. The young but experienced driver raced the Emil Frey-built Jaguar XK G3 in 2018 when he sent the car into retirement with the title in the Silver Cup. Rolf Ineichen, a long-time Lamborghini driver with Grasser Racing Team, is back with the Italian brand after a season with Audi to take on the Endurance Cup with Feller and Fontana.
The 2021 season of the GTWC Europe is scheduled to start on 16-18 April in Monza. The annual pre-season test will be held on 25-26 March at Circuit Paul Ricard. This will be Emil Frey Racing’s third year with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo.
Quotes
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal: “The season ending late in 2020 due to the Coronavirus resulted in a shorter winter break for us. The mechanics did comprehensive maintenance work on the cars and all our equipment, while the engineers analyzed the telemetry data and onboard footage to improve the strategy and optimize processes. I’m very excited and optimistic about the continuation and strengthening of our partnership by adding a third car. The level of expertise is extremely high, especially in this premier class of GT3. Winning is just a matter of seconds. This is why we greatly value the professional and active exchange with Lamborghini Squadra Corse. We’re a well-coordinated team aiming for strong results.”
Giorgio Sanna, Head of Motorsport Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.: “As Lamborghini Squadra Corse we’re glad to support Emil Frey Racing in the upcoming 2021 season, with three cars committed in both Endurance and Sprint series. The team will definitely be a main player in both the Pro and Silver classes, having a strong combination of Pro and talented Silver drivers who are very well known in the Lamborghini family.”
Jürg Flach, Technical Director: “The past few weeks have been very busy but I’m excited about entering the coming season with two Pro line-ups and one Silver line-up. We have a strong team consisting of our long-term drivers, our new talents in the #14 and the #114 and lastly, our skilled engineers and mechanics. I’m convinced that we’re ready as a team and ready for a challenging season. The pre-season tests have been successful so far and we’re optimistic about the season start in Monza.”
Driver quotes #163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo
Albert Costa: “This is the second year with Pirelli tyres and Lamborghini in the GT World Challenge Europe for Emil Frey Racing. l’m very excited, as this year we’ll be more ready than ever. I’ve known the team for many years now and I know that they continue to improve, which makes us more confident and reassured about what we do. This will also help a lot in terms of the setup as well as our reaction during the race. A lot of things changed in my personal life this year and I’m really looking forward to the season. I’m more focused and motivated than ever! I want to make sure that all the changes lead me in the right direction. With Norbert I will have a new teammate in the Sprint races. I’ve known him since I started racing and now, finally, we are racing together. Giacomo will join us in the Endurance races. He’s like a little brother to me and I’m sure we’re going to do a great job together with the Emil Frey Racing family.”
Norbert Siedler: “I’m happy that the season is about to start again! I really appreciate that I get the support I need from Emil Frey to be able to deliver a good performance. Thanks also to the whole team for the trust. Of course, I’m also thrilled about my teammates Albert and Giacomo. I’m looking forward to a great season. We have everything we need to compete at the top.”
Giacomo Altoè: “l’m really happy to be confirmed again for Emil Frey Racing. This will be our third season in a row together – after a successful season in 2019 and good results from the 2020 season. I’m looking forward to the new season and the new driver line-up. Norbert will join Albert and me, and I think we form a really strong line-up for the Endurance races. Together with the whole team, we can achieve a great deal. Let’s stay ready and let’s work on precision during the tests to achieve the very best before the start of the season!”
Driver quotes #14 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo
Ricardo Feller: “I’m so happy about being once again part of Emil Frey Racing in 2021. I think we have a great driver line up this year for all three cars. We, the #14 crew, will be competing in the Silver category, which I definitely see as an advantage. I’m endlessly grateful for the opportunity to embark on this challenge and can’t wait for it to start.”
Alex Fontana: “l’m super happy to be reunited with Emil Frey Racing. Racing for a Swiss team, with a completely Swiss driver line up in car #14 as a Swiss driver is just about perfect! We know each other from the 2018 season, which we concluded successfully. I’m really looking forward to the team reuniting and to start driving a car, which to me is practically new, since I had driven it only once before. But I felt comfortable in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo straight from the start. Knowing the car a little bit better now and also knowing the team and engineers, reassures me and makes me optimistic about the upcoming season. For me this will be the first complete GT World Challenge season, since I’ve never driven both the Endurance and Sprint series combined. Driving both cups with the same car, driver line-up and team is great, and a big chance for me as a driver to improve and move forward.”
Rolf Ineichen: “I’m very excited to compete, together with Emil Frey Racing, in the Endurance cup of the GT World Challenge Europe. To race with a purely Swiss car and team means a lot to me. For this to happen and on this level is a first for me in my racing career. Though I have raced with a purely Swiss line-up before, I have never shared that experience together with a Swiss team. This and the great line up of drivers doubles my motivation. That’s why I’m so thrilled to enter the championship with my two colleagues Ricardo and Alex. In my opinion, we have a great chance to win in the Silver cup, which is also the ultimate goal. I’m confident that Emil Frey Racing has all it takes to make this happen. We will give our very best and are preparing on a very high level. We’re optimistic that this will be a successful year for us. I would like to thank Emil Frey Racing for giving me this opportunity to take on the challenge with the #14. A big thank you as well to my partners, who have been supporting me throughout the years and of course thank you to Lamborghini Squadra Corse for the trust and the opportunity to take part in different championships.”
Driver quotes #114 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo
Jack Aitken: “I’m delighted to join Emil Frey Racing this year for both the Sprint and Endurance series. It’s very exciting to start on a new discipline and add a new set of skills to my experience in single seaters, and I can’t wait to start learning! The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 has been a pleasure so far, and I hope I can add some success to its already impressive record. I’ve met much of the team at Emil Frey already and felt comfortable working with them from the start, they have a professionalism and attention to detail that matches anything I’ve seen so far in my career. This year will be a fantastic opportunity for me to broaden my abilities as a driver, and I intend to make the most of it.”
Konsta Lappalainen: “I’m very pleased to join the Emil Frey Racing family this season. After the first test it was clear to me that we have a solid package for the championship. For sure, jumping straight into this championship coming from a single seater is a huge challenge for me, but I feel ready to take that step and I know the team will help me grow and ensure that we’re ready for the season kick off. Our driver line-up is strong, and my feeling is telling me that we can push each other to get even stronger during the season.”
Arthur Rougier: “I am really delighted to join Emil Frey Racing for the upcoming season. I want to thank everyone involved in making this project possible and the team for their trust. I’m really looking forward to what’s going to be my first year in endurance racing. The tests are going well so far and I’m already feeling good with the car and the team which is a nice point to start with. Let’s build on that, step by step from now on, to be fully ready for the opening round of the season in Monza. Let’s make this Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #114 shine!”
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