GRT experienced a rollercoaster ride at Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s home round in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup last weekend. At the fourth stop of the season, held from 20th to 22nd September at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s of the Austrian outfit once again convinced with impressive pace. In qualifying, Lamborghini Factory Driver Jordan Pepper set a new track record at the legendary circuit in Italy. In the three-hour race, the PRO entry with the South African, Franck Perera and Marco Mapelli, lacked the necessary luck. Following a start incident through no fault of their own, the trio still managed to finish tenth overall. In the sister car, Matteo Llarena, Baptiste Moulin and Artem Petrov had secured pole position in the SILVER CUP in qualifying. On course for victory in their class, the race ended prematurely for them after contact through no fault of their own.
 
GRT had high hopes after the victory of Pepper, Perera and Mapelli in the MOUNTAIN WOLF-supported #163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 at the Nürburgring. In qualifying, the Lamborghini Factory Drivers confirmed their strong form with sixth place on the grid of 51 entries. In Q3, Pepper achieved the fastest ever lap time set by a GT3 car at the ‘Temple of Speed’ with a time of 1:44.727 minutes. However, starting as the best-placed Lamborghini team on the grid brought him and his team-mates no luck. At the start, there was a collision on the approach to the first chicane, in which starting driver Perera was involved through no fault of his own. The Frenchman dropped back behind the top 10 as a result.
 
In the course of the race, the #163 caught up with the leading group, with Mapelli running as high as second place during the second third of the race. However, an unfortunate strategic decision in the wake of a full course yellow caused the crew to lose ground again. After the last driver change, Pepper rejoined the race in 16th place. In the closing stages, he fought his way back up to tenth position. The #163 GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 still finished as the Italian manufacturer’s best-placed car in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for the third time this season.
 
In the SILVER CUP, the #19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 from Grasser Racing was in a promising position for a long time. After the first stint, Llarena took over from Moulin in eleventh place overall, which also meant the lead in their class. However, the Lamborghini Young Driver was involved in a collision through no fault of his own in the second hour of the race when a competitor hit him under braking into the first chicane. On lap 56, the Italian had to park the car in the pits due to the damage sustained.
 
GRT still has a chance of winning the title coming into the finale of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit from 28th to 30th November. In the drivers‘ standings, Jordan Pepper, Marco Mapelli and Franck Perera are fourth overall with 39 points. They are 15 points behind the leaders. GRT is in sixth place in the team standings, just 13 points behind first place. The 6-hour race in Saudi Arabia will see the season finale, with 33 points up for grabs for the win instead of the usual 25.
 
Jordan Pepper (RSA) / Marco Mapelli (ITA) / Franck Perera (FRA)
#163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
PRO CUP
Qualifying: P6 – Race: P7

Jordan Pepper: „After a good preparation with a promising performance, we were confident about our package. I was very happy about my track record and the best time in Q3. We confirmed our pace and I was proud of this performance. But in the end, we didn’t have a completely smooth qualifying session because Marco and Franck couldn’t finish their last lap due to red flags. In the race, it was an even bigger up and down. We fought back with good moves and clean pit stops and were on course for the podium, but unfortunately we didn’t make the right decision during the full course yellow. It was disappointing for the whole team. But thanks to this fantastic crew, we will have a fast car again in Jeddah to fight back there and go for the championship.“
 
Marco Mapelli: „It was a bittersweet weekend. We showed once again how strong our performance is and that we can be right there. We delivered in qualifying and the race was still going well even after the collision at the start. Franck protected our car in that situation and we made up some places after that. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right touch with the strategy. It’s a shame, but we are still well placed in the championship and there is still a 6-hour race in Jeddah.“

Franck Perera: „The start was utter chaos, the likes of which I have rarely seen. I tried to save what I could save. The race was hard-fought, and we fought like crazy. The result is disappointing, as we had a chance of a podium finish. The rule change regarding stint times for the race was really strange. We could have achieved a lot more here, but we win and lose together. Our car was very fast again and we want to show that again at the finale. Many thanks to the whole team for their fantastic work.“

Mateo Llarena (ITA) / Baptiste Moulin (BEL) / Artem Petrov (ISR)
#19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
SILVER CUP
Qualifying: P1 – Race: DNF

Mateo Llarena: „I’m proud of the weekend regardless of the outcome. I was able to show our potential together with my team and my team-mates. We all did a good job together in qualifying and saw a lot of positives in the race too. Unfortunately, I was only a passenger in the collision coming up to the chicane during my stint. It’s a shame that our race was ended by an incident over which we had no control. But we are looking ahead and recharging our batteries to go all-in again at Jeddah.“

Baptiste Moulin: „The car was perfect, as always with this team. It’s very disappointing that our race ended like this. I felt very comfortable in the car and we were having a good day until the incident in Mateo’s stint. Unfortunately, these things happen, but I’m looking forward to going on the attack again next time. I know we always have a competitive package and I’m highly motivated. The GRT crew are doing an excellent job, so a big thank you to everyone and to Lamborghini Squadra Corse for this fantastic car.“

Artem Petrov: „I thoroughly enjoyed my first weekend with GRT. Apart from the outcome of the race, it was pretty good. We had a fast car that allowed me to show my potential. I would have liked to have had this opportunity in the race as well, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. I would like to do that in the future. A big thank you to the whole team for the great cooperation. I was given a very warm welcome and everyone did a great job.“

Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal von GRT: „It was a weekend of big highs and lows. It was a real shame for our PRO line-up. In qualifying, we still managed to get a good starting position despite the bad luck with red flags, and Franck got off to a very good start. Unfortunately, he then got caught up in the starting collision, causing us to lose many positions. After that, the guys did a great job and we had the pace for the podium at all times, but then we missed out on the right strategy call under full course yellow. Unfortunately, the last-minute change in regulations the day before led to this tactical error. That set us back, and tenth place was the best possible result in the end. We were very sorry to see our #19 crew retire. We had a really strong driver line-up in the SILVER CUP at Monza, who were also absolutely competitive also in the overall competition. It was disappointing that they were not rewarded for their performance. But we won’t give up and will give our all again at the finale in Jeddah to end the season with another victory.“