- Jewel-in-the-crown endurance race a staple of the GTWC season
- Tyre management and reliability the key focus for all three crews
- Race takes place on the final weekend of July
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), June 22nd 2022
Emil Frey Racing completed its preparations for the standout event of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup calendar, the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, following the official test at Spa-Francorchamps.
Taking place over two days, the test was the first proper running on the 7.004km circuit since a tumultuous 24 Hours for the team in 2021, with memories of that race quickly replaced with added motivation ahead of the third round of the Fanatec GTWC Endurance Cup campaign.
The test began on Tuesday morning under dry conditions and an ambient temperature of around 14 degrees. Following a difficult second round of the GTWC season at Paul Ricard, the main goal on the opening day for the team was to understand more about tyre management and getting them up to the right operational temperature.
Despite this, the #63 Huracán suffered two left-rear punctures – one while Albert Costa Balboa was at the wheel and another with Jack Aitken driving.
All three crews reported mixed feelings from the first day, with the afternoon session focused on finding the right balance on the car. The final sector, in particular, is an area for improvement before the 24 Hours next month.
The second day produced a big improvement across all three crews, with drivers reporting more confidence in the balance of the car compared to day one. During the morning session, track inspections meant that action was delayed by around 90 minutes, but this didn’t stop the trio of EFR Lamborghinis setting competitive times near the front during the third session.
At the end of the morning’s running, the #63 finished ninth quickest, with the #14 of Stuart White – set to contest his second Spa 24 Hours and first with the team next month – Konsta Lappalainen and Tuomas Tujula in 11th. The #19 car of Giacomo Altoè, Léo Roussel and Arthur Rougier finished 12th fastest.
The next time the team will be at Spa-Francorchamps will be at the end of July for the 24 Hours weekend, which begins with the traditional parade of cars from the circuit to the town centre of Spa, returning after two years off the agenda due to COVID-19. Then it’s onto practice and qualifying before the race takes place on Saturday July 30th.
But before that, Emil Frey Racing makes the relatively short journey from Belgium to Zandvoort in the Netherlands for the third round of the ADAC GT Masters season. Aitken and Costa Balboa will be at the wheel of the #63, while Rougier rejoins his compatriot Franck Perera in the #19 Huracán. Austrian Mick Wishofer again teams up with Lappalainen in the #14.
Team quotes
Jürg Flach, Technical Director
“We worked continuously on the car set-up during the two days of testing to find the optimal car balance and to have the car ready for the big race. We paid special attention to the long runs. Our aim was to provide the drivers with a car that is easy to drive to minimise mistakes and give them confidence. I am happy with the performance we showed during the two days of testing and I’m looking forward to the race.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #14
Stuart White (ZAF)
“I think overall it was a pretty good test, especially from day one to day two, we seemed to have found a good balance with the car on the long runs, although we still definitely have a little bit to improve. But, the two days were quite useful especially from a driver point of view, to get used to the car and Spa-Francorchamps. It’s definitely different to the cars we have driven before, except for Konsta so he was a good reference on day one. And on day two, we were all quite close so I am looking forward to the race and knowing that we can all deliver. We definitely need a bit more luck, we’ve had the pace at the beginning of the season so it would be good to put it all together in the race.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #19
Giacomo Altoè (ITA)
“It was a very positive test for us, we have tested many different setups and made some changes to get ready for the race, both for qualifying and long-run trim. I’m really happy with the job we did with the crew and all the team, so I’m really looking forward to the race; it’s usually our highlight of the season and hopefully, we can bring back some better luck than last year.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #63Jack Aitken (UK)
“The test day is exciting because it’s such a big event for us; it’s probably the highlight of my calendar and it’s gone well. We’ve gathered as much data as we could before the weekend. I think everybody is waiting a bit to see the full pace of the cars for qualifying on the actual race weekend. We still have a lot of work to do and I’m just excited to see the race in full spectator mode like normal, without COVID, the parade and everything else, so it should be good.”