- Mix of conditions gives team valuable knowledge on first circuit visit
- #19 tops the opening Tuesday session
- Sights now set on season opener on April 23-24 at same venue
Oschersleben (Germany), April 06th 2022
Emil Frey Racing completed its preparations for the start of its maiden campaign in ADAC GT Masters with the championship’s official pre-season test at Oschersleben in Germany this week.
Following the opening weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe season at Imola last weekend, the team made the long journey by road straight to Oschersleben for the two-day test which began on Tuesday morning, leaving the mechanics little time to prepare all three Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOs.
It was the first time that Emil Frey Racing had driven at the circuit, one of three new venues for the team across the GT Masters season this year. This meant the team’s approach to the test was different to other championships: learning the characteristics of the circuit as well as the car’s behaviour and what baseline setup to apply quickly became the priority for the two days.
Of the six Emil Frey Racing drivers contesting ADAC GT Masters, four have had previous experience at Oschersleben before: Mick Wishofer, Albert Costa Balboa, Konsta Lappalainen and Franck Perera.
Cold temperatures and rain showers affected the opening day of the test, with track a mixture of wet and dry, making conditions tricky. Unlike in GTWC, there are no tyre warmers in GT Masters, meaning that the team will be able to use the information gained during these tests to solve the heat cycle issues experienced at Imola.
The #19 car of Perera and Arthur Rougier ended the morning session fastest with a time of 1:37.389, with the #63 of Jack Aitken and Albert Costa Balboa finishing third quickest. The #14 car of Konsta Lappalainen and Mick Wishofer finished seventh, as the team focused less on race simulations and more on gaining experienced of the circuit.
Costa Balboa reported that he was happy with the car on the wet setup in the morning, while Jack struggled with it in a wet-dry second session as the track began to dry up. Having fitted slicks in the afternoon, the #63 finished sixth in the session, while Lappalainen and Wishofer ended up two places behind in eighth. Rougier also struggled with the wet setup at the start of the second session but managed strong times to finish fifth in the third and final session on a dry track.
The learning continued on day two of the test, despite less time running, with Perera and Rougier clocking the fourth best time in the morning session, Lappalainen and Wishofer finishing ninth and racking up 39 laps. The #63 car did 34 laps and finished 16th.
Attention now shifts to the opening round of the season, which takes place at the same venue on the weekend of April 23-24. Two one-hour sprint races will be held across the weekend, with a total of 46 drivers contesting the season. There will be 23 cars from five different brands over the seven-round campaign.
Driver quotes Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #14
Mick Wishofer (AUT)
“We’re really happy to be at Oschersleben to start our GT Masters season. We have made good progress and going through our testing programme well, trying out new things. We’re really looking forward to the first race weekend.”
Konsta Lappalainen (FIN)
“The tests in Oschersleben went very well even though the weather brought some challenges. However, we were able to test different things in the rain and dry which is always nice. Now we have a couple of weeks to analyse before the first race.”
Driver quotes Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #19
Franck Perera (FRA)
“The test went well for us; I think it was good that we got some wet and dry conditions because at least we could test a lot of things in both conditions. The car is looking good, still some things to work on but for sure we will see what will happen in two weeks. We always get some surprises but for the moment, we are doing a positive job with Arthur and I and we’re looking competitive.”
Arthur Rougier (FRA)
“I’m really happy to be joining this championship this year, it’s my first time in ADAC GT Masters and first time for me at Oschersleben. It’s a really tough track so it’s nice that we are here for these two days, we have learnt a lot and I have a really good team-mate in Franck who knows this championship, the car and the tracks well so I am looking forward to racing here this year.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #63
Albert Costa Balboa (SPA)
“It’s good to be back in ADAC GT Masters and starting this new adventure with Emil Frey Racing. I think it’s been a positive day as we’ve been running in wet and dry conditions, so we collect a lot of information in both conditions. The car is working well, the team is doing a good job, especially with the fact that there are no tyre warmers in ADAC, and we have to learn more about this topic. We are happy that the race is coming in two weeks.”
Jack Aitken (UK)
“Our first test with the GT Masters went really well. It was nice to see the track for the first time and also the competition, it looks like it will be a strong field. We’ve been learning a lot so far already and it’ll be fresh in the mind when we come back in two weeks. I’m confident we can push quite hard already in the first round.”