In a month’s time, the 2023 season will finally get underway for GRT at the world-famous Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. After the long winter break, the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup will take place at the Grand Prix circuit in Italy. The Lamborghini team from Austria will field two new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s in their return to the top-class endurance series. With the number 85 car already featuring the line-up for the season at the official tests, the squad led by team boss Gottfried Grasser has now also finalized the pairing for the sister car.
The number 58 car will also be driven by an international trio at the five events of this year’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. Sam Neary (Great Britain), Ricky Capo (Australia) and Fabrizio Crestani (Italy) will fight for victories and podiums in the Silver Cup as teammates of Clemens Schmid (Austria), Glenn van Berlo (Netherlands) and Benjamin Hites (Chile). Grasser Racing will thus field six drivers from six nations in their two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s this season.
Neary and Capo already took part in the GTWC pre-season test in Le Castellet, France, for the team in early March. For both, competing with GRT will be their debut in the prestigious GT World Challenge. At the age of 20, Neary can already look back on a wealth of experience in GT racing. The Briton competed in the British GT Championship between 2020 and 2022, where he celebrated a victory, a pole position and several podiums.
The GTWC debut will be Capo’s next stop in international motorsports. The 27-year-old from Melbourne was initially active in formula racing after karting. In 2015, he celebrated the title in Australian Formula 3 Championship, after which he raced in both prototype and sports car racing and earned a reputation as an all-rounder. His stations included the Australian GT Championship, the European Le Mans Series and the GT World Cup.
Crestani rounds off the crew as a veteran. The 35-year-old Italian competed in Formula 3 and GP2 between 2005 and 2013. In 2015, he made the switch to GT racing, where his long-standing relationship with Lamborghini teams left its mark on him. After a season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, he won the International GT Open in 2016 behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. In the GT World Challenge, he has a valuable wealth of experience with four seasons under his belt.
Ricky Capo: “I’m so excited to be joining GRT for the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe. Gottfried and the team are very experienced and made me feel right at home when I was in Europe for the official test at Circuit Paul Ricard. I’m very much looking forward to the 24 Hours of Spa but I’m equally keen for more pre-season testing and getting comfortable with the brand-new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2.”
Sam Neary: “I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my racing career with GRT. Racing in Europe in a Lamborghini is a dream come true and I’m ready to make the most of the opportunity. I can’t thank Gottfried and everyone at Grasser Racing enough for putting their trust in me this season. There is a brand-new car to learn and new tracks to master. We have a lot of hard work in front of us but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Fabrizio Crestani: “In the past, I’ve always dreamed of racing for GRT. They are an absolute top team and it feels unreal that I will be in one of their cars this year. I drove the Lamborghini until 2018 and loved it. I’m happy to be reunited with this fantastic race car and can’t wait to get started and get familiar with the team.”
Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: “Ricky and Sam made a strong impression with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 during our pre-season preparation. For both of them, the tests were their first kilometers in this car and we are confident that they will show a steep learning curve in the GTWC. It is the first season for both of them in this highly competitive championship, so it was important for us to round off the line-up with an experienced driver. Fabrizio looks back on a long motorsport career and has already celebrated successes in the Lamborghini. We have two promising driver pairings for the Silver Cup, from whom we hope to achieve a lot. The course has been set and we are looking forward to an exciting season.”
Source. GRT Grasser Racing/Photo Gruppe C Photography
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