British-Korean racer Jack Aitken will begin his quest for a first GT3 title this weekend in the opening GT World Challenge Europe round of the season at Imola.
Now in his second season with Swiss-based Lamborghini squad Emil Frey Racing, Jack will focus his attention on the Endurance Cup campaign alongside Lamborghini Factory Drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Albert Costa Balboa in the #63 Pro entry Huracán GT3 Evo.
The action kicks off at the iconic Imola circuit in Italy with a three-hour race, which will feature some of the best GT3 drivers and teams in the world as well as MotoGP royalty in Valentino Rossi.
It will be Jack’s first time racing at Imola since his title-winning Formula Renault 2.0 Alps season in 2015 with Korainen GP. On that opening weekend, he secured a second place in the first race before winning the second encounter.
Jack will be looking to kick on from a promising maiden season in GT racing last year, in which he scored a Pro class podium at Zandvoort, finishing fourth overall. His team-mates have also enjoyed success in the series: Costa Balboa is a three-time race winner in the Sprint Cup while Bortolotti won the 2017 Blancpain GT Series title with Grasser Racing Team.
JACK ON… HIS EXPECTATIONS FROM THE OPENING WEEKEND OF THE SEASON:
“We have a really strong line-up between me, Albert and Mirko so we are aiming high as always. You never know what the Balance of Performance will be like until the weekend so it’s difficult to predict how the pace will be, but the aim is to be fighting at the front for a podium and the victory.”
JACK ON…THE COMPETITION:
“It’s a big field in Endurance Cup this year and there are a lot of really fast drivers so it will be pretty tough competition, as it is every year. The track will certainly be very busy, especially in qualifying. But sometimes you just need to get on with it and not worry about what everyone else is doing, if we get a clean lap then we have a chance, but it’ll be a bit of a compromise. We need to go there with an open mind and do our own thing.”
JACK ON… THE IMOLA CIRCUIT:
“I haven’t raced at Imola since my Formula Renault Alps days in 2015, so it has been a while but it’s a track I like and have done well at before. Obviously, this will be the first time I’ve driven it in a GT car so there will be little things to get used to. Our car does better in the tight and twisty sections so that will be our focus, particularly in qualifying. Having watched some videos from the last time the World Challenge raced there, overtaking will be a challenge but there are some opportunities in the slow corners, so we need to be decisive.”
Source. Jack Aitken
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