Press release
Emil Frey Racing clinches GT Masters Teams’ crown in Hockenheim finale
- #19 crew claim superb second place in opening encounter
- Aitken and Costa Balboa secure fourth in drivers’ standings
- Lappalainen and Wishofer take home third place in junior’ standings
- First time ever title-win for Lamborghini SC in ADAC GT Masters
Hockenheimring (Germany), October 23rd, 2022
Emil Frey Racing concluded its maiden assault on the ADAC GT Masters in the best way possible by winning the Teams’ title in an action-packed season finale at Hockenheim.
The opening race of the weekend produced the best results for the team, as all three crews scored points. The #19 of Arthur Rougier and Franck Perera drove a sensational race from eighth on the grid to finish second at the flag, while the #63 of Jack Aitken and Albert Costa Balboa was fourth after encountering traffic in the pits.
Mick Wishofer and Konsta Lappalainen finished sixth, before going one better in race two, taking fifth as Costa Balboa and Aitken retired with damage. But the #14’s result combined with 11th place for the #19 and a non-score from Emil Frey Racing’s main rivals in race two were enough to secure a breakthrough title triumph.
Practice
The team came into the final weekend of the season with optimism, having gathered valuable knowledge and experience of the circuit in September’s GT World Challenge Europe round where it produced a strong performance. With conditions similar to those experienced in practice a month ago, all three cars set competitive times across the two sessions, particularly the #63 which managed the second and fourth best times respectively. The team was the only one to have each of its cars in the top 10, which was covered by just eight-tenths, leaving the drivers confident ahead of qualifying.
Saturday summary
Qualifying 1
Friday’s rain had quickly disappeared, and the track was completely dry for qualifying on Saturday morning. With points crucial at this stage of the championship, the #63 needed a strong result. It got that, with Costa Balboa putting in the second-quickest time – just 0.095s shy of pole – but it wasn’t enough to keep the car in contention for the drivers’ title as the Mercedes emerged faster. Showcasing the positive pace in practice, the #14 was fourth fastest with Lappalainen at the wheel, while Rougier qualified the #19 eighth on the grid.
Race 1
From second on the grid, Costa Balboa immediately found himself in the middle of the action as the field jostled for position around the opening lap. The #63 initially lost ground at the start, dropping behind the Mercedes at turn one and then having to fight off the attention of the Porsche at the turn six hairpin. This side-by-side action brought the #14 of Lappalainen into the mix, with the Finn maintaining his fourth place. Further back, it was a superb start for Rougier in the #19, who leapt up three places to run directly behind the sister Huracáns in fifth.
Rougier then moved up a place as Lappalainen let the Frenchman past, but in doing so left the door open to the Porsche and fell to sixth. The places remained the same either side of a brief safety car intervention for debris on the track, right up until the pit window opened.
The #63 dropped behind the #19 at the stops due to heavy traffic in the pit-lane, leaving Aitken work to do in the second stint, while Perera inherited a net fourth place – after the #71 Lamborghini was forced to cede position after overtaking off the track.
All three cars stayed in the hunt in the closing stages and benefited from a puncture for one of the leading Mercedes cars to move up places before the finish. Perera brought the #19 home in second place, its best result since the season opener in Oschersleben, while Aitken took fourth in the #63 – both cars passed the title-winning Mercedes on track. Wishofer took over from Lappalainen and finished sixth.
Sunday summary
Qualifying 2
For the last qualifying session of the year, the field was perhaps the closest it had been all season, with Aitken setting the fifth-fastest time but only 0.181s off the top time. The #63 spent much of the early stages of the session building tyre temperature and finding space on the track before attacking in the closing minutes. Aitken’s penultimate lap was good enough for eighth before improving three places on his final effort. The #19 didn’t have the same sort of luck and was only 15th, one place ahead of the #14 of Wishofer who struggled with traffic, getting blocked by the Audi of Drudi and losing time.
Race 2
Ahead of the final race of the season, the focus lay exclusively on the Teams’ championship battle with the rival Landgraf Mercedes squad. After solid points on Saturday, the team started race two with a seven-point margin and were assured of the title as both Mercedes cars failed to finish.
At the start, Aitken maintained his fifth place while Perera’s superb getaway unfortunately went unrewarded after the Frenchman was forced to take evasive action at the hairpin following a three-car contact in front of him. Having made it up to 12th, Perera ended the first lap 14th.
Meanwhile, Wishofer leapt to 10th in the early stages, passing the Audi of Drudi and then the BMW of Krohn after an early safety car for debris. Aitken then dropped to sixth after an overtaking attempt on the #71 Lamborghini failed to pay off. The #63 did, however, get back into fifth place following the pit window closed as Costa Balboa took over the reins.
Indeed, Costa Balboa looked the faster car in the second half of the race but was forced into retirement with broken steering after contact with the #1 Audi at the hairpin.
Further back, the #19 had to serve two separate penalty laps; the first due to their pit-stop being under the mandated time and the second after Rougier made contact with a Porsche at the safety car restart following Costa Balboa’s retirement. Despite a scare with a suspected puncture, the #14 remained firmly in the mix and moved up to seventh place entering the final minutes. Lappalainen, having taken over from Wishofer, made even more progress and came home fifth at the finish, making sure of the Teams’ title by 18 points and secured a third place in the junior standings.
Team quotes
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal
"We came to the last race weekend level on points and were able to gain an advantage yesterday, but everything was still open. But that's also the genius of this championship, everyone is close together. A lot could have happened on the last race weekend, we could even have lost the podium. Today we could only finish first or second. We are very happy that we were able to win the Teams’ championship. It's a bit of a shame that we weren't able to finish the overall standings of the Drivers' championship on the podium, instead finishing fourth, but on the other hand we're very happy about third place in the junior drivers' standings. I'm very happy with our season. We were able to score good points in the first race at the beginning of the year, then had ups and downs and the fact that we were able to clinch the Teams' title in the first season of the GT Masters is brilliant. I want to thank the whole team for their effort during this season and also Lamborghini Squadra Corse for their support.”
Jürg Flach, Technical Director
“We came to Hockenheim, knowing that we wouldn’t have an easy task. We were tied on points; however, we knew that we had a good car from GTWC and we could prove that the cars were performing well. In the end, we had a good starting position for all three cars, and we finished ahead of the other cars yesterday which was enough for us to start race two seven points ahead. From then, we just had to control the rivals and I am very happy with the title, because it is the first time for Lamborghini that they have won the title and so I am very, very proud. Thanks to the whole team for this outstanding performance.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #14
Mick Wishofer (AUT)
“Another positive weekend for us, with two really strong results. Yesterday we finished sixth and then today in P5. We finished P3 in the Junior championship and secured the Team’s championship which so I am really happy with the performance of the team over the all season. I thought we did a really good job, even though the race today was quite chaotic. But we made some good positions and Konsta brought the car home. I’ve learned a lot from the team this season and it’s been a good year for all of us.”
Konsta Lappalainen (FIN)
“This has been the best weekend of the season for our car, I think we saved the best until last and this shows the improvements we have made over the season. Thanks to the whole team and my team-mates in both championships. We have made good progress over the years and the teamwork has just been incredible.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #19
Arthur Rougier (FRA)
“It was a weekend where we were lacking a little bit of speed on our car and we never quite found a solution, but very happy with the great result we had in race one, making the maximum of what we had. P2 in the end was really positive. Then today in qualifying, we missed a little bit of pace so we started from the back. Franck had a bit of contact on the first lap, being in the wrong place at the wrong time so the car was really tough to drive because the steering was bent. I had a penalty for some contact which for me was really unfair but we fought back to P11, but it could have been a P8.”
Franck Perera (FRA)
“It’s been an up-and-down weekend for sure, since Thursday we had a lot of work to do. We were able to fight a lot and that showed a lot yesterday in race two. We really got the most out of the car because to finish second from eighth on the grid was really tough. We were smart and maxmised the result and really helped the team with the points. And then today’s race was just really, really complicated in terms of speed and everything. I fought at the start and I was already P9 at the third corner but unfortunately I couldn’t avoid someone who hit me on the side. So, from that moment, the toe was completely damaged and the goal was just to finish after that and score maximum points. I’m happy that the team wins the championship and that there are two cars in the top six of the drivers’ standings in the team’s first year is always positive.”
Driver quote Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #63
Albert Costa Balboa (SPA)
“Overall, it was a good and bad weekend. Yesterday was good, with P2 in qualifying and then in the race we were in P3 but the strategy in the box at the pit-stop didn’t really work out and we lost a lot of positions, dropping us to P6. In the end we finished P4 so wasn’t too bad for the points. Today was a different story, we started fifth and I was actually fifth when I made the overtaking attempt, which was a little bit optimistic from my side because the guy was also fighting for P3. So we touched and I think it was a racing incident but I was in the wrong moment at the wrong place, so I am sorry for the mistake. This is part of racing but we need to sit down and learn from this.”
Jack Aitken (UK)
“The weekend was a little bit frustrating because the pace was so strong. Albert did a great job in qualifying for race one with P2, we could have even taken pole. The race, we were unfortunate to lose a lot of time in the pit-stops but P4 was a good result. And then today, we were fighting for the top three of the drivers’ championship but we got a bit unlucky. But, we won the Teams’ championship and that is the main thing, and I think we showed a really strong weekend to finish the year, so we can’t be too unhappy. But overall, the season has been great and to win the Teams’ title, for the first time for Lamborghini and in the team’s first season has been mega. It’s not been an easy thing to do as we had to learn the championship and the tracks, so now we have to come back and win the drivers’ championship.”