Mikaël Grenier and Emil Frey Racing looking forward to the first sprint race at Misano this weekend
A BUSY WEEKEND AWAITS THE TEAM AND DRIVERS WITH THREE RACES OVER SATURDAY-SUNDAY IN GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE
Mikaël Grenier enjoyed his time at the wheel of Emil Frey Racing’s Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in his first outing at Monza as we reported in race report interview we had with him after the race.
Over the last week, Mikaël has been preparing at the team’s base for the race at Misano with some physical preparation and simulator time to get reacquainted with the circuit he has not visited in two years.
Grenier is looking ahead at the challenge the schedule will present: I’m thrilled to be heading to Misano for our first sprint race. This weekend will be just as challenging as the last. “Misano is a short circuit. That’s why I’m expecting all of us to be racing very close to one another. The qualifying rounds will be very important which is why we’re putting extra focus there.”
“I’m also excited to be racing on a short track after the long circuit in Imola. The team in Imola did a tremendous job and we were able to prove that we were quick to get back on our feet after these rather difficult times.”
Grenier will be joined by his teammate Norbert Siedler as only two drivers are required for the sprint race compared to the endurance rounds where Ricardo Feller comes in to complete the driver line-up.
“I’m already so stoked for the race in Misano! Two years ago, we’ve had a good run there with Lexus.” said Siedler. “I hope that this will be true for us this year as well and that we will be competing at the top. BPO unfortunately isn’t on our side at the moment, but I’m still positive. We will give it our best to make sure we won’t leave unnoticed.”
As there will be no refuelling for the sprint races, there is an opportunity to gain valuable time and even places with a tire change done quickly but also the driver change will have to be flawless.
Team Principal Lorenz Frey-Hilti shares his thoughts on the subject: “We delivered a solid performance at the first race in Imola. Still, we missed scoring points. Now the sprint races lie ahead of us. So, every second counts, especially during the pit stops. To not lose valuable time, the team has been relentless with their daily pit stop practice at the workshop in Safenwil. Now I’m just really looking forward to the 3-hour race and am hoping to take home as many points as possible.”
Misano being a short circuit, the team will have to optimize the handling of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO where the braking performance will be important and to make the Pirelli tires grip on a surface that gives less traction than others as Jürg Flach, Technical Director tell us.
“With 4.226km of track, the Marco Simoncelli Circuit is a relatively short race. Grip is usually not as strong which means that we’ll have to get the most out of our tires. With the many low-speed corners it’s important to minimize understeering, lest we lose too much time. The layout is challenging for the brakes as well with its rather short straights and the reduced time for brake cooling.”
“Traditionally, air and track temperatures are very high in Misano, which will be another challenge for an optimized set up in qualifying as well as the race. But we’re ready to face the challenges and are thrilled to take on the first three sprint races along the Adria.”
Below the Emil Frey Racing schedule at the race weekend in Misano (CET):
Follow Canadian Racers News as we are to keep you informed throughout the weekend on the on-track action at Misano. You can also watch the action on the series YouTube Channel.
Image: Emil Frey Racing
