Pair Of Huracán GT3 EVO2s For GRT’s Endurance Cup Return

The Grasser Racing Team has confirmed its participation in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup this year, with a pair of brand new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s, alongside its commitments to compete in DTM. This marks the 2017 Drivers’ and Teams’ title winner’s return to the GT World Challenge paddock after a year away.

So far just one of its two driver crews has been confirmed, with Clemens Schmid, Glenn van Berlo and Benjamin Hites set to drive the Silver Cup entered #85. The sister #58 meanwhile will be driven by Ricky Capo, Sam Neary and Gerhard Tweraser during the official tests in France this week, though a final decision hasn’t been made on who will steer the car during the season.

The three confirmed drivers add both youth and experience to its garage.

32-year-old Clemens Schmid has been racing with GRT since 2020. He has completed four seasons in the Endurance Cup, including setting the best qualifying time for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2016.

“The team and I have grown close over the past few years,” he explains. “It feels good to further intensify the partnership with this commitment. We definitely have a score to settle in the Endurance Cup after the 2021 season. The preparations went promising and we are optimistic that we will be able to have a say with the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2.”

Alongside him, Dutchman Glenn van Berlo and Chilean Benjamin are aiming high. For 21-year-old van Berlo, it will be his debut in the series, after making the switch from single-seaters to GT racing in 2021. Last year he competed in the Pro category of the International GT Open and finished third overall in the standings with three wins to his name.

Hites meanwhile has three full seasons in GT World Challenge Europe under his belt. The 23-year-old ventured from North America to Europe in 2020. There he established himself as a versatile sports car driver with victories in the Italian GT Championship and the International GT Open. He concluded the latter as champion driving the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in the 2022 season.

“After the long winter break, we are looking forward to the start of the new racing season with great anticipation,| concludes Gottfried Grasser, GRT’s team principal. “The return to the GT World Challenge Europe is a fantastic opportunity for us to compete in another top-class GT3 series alongside the DTM. The two championships complement each other perfectly for the team with the sprint and endurance formats respectively and offer us a challenging programme.

“The new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 is a strong package that, combined with our line-up, should be competitive in every respect. Clemens brings together speed with experience and we are proud to work with him again this year. In addition, with Benjamin and Glenn we have two hungry young talents on board from whom we expect a lot.

“After the final decision on the second driver pairing is made, we’re confident that we’ll have a strong trio in the sister car as well. The new season can come.”

The 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup calendar includes five stops. The season kicks off on April 22-23 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

Image courtesy of Paola Depalmas