DSC’s Daily Notebook (19/04/2023)

Isotta Fraschini releases Vallelunga footage

Isotta Fraschini has released a couple of minutes of video footage from the Tipo 6 LMH Competizione’s first shakedown test at Vallelunga earlier this month.

Some images from the first day of testing in Vallelunga last week!
_____#IsottaFraschini #Tipo6Competizione #LeMansHypercar #TheFastestLuxury #IFMcars #hypercar #Vallelunga pic.twitter.com/pkpA5yR6KJ

— Isotta Fraschini Milano (@IFMcars) April 17, 2023

DKR joins Prototype Cup Germany grid

Former Michelin Le Mans Cup and ELMS LMP3 class champion DKR Engineering is set to join the Prototype Cup Germany grid this season with a single car for Robin Rogalski and Valentino Catalano.

“We would have liked to enter the Prototype Cup Germany last year, back then with our German driver Laurents Hörr. But Laurents has FIA Gold status and Gold drivers were not yet allowed in 2022,” says team boss Kendy Janclaes.

Now Gold-rated drivers are also eligible, but because DKR Engineering had not initially planned to enter Prototype Cup Germany, Hörr reoriented and joined the Finnish team Koiranen Kemppi Motorsport. “Together with his partner Matthias Lüthen, he will certainly be one of the toughest opponents for us,” estimates his former team boss.

“Both our drivers have silver status, which is perfect for us. Valentino Catalano is only 17 years old, but he already did the ELMS last year and the Asian Le Mans Series for us this winter. So he’s already got some LMP3 experience and he’s definitely fast. Robin Rogalski is four years older than Valentino and comes from GT3 racing. He certainly still needs some time to optimally adapt his driving style to the LMP3 cars. But that’s completely normal with such a switch; once he’s internalized the differences, it won’t be a problem for him.”

Falken sets Qualifying Race line-up 

Falken Motorsports has set its driver line-up for this weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Race, with a group of four drivers set to compete in its pair of new 992-spec Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.

For the Qualifying Race and the 24 Hours proper its Porsche will revert to #33 and #44. In the NLS, the team traditionally races with #3 and #4.

Meet our drivers for this weekend's #N24 Qualifying race!

#33: Nico Menzel @joeleracing
#44: @mragginger @heinemann_tim#FalkenTyres #FalkenFam #FalkenMotorsports #tyres #tires #motorsport #performancecars #racecars #24hNBR #NLS #Nurburgring #Nordschleife #greenhell pic.twitter.com/Zq4tbddCnp

— FALKEN Tyre Europe (@FalkenTyres) April 18, 2023

Audi sends factory talent to Perth

Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia has once again called on a pair of European factory drivers for the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS races in Perth.

Following on from double success at the opening round at Mount Panorama, Max Hofer will re-join Liam Talbot in the Shannons Insurance Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.

Joining Hofer is Australian regular Christopher Mies. He replaces Christer Joens in the JAMEC Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II alongside three-time winner Geoff Emery.

A last minute deal enabled Emery’s return to the grid, and he was rewarded with a round podium. Mies is also a championship winner down under, a dual Bathurst 12-Hour victor and a stalwart of Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia’s GT program.

The race event at Wanneroo will be held alongside the Supercars Championship on April 28-30.

SRO to mark Earth Day 2022 with tree planting project

SRO Motorsports Group will mark this year’s Earth Day (22 April) with a new partnership with Fondazione Sylva which will see it plant 1,000 tress.

The Italian non-profit Fondazione Sylva was founded in March 2021 to contain environmental degradation in the Salento area of southern Puglia, where a decade-long epidemic has destroyed millions of olive trees.

In 2023 Fondazione Sylva will reach a total of 27,000 trees planted, with SRO contributing to this number through its recent commitment.

Planting activities will take place between November 2023 and January 2024 with a focus on complementing the area’s existing ecology.

“We are delighted to add our support to the important work being done by Fondazione Sylva,” commented SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stéphane Ratel. “Our initial plan was to back the planting of 270 trees, but it soon became clear that this was a very worthwhile project and we took the decision to upscale to 1,000. Being as SRO stages multiple events in Italy each year, it feels especially important that we show our ambition and commitment to a cause such as this.”

GetSpeed confirms third GT Open AMG GT3

GetSpeed Performance will run two Mercedes AMG GT3s in the 2023 GT Open season for Axel Blom and Steve Jans and Kiki San Nana and Adama Osieka. In addition, it has now confirmed it will add a third car to its programme for the GT Open races at Portimão, Hungaroring and Barcelona.

In the three rounds, the car will be in the hands of a duo of familiar drivers in the series: Al Faisal Al Zubair, the 24-year-old Omani who finished third in 2021, with three wins, and Fabian Schiller, the 25-year-old German who has one Pro-Am success to his credit in the series.