Just before the famous 24 Hours, Italian team enters their regular ELMS crew on Ginetta-Nissan LMP3 and also Mezard / Hiesse on Ferrari 458 in this special GT3 Le Mans Cup race
Relevant step forward of their “Road to Le Mans” project for Scuderia Villorba Corse and racing drivers Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto.
Fully committed on their second European Le Mans Series season, Italian team and their crew will race on the French legendary 13.6 kilometers circuit for the first time in a non-championship event to be held a few hours before the famous 24 Hours. The event was named “Road to Le Mans” by ACO Le Mans organizers as well and it represents a big opportunity for Lacorte / Sernagiotto, who will be back on track at the wheel of the Villorba Corse Ligier JS P3 Nissan. In fact the race will host LMP3 class prototypes and GT3-spec cars as it is valid as the second 2016 GT3 Le Mans Cup round. So the team led by Raimondo Amadio will also line up the Ferrari 458 GT3 of French crew formed by Cedric Mezard and Steeve Hiesse.
Team Principal Amadio says; “Debuting in such a prestigious context, both with a prototype and a GT car, it is a great pride and at the same time an emotion for Villorba Corse. It is a crucial experience for the great final goal of our 'Road to Le Mans' project which we hope will lead us to compete in the 24 Hours with Lacorte and Sernagiotto as soon as possible. In the upcoming days we will try our best to learn modalities and secrets of the event, the race and the track. We hope that, in addition to a good performance in the GT competition, in this non-championship race we will have a bit of that luck that we have been lacking in the official ELMS season so far. We worked hard for that. The whole team is ready, motivated and confident”.
Lacorte adds; “We are feeling so many sensations about this event! It marks a significant step of our 'Road to Le Mans'. It will be exciting to race on the most important track in the world during the most important racing event in the world. It will be my first time on the long configuration of the circuit. This thrills me... For the first time I will pass under the Dunlop bridge going towards Tertre Rouge and the Hunaudières straight. But, especially for a Bronze driver like me, everything will be very important also from technical side because this will help us to know better a very difficult circuit, so typical and unique”.
Sernagiotto ends; “I'm excited to race at Le Mans in the 24 Hours week. It is an amazing opportunity and we want to do well. I have already raced on the long circuit in the 2011 Ferrari Challenge taking pole position as well, so, also thinking about Roberto's speed, we have all it takes to be among the protagonists”.
With 39 cars entered (20 LMP3s and 19 GT3s), Road to Le Mans event will start with the first 60-minute free practice session on Wednesday, June 15. Thursday is the day for the second practice and the qualifying session while the race is scheduled on Saturday at 11h10.
Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup calendar: 14 may Imola (ITA); 18 june Road to Le Mans - Le Mans (FRA) 16 july Spielberg (AUT); 27 aug. Le Castellet (FRA); 24 sept. Spa (BEL); 22 oct. Estoril (POR).
