Driver line-up a mix of familiar names, returnees and youngsters. Team principal Gottfried Grasser: “We will go for it again!” Austrians line up with four Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo.
Four shots at glory – this is the approach taken by the GRT Grasser Racing Team in 2021. The Austrian outfit lines up in the ADAC GT Masters with four Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo. The goal: to win the title. To achieve this, Grasser is putting its faith in three Lamborghini works drivers, experienced race winners and promising young drivers in the German GT Championship. This season’s ADAC GT Masters kicks off from 14th to 16th May at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. TV station NITRO is broadcasting all of the races live and in full on free-to-air television.
Mirko Bortolotti (31/I) and Albert costa Balboa (30/E) make up the first duo. “I am delighted that Mirko is back,” says Gottfried Grasser. “He is a good friend and was involved at the start of our cooperation with Lamborghini. That gives us a real connection. Albert is extremely quick and very talented. He will be a great success. I like the fact that he is very emotional and always gives 100 percent.” Returnee Rolf Ineichen (42/CH), with 36 class wins the most successful driver in the Pirelli Trophy competition in the history of the series, and works driver Franck Perera (36/F) share the driving duties in the second Huracán. Grasser: “They formed a successful team in 2019. They work very well together. It is extremely important to Franck to help his team-mate. There is absolutely no question of there being any egotism.”
Grasser is putting his faith in younger drivers in the remaining two cars. Like last year, Lamborghini Juniors Steijn Schothorst (26/NL) and Tim Zimmermann (25/DE) form one pair. The duo impressed in its rookie season in the ADAC GT Masters in 2020, securing three pole positions and finishing on the overall podium on one occasion. Zimmermann also won the Pirelli Junior classification. “Both had an impressive first year, and we are now looking to back up that development. They are sure to achieve some highlights.” The first driver has already been confirmed for the fourth Huracán GT3 Evo, with the team still in discussions regarding the second seat. “The four crews will work closely together and take advantage of any synergies,” says Grasser. “The data is transparent and everyone has absolutely identical material. That is very important to me. The conditions have to be fair here.”
Anniversary season for the GRT Grasser Racing Team
2021 is a special season for Gottfried Grasser and his team: the Austrians are celebrating their tenth anniversary in the ADAC GT Masters. Back in 2011, Grasser, himself still active behind the wheel at the time, made his debut in the series in a Dodge Viper at the Nürburgring. A lot has happened since then. After a modest start, the GRT Grasser Racing Team has developed into one of the most successful and biggest racing teams in the ADAC GT Masters, with ten race wins and 14 pole positions to its name. In 2021, no other outfit has as many cars on the grid as the team from the Styria region of Austria. “Our team today is nothing like what we had back at the start,” says Gottfried Grasser, looking back. “You could describe the development as going from a beer bench to a two-storey hospitality. We have a totally different structure, everything is bigger and has grown considerably. We have really been on an upward curve, particularly since the start of our cooperation with Lamborghini in 2015. Since then, we have had a great partner, who we support round the clock, and who offer us round-the-clock support. That is a dream partnership.”
It goes without saying that Grasser has also followed the development of the ADAC GT Masters in recent years: “The development has all been positive. I don’t believe there are any other series, in which the cost-benefit factor is so high. This is a factor that is becoming increasingly important. It is still possible to race at reasonable costs. And when it comes to competition, there is nothing stronger anywhere in the world – nothing even comes close. In other racing series, you may have 20 cars within one second. In the ADAC GT Masters, you have 20 cars within half a second of each other. In terms of the field and level of competition, it really is a fantastic series. It is really intense motorsport, the likes of which you don’t find anywhere else.”
Grasser has experienced a few highs in recent years: “Every single win at our home event at the Red Bull Ring is very close to my heart. For my personally, my favourite victory came when the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 made its debut in 2015. It could not have been better. That is something I will never forget. However, there have been other great events and successes. For example, we had a wonderful win in Hockenheim in 2018.”
Ambitious goal
Grasser is looking to add to these successes in 2021. “The title has to be the goal,” says the Austrian. “We have always come close in recent years, but mistakes have then cost us. As such, all we can do is come back stronger and go for it again! You are learning all the time. It is always very difficult to be the champion, as there are a lot of other teams with the same goal. Winning the title in the ADAC GT Masters is right at the top of my list of priorities for this year. We have put together a very good package.”