GT sport: Sensational victory for Emil Frey Lexus Racing
GT-SPORT Who would have thought it? Emil Frey Lexus Racing takes victory in the opening round of the International GT Open in Portugal thanks to a sensational final phase from Philipp Frommenwiler at the wheel of the Lexus RC-F GT3. "It's hard to put my joy into words, it's just indescribable." Philipp Frommenwiler seemed unable to believe the world himself [...]
"It's hard to put my joy into words, it's simply indescribable." Philipp Frommenwiler seemed unable to understand the world himself when he stood at the top of the podium after the 70-minute race at the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal.
"We wouldn't have expected that. The entire Emil Frey Racing team deserves a huge thank you. The whole crew has put so much heart and soul into this project, and this victory is the reward. I'm proud to be part of this team," says the Thurgau native, repeating what he said in our preview on Friday.
Starting from an already surprising second place, his Spanish partner Albert Costa held his ground in the leading group and handed over the Lexus RC-F GT3 to the driver from Thurgau in third place at the halfway point. Frommenwiler quickly found his rhythm and continuously reduced the gap to the two McLaren drivers Alexander West and Shaun Balfe, who had been leading until then.
"After the pit stop, I was able to quickly close the gap to the two leading McLaren. I then waited for the right moment to be able to make my overtaking maneuver," the Kreuzlinger looks back. He finally managed the decisive attack on lap 35. After getting the better of rival Balfe on the long start-finish straight, he overtook him on the braking for turn 1.
Frommenwiler's bill is settled
Just a few seconds later, he also chased Alexander West from his position and took the lead. The team newcomer finished the race as the beaming winner with a lead of 3.5 seconds. For Philipp Frommenwiler, this first major victory in a GT race is also a personal satisfaction. "In the Porsche Supercup last year, I sometimes had a lot of bad luck, which prevented a top result. That's why I actually still had a score to settle." Now he has settled this on Saturday.
The second race in Estoril runs over 60 minutes and will start at 2.15 p.m. on Sunday. Qualifying at 10.40 a.m. will decide from which grid position Frommenwiler and Costa will start Sunday's race with the Emil Frey Lexus. All sessions can be followed on the official website www.gtopen.net.
