Simona: Entry into the ADAC GT Masters
STARTING IN THE 911 RSR In addition to her role as a test and development driver in Formula E, Porsche works driver Simona de Silvestro will compete in the ADAC GT Masters in 2020. Her first European racing season since 2005, Simona de Silverstro is returning to Europe for professional reasons after eight racing seasons in the USA and the last three years in the Australian V8 Supercars. [...]
After eight racing seasons in the USA and the last three years in the Australian V8 Supercars, Simona de Silverstro is returning to Europe for professional reasons. In addition to her role as a test and development driver in Formula E, the 31-year-old from Vaud will compete in the ADAC GT Masters. Her partner in Team 75 Bernhard, with whom she will take turns at the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR, is Austrian Klaus Bachler.
USA as a career accelerator
For Simona, this will be only her second ever full racing season in Europe. She started her career in Formula Renault Italia in 2005, then emigrated to the USA as a 17-year-old. There she advanced via Formula BMW USA (1 win) and Formula Atlantic (third overall in 2009) to the IndyCar Series.
After four seasons with the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award at the Indy 500 and a second-place finish at the Grand Prix of Houston, she tried out as Sauber F1's "Affiliated Driver," which ended up being little more than a wickedly expensive PR stunt.
Formula E points
In Formula E, she became the first woman to collect points in the electric racing series in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons with Andretti Autosport. The following three years with the Australian V8 touring cars brought her a lot of popularity, but not the desired success. A seventh-place finish was her best race result in the season just ended (19th overall), with the Nissan Altima V8 no longer providing her with truly competitive material.
Everything is possible
This will now be different in the ADAC GT Masters, in which Patric Niederhauser from Bern became the first Swiss ever to win the title in 2019. Team 75 Bernhard, led by retired works driver Timo Bernhard and his father Rüdiger, is very close to the factory. Simona gained her first GT experience in January 2019 at the 24 Hours of Daytona in an all-female team on a Honda NXS GT3 Evo.
The fact that women can hold their own against men in the ADAC GT Masters was proven before her by Rahel Frey as a multiple race winner in an Audi customer team and the German BMW works driver Claudia Hürtgen.
A big challenge for Simona de Silvestro, which can be looked forward to with excitement.
porsche.com/swiss/en/motorsportandevents/motorsport/gt-worksracing
