The Grasser Racing Team entered the final weekend of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup in Valencia with an outside shot at the championship. Despite stiff competition, the Austrian outfit remained firmly in contention after a strong Qualifying performance.
The opening session had seen Ferrari dominate, continuing their form from Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying. While Kessel Racing’s #74 Ferrari topped the overall classification, followed by the #89 Porsche and the #93 Ferrari, Grasser’s Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 ended Qualifying 1 in fifth place. That result, coupled with two Bronze Cup cars starting ahead, meant Grasser effectively lined up on the cusp of the podium.
Grasser’s cautious optimism
Speaking ahead of Race 1, Gottfried Grasser expressed cautious optimism about the team’s position. “Not bad for the moment because there are two Bronze cars in front, so it’s basically a P3, so a podium would be nice,” he said. “Point-wise, we have to see. I think there are a lot of things changing now this weekend, and we’re doing our best.”
A season to remember
The team’s season has already been one to remember, with Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler delivering consistent podiums across the Sprint Cup. The Pepper and Engstler also achieved a landmark triumph at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa alongside Mirko Bortolotti, a result that underscored the strength of Grasser’s programme across both Sprint and Endurance competition.
Grasser was quick to emphasise the importance of his drivers’ chemistry in bringing those results. “I think basically they are working perfect together. Together with the team, they’re working together perfectly as teammates, and they respect themselves really much and also the same with Mirko, with the sparring and everything,” he explained. “It’s a perfect year and for me personally, we’ve won everything this year already.”
The momentum from Spa continued to fuel Grasser’s ambitions. Ahead of the Nürburgring Endurance Cup round earlier in August, Mirko Bortolotti reflected on how the victory shaped their approach. “Well, we’re coming into the weekend knowing that we’ve won the biggest GT race in the world, first of all,” he said to Pit Debrief.
“The mindset and motivation we have cannot be higher. But on the other hand, it also brings some negatives because when you win that race, obviously, they don’t want you to win the next one. That will not stop us from trying to extract everything we have in the car and trying to go for the maximum results.”
Jordan Pepper also highlighted what he believed to be the team’s greatest strength. “It’s a simple goal. Quite clear, we need to win or at least podium to keep that championship fight alive and beat our rivals,” he explained. “Never easy in such a championship. But a strength of ours for sure this year has been our qualifying performance. Which is making the difference here.”
Confidence in Valencia
Confidence in the car was also high, with Grasser noting how well the Lamborghini adapted to the tight, technical Valencia circuit. “Very good. The car suits very well to the track. We are quite happy,” he said. “We executed the qualifying quite well, we think, but it is, like you said, it’s luck for sure.”
Fighting to the very end
To have any chance of clinching the GT World Challenge Sprint Cup title, Grasser acknowledged that a near-perfect weekend in Valencia would be required. “Yeah, you basically need a perfect weekend and for a few other people to not have, but anything can happen as we well know in GTs,” he admitted.
With strong pace in and a line-up that has delivered under pressure all season, Grasser Racing entered the Valencia decider knowing the odds were against them — but also knowing they had the ability to fight to the very end.
