This weekend sees the International GT Open teams head to Spa Francorchamps for the second round of the 2016 season. While the official entry list hasn’t been published, there are a couple of pre-announced changes:
Ebimotors enters Huracan
Ebimotors, the stalwart Italian GT team is back in GT Open and this time with a new car, a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (pictured above), which will be driven by Chicco Busnelli and Fabio Bambini.
Chicco Busnelli is a well-known GT enthusiast, closely linked since many years to Ebimotors, the Como-based squad of Enrico Borghi. For this new project, he will have as team mate his good friend Fabio Babini, who needs no presentation in the GT world, having collected wins at the Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours and a GTC title in the ELMS. Babini already campaigned the GT Open in 2011, with a Porsche Autorlando.
The pair will be racing various races in different series this year, including four GT Open events. “It’s a training programme on the most beautiful European tracks in view of 2017”, commented Busnelli, “and I am very happy to be associated again with my reference team and my ‘historic’ team mate, Fabio Babini.”
Ledogar to make Garage 59 debut
McLaren GT factory driver Côme Ledogar will join the Garage 59 squad for his GT Open debut this weekend, after missing the first round due to other commitments with the team racing in the Blancpain Endurance Cup opener at Monza.
The 24-year-old French, one of the most talented young GT stars, was appointed by Garage59 to drive the entire season alongside Alexander West the McLaren 650S #88. He was replaced in Portugal by Kevin Estre, and is now eager to discover the GT Open.
A Porsche Carrera Cup France champion in 2014 (and runner-up in Italy last year), Ledger commented on the start of his campaign:“I am anxious to be at Spa and support the team effort and my team mate Alexander West, who is fast, very committed and progressing very quickly, as shown in Estoril.”
DSC’s recently interviewed the young talent, prior to his race win at Monza.
Kaspersky Motorsport brings Ferrari
Kaspersky Motorsport, which campaigns the Blancpain Endurance Series in the Am class with an AF Corse-Run Ferrari 458, has also confirmed it will appear in the GT Open at Spa. The team will enter a sole 458 with Alexander Moiseev and Marco Cioci at the wheel.
While Cioci has made appearances in the GT Open, most recently in 2014, it will be Moiseev’s debut in the series.
