	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

January 27, 2019

Daytona Beach, Florida

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with our winners press conferences this afternoon. These are GT Daytona class winners. Car No.11 from the Grasser Racing Team drove a Lamborghini Huracan this afternoon. I'd like to introduce Rolf Ineichen, Mirko Bortolotti, Christian Engelhart, and Rik Breukers. Gentlemen, congratulations on your win today.
I'd like to go down the row here and get your thoughts on the race today and your victory.
RIK BREUKERS: It really was a difficult race. It was a real roller coaster. We had a lot of problems, a lot of different mistakes that I think everyone had. In the end, the team worked really good together. We were really proud we kept believing in it.
Christian did an amazing job in the last ten to keep the car on track and bring it to P1. We're all really proud and really happy with the result.
ROLF INEICHEN: For us, it's‑‑ I mean, it's the second win that we can do in Daytona. It's unbelievable, this race, compared to the last year race, completely different. I've never seen a race like this, to be honest. The heavy rain was really difficult. It was also dangerous in some ways. We are really happy that we survived that.
I think, in the end, Christian did a really good job. He stayed quiet and brought the car home. It was more swimming than driving. We are really proud of him. We're proud of the whole team. I think everybody did a great job to achieve this win. Yeah, happy to get it.
MIRKO BORTOLOTTI: It was definitely super special. I really love this race. I like to come to this place. I love the atmosphere, the fans and everything here in Daytona and the track. Winning it last year was obviously the greatest success for us, for Lamborghini, the first 24‑hour race win of the car, and also personally it was really, really special coming back this year, doing it again with a brand new car.
It's the first race of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO, and starting with a win in such a crazy race as we've seen today is absolutely incredible and phenomenal. I'm really, really happy and proud of the whole team.
I'm glad to have Christian with us this year on the car. Last year he didn't share the cup with us, and he wasn't part of the win, and I always remember after the race, I texted him, and I said, we will come back next year and win it for you. Again, obviously, to come back and do it is really special. I'm really happy to sit here. I'm proud of the whole team. Thank you.
CHRISTIAN ENGELHART: For me, a really emotional day today. After crossing last year the line in the second NTRT car in formation together with Mirko, to be this year on the winning car under such difficult conditions is a dream come true.
I come here to Daytona for now the fifth year. A lot of testing, always flying here over from Europe, investing a lot of time. Turned out to be always quite difficult in the races. Even though we always had the pace, we were always fighting.
This year also was a difficult race. It was up and down, like Rolf‑‑ or I think Rik said the roller coaster for us, didn't start out perfectly, but in the end it was down to managing these extremely difficult conditions. And I'm really, really happy for the GRT Grasser Racing Team, which is like a family for me, for Lamborghini to achieve this for the second time in a row for them. So just very, very proud and emotional today for me.

Q. I have a question. Two questions for Christian. Were you in contact with your team owner, Mr. Grasser, and he calmed you down to bring the car home in one piece, or to just let you drive as you want to drive?
CHRISTIAN ENGELHART: No. Honestly, not. We were actually one lap down when I started the stint. So I managed to overtake the leader so that, when the yellow came out, we got a wave by and rejoined the pack, but we were very, very far behind. At this point, I asked what position we are, and I think we were P8 or P9, something like this, he said on the radio.
And after that, I never got any more information. I was just pushing. When the red flag came out, I didn't know I was first. I was told then that we were first. I thought we were still fighting, and I was giving everything to come to the front, and I didn't expect that we were already. So quite a surprise, a positive one, of course.

Q. Second question would be more for your team owner, but since he's not here, maybe one of you can answer it. You come here regularly so far and have great success at the Rolex 24. I understand, priority‑wise, you will race more in Europe than over in America. In long‑term future and short‑term future, will this change? Maybe you do a whole season in IMSA?
ROLF INEICHEN: Yeah, for sure. It's a great place to be here in the U.S. I think, like Mirko also said, it's for us always incredible, the whole atmosphere here. The racing in the U.S. is completely different to Europe. If we get the chance, we will do it. We go now for sure to Sebring, and we try to do as well the whole Endurance series.

Q. Mirko, with the GTD cars, the GTD‑based entries having some of the driver tools that some of the other cars do not have, like traction control. Can you tell me a little bit about adjustments and if and how you were able to make the rain and some of the treacherous conditions a little bit better? Or is that even possible?
MIRKO BORTOLOTTI: Honestly, the conditions we saw today were really challenging. At some stage, I define it as worst case scenario. It was really, really dangerous out there sometimes. I think that at some stage we had some advantage, obviously, with having ABS compared to the prototypes was an advantage on the braking. And I think also referred to some GTLM sometimes on traction we were having‑‑ we were giving them a hard time.
So it was a real battle out there. It was not just a battle with your class cars, but also with other classes for position, because we know how important position is throughout the race for strategy and everything.
It was a real race against everything and everyone out there, but obviously the biggest challenge today was that of the weather.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297