Season 2022 edition of GT World Challenge Endurance racing series got underway in traditional italian Formula-1 circuit of Imola. For Flying Finns it didn’t go as planned as Konsta Lappalainen tacked with power steering problems and his fellow friend Juuso Puhakka was forced to retire the event without driving a single lap due engine oil preassure problems.
Lappalainen started the three hours race by driving first one hour stint. In qualifyings Emil Frey Racing drivers collect 28th starting position which Konsta was able to improve five positions. However as he drove maximum attack and jumpt over kerbs so that the power steering suffered damage. Therefore his fellow team mates Tuomas Tujula and Stuart White were unable to defend the positions Lappalainen gained. Eventually after three hours of intense racing they finished the event by same position they had started the race. However 28th position in overall standings and 9th in Silver Cup wasn’t the result they had hoped for.
– I’m pretty happy for my speed when when comparing it to Emil Frey Racing three other cars and drivers. However in qualifyings we all got stuck in traffic and therefore 28th starting position was a big dissapointment. In the race I got a good start and was able to pass five fellow drivers in my stint. It required very aggressive driving over the kerbs which eventually caused problems with power steering, Lappalainen tells.
– At the end of my sting I noticed that in tight corners the steering was much heavier than in fast-paced corners. We couldn’t resolve this issue in drivers changes and therefore my team mates Tuomas Tujula and Stuart White were forced to live with the problem. Therefore our pace was a bit cautious and we dropped down in overall classifications. It was very annoying feeling, Lappalainen continues.
The three hours Endurance race was filled with crashes and technical problems teams encountered. Eventually Silver Cup was won by german Thomas Neubauer team. Konsta Lappalainen also competed in Fanatec eSports GT-race and his finished it in 5th position in Silver Cup. Therefore he collect one Championship point for his Emil Frey Racing team. From Italy Lappalainen heads directly to german circuit of Oschersleben as official tests for ADAC GT Masters racing series are about to get underway.
Final results GT World Challenge Endurance Imola 2022: Silver Cup, Top-3:
1. Thomas Neubauer (FRA) & Benjamin Goethe (POL) & Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (FRA), Team WRT, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2, 94 kierrosta
2. Marius Zug (GER) & Nicolas Schöll (AUT) & Alex Aka (GER), Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2, +12,041s
3. Ethan Siminoni (CAN) & Manuel Maldonado (VZL) & Nicolai Kjaergaard (DEN), Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3, +24,429s
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9. Konsta Lappalainen (FIN), Tuomas Tujula (FIN), Stuart White (SFA), Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, +40,028s
