Emil Frey Lexus Racing to compete with two Lexus RC F GT3 in Total 24 Hours of Spa

Emil Frey Lexus Racing to compete with two Lexus RC F GT3 in Total 24 Hours of Spa
Following an exciting season and the very successful debut year of the newly-found Emil Frey Lexus Team and the brand-new RC F GT3, the private race team from Switzerland is launching at full speed into the 2018 season.

The team will move up into the Blancpain GT Series, participating in both the Sprint as well as the Endurance Cup with two Lexus RC F GT3.
 
Some of the racing driver names driving for Emil Frey Lexus Racing are well known from previous years. Amongst the well-experienced, former Le-Mans winner Stéphane Ortelli (Monaco), there are the former Formula 1 driver Christian Klien (Austria), the German Marco Seefried, the Austrian Norbert Siedler, Markus Paltalla from Finland and one of the Lexus star pilots from 2017, the Spaniard Albert Costa Balboa.


Emil Frey Racing regulars Stéphane Ortelli and Albert Costa, who handled driving duties when the Lexus RC F GT3 made a one-off Blancpain GT Series appearance at the Nürburgring last season, will both return for the team’s full-scale 2018 campaign. Ortelli is a Blancpain GT Series veteran with a list of achievements that includes the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series title and the FIA GT Series crown in 2013. Costa meanwhile is a rising star of the sport who has competed for Emil Frey Racing since 2016, following an impressive junior career that included winning the Eurocup Formula Renault title in 2009.

Austrian ace Christian Klien is also a familiar to the team. Klien made his name in Formula 1, debuting for Jaguar Racing in 2004 and then competing for Red Bull during the team’s inaugural two seasons. He made his Blancpain GT Series debut for Emil Frey Racing in 2016 and last year contested the full Endurance Cup campaign. Klien’s 2017 teammate Marco Seefried also returns to the line-up. The German has a wealth of experience in sportscar racing and is a proven winner in the Blancpain GT Series.

The same can be said of Norbert Siedler, who joins Emil Frey Lexus Racing full-time this season following a handful of previous outings for the Swiss squad. Like Seefried, the Austrian comes with race-winning pedigree and a varied history in GT racing. The line-up is completed by Markus Palttala. The Finn is a racing stalwart who has competed during every Blancpain season since the championship was launched in 2011. He has secured multiple wins, most notably taking outright victory at the Total 24 Hours of Spa in 2015.

With vast experience in their ranks, Emil Frey Lexus Racing are well placed to compete on all fronts in 2018.