For Michele Beretta, Andrea Piccini and Luca Stolz the 2016 edition of Spa 24 Hours race has been not so easy: at the wheel of Lamborghini Huracan GT3, after a difficult qualifying that saw them only as 41st (among 65 cars at the start), the Grasser Racing trio have been able to react mixing experience and competitive spirit to climb up till 4th place overall in the first six hours. At 23:30, however, the first problem marks their race: a puncture at the first corner forced Piccini to complete a full lap (7 kms) with blown tyre, forcing the tuscany driver to proceed at very low pace; replacement and parts check cost them several positions falling down in 30th place. In the middle of the night another tyre problem slowed Michele Beretta, who has been forced to an unexpected pit stop losing other time. In the following hours, the #19 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 made a good recovery once more until the twelfth place when the huge rain made another headcache to the austrian team. Beretta-Piccini-Stolz crossed the finish line in fifteenth place, bringing home the first points in the championship thanks to the partial results of the first 6-hour race.
Michele Beretta: “It was a very tight race, so difficult. We had to forgot the qualify and starting to push hard from the green lights and it has been what we did, recovering many places in the first hours. Without some problems we could finish in the Top 10, maybe in the top six, because our Lamborghini was very competitive and we didn’t got any issue. It was a very positive experience and I am happy about the work done with Andrea and Luca. We have shown, once more, to have the pace to stay on top.”
Andrea Piccini: “The fifteenth place at the end of the most competitive 24 hours race is definitely a positive result; it is useless to hide the fact that we have collected less than I expected. The Huracan GT3 shown a great reliability and without the puncture occurred during the night we would end in the top 10; in any case, we have got the first championship points thank to the result achieved in the first quarter of the race. A big thanks to my team mates Beretta and Stolz, who did a great job despite the changeble weather and other factors that can compromize the race.“