Sherratt sets stunning qualifying lap in P4, finishes 8th in Germany, while Giglioli suffered misfortune

JORDAN SHERRATT AND GIANFRANCO GIGLIOLI REPRESENTED THE SANT’AGATA BOLOGNESE BRAND IN THE SRO GTWC ESPORTS SPRINT EUROPE PRO CLASS’S THIRD ROUND IN GERMANY.

Sant’Agata Bolognese, 9 June 2022 - Automobili Lamborghini Esports Team drivers Jordan Sherratt and Gianfranco Giglioli competed in the third round of the SRO Esports GT Europe Championship, taking place at the Nürburgring as a late afternoon race on the evening of June 9th.

Pre-event testing had shown that this event would be a bit more of a struggle for the Italian marque, especially once the balance of performance was changed so that competitors had lighter cars by 5kg. Nevertheless, the Squadra Corse-backed team pushed on to try and secure points for the third consecutive race.

Qualifying started with good optimism as with the first flying laps complete, Jordan Sherratt took P2 with teammate Gianfranco Giglioli showing improved pace as well as he sat just outside the Top 10. As the track improved all that the drivers needed was a clean run without traffic, and Jordan managed to deliver a sensational lap to lap within 0.15s of pole position, and take P4 in the Pro class. Meanwhile, Gianfranco was within 0.3s of his teammate, which would see him line up in P19.

As the lights went out for the 60-minute race into the early evening, Jordan made a good start on the run down to turn one. A very tight couple of corners ensued, with some minor contact, and the South African driver came around the first lap in P5 in the Pro class. Gianfranco on the other hand was somewhat less fortunate - a computer technical issue for a rival behind him meant he was crashed into heavily from behind, and meant that the remaining time in the 1 hour race would be impossible from which to recover.

With the pit window opened 15 minutes into the race, Jordan stayed out setting competitive laps in a close train of cars which went from the leader throughout the top 10. With the circuit layout not favouring the Lamboghini in the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, it was a case of trying to eek out enough time while other drivers were battling. An overly aggressive move from BMW driver Arthur Kammerer at turn one saw Jordan pick up some damage, for which Arthur would be hit with a 5s penalty.

Jordan boxed just before the pit window closed at the 45-minute mark, but ultimately just lost out to two rivals by 1.4s out of the pits. Close racing ensued, with Jordan trying to stay within the 5s window of Kammerer’s BMW to gain an extra position, but Sherratt just missed out by less than a tenth of a second at the flag. The South African driver finished the race P8 in the Pro class, which sees him sit 8th in the drivers championship. Gianfranco completed the race in 20th position and last of the runners after the unfortunate early damage due to no fault of his own.

Jordan, driver of car #63 commented, “I knew that this was going to be difficult race - to be honest I think we ‘overperformed’ a bit in qualifying. Even so, I think we got the most out of what we had and made the right call with the strategy but definitely we need to look into certain things to help us be more competitive.”

Gianfranco, driver of car #97 shared “This race was a real shame. I felt like my qualifying was an improvement in this event, and was hopeful for a strong race but it was quite unlucky to get hit by another car, especially when it wasn’t that driver’s fault as it was due to a computer issue. Even so, I will continue working hard to close the gap and get into the points again like I was in Misano.”

Team Principal of Automobili Lamborghini Esports Dan Wells shared his thoughts on the latest event: “We knew that this event was going to be a slightly more difficult affair, but even so I think Jordan can be very happy with his performance, especially with a very special qualifying lap to fly the flag for the Lamborghini brand nicely. Gian was exceptionally unlucky but we will keep working to assist both drivers in their quest for bigger points. Now, our full attention turns to the Spa 24 hours in the next round of the IGTCE.”

The next round of the SRO Esports GT Europe takes place in Hungaroring on July 6th. Before then, the team will be in action for the second round of the SRO Esports Intercontinental GT Challenge at the Spa 24 hours on June 18th.