The crew will consist of James Roe Jr, Sebastian Balthasar and Riccardo Ponzio. This is a completely new line-up for Imperiale Racing that points decisively towards young people given that all three drivers are under 25 years of age.
James Roe Jr. will make his GT debut after gaining experience and success with single-seater cars. He started his career in 2014 with the Ginettas and in 2015 he finished second in the Ginetta Junior Ireland. Passed to formula in 2016 he played in important categories such as F4 UAE, F2000, finished in second place in 2018, F3 and Formula Regional Americas up to Infy Pro 2000 in 2021 and Indy Lights in which he is engaged this year.
Sebastian Balthasar instead made his GT debut with Lamborghini in 2020, participating in the Misano round. On that occasion he signed the pole position and closed in third place. To his credit many victories in the Super Trofeo Europe with the third PRO place obtained in 2021. Last year he also took part in the Sebring round valid for the 24H GT Series. To his credit also the success in the ATS F3 Trophy 2013 and in the ADAC Kart Masters KF3 2011, at the beginning of his career.
Riccardo Ponzio made his debut in competitions recently, participating in the Italian F4 Championship in 2015 and 2016. In 2018 he competed in the European Le Mans Series in LMP3 and in 2019 he took an excellent second place in the Italian Sport Prototype Championship confirming his versatility. He is one of the few Italian drivers to boast having driven a Formula 1 car since last year he took part in the BOSS GP Championship at the wheel of a Jaguar R3 with which he took third place at the Red Bull Ring and two second places. in Spa-Francorchamps.
James Roe Jr: “I have to thank Imperiale Racing, Topcon and all the people who made this program possible. Making my debut with GT cars will be a very important moment for me, an important opportunity to increase the experience in the European context in a very competitive series like the Italian GT Championship: I’m sure we will have fun ”.
Sebastian Balthasar: “I am really happy to announce that in 2022 I will race in the Italian GT Endurance with Imperiale Racing. After two successful years in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, I can’t wait to face new challenges in the GT3 championships. It is an honor to join one of the most successful and experienced European GT3 teams. Special thanks to Lamborghini and Luca Del Grosso for their trust and to all the people who worked to make this project materialize ”.
Riccardo Ponzio: “I am very happy to be on board an important team like Imperiale Racing and I am ready to reciprocate the opportunity that has been proposed to me with commitment and dedication. It will be a great challenge! ”.
Luca Del Grosso (Team Manager): “First of all, a welcome aboard to James, Sebastian and Riccardo. These are three determined youngsters ready to prove their worth in a championship with a high technical and competitive profile. I am sure that they will immediately find great harmony with each other and with the whole team: our goal is to achieve growing results and we will work together to ensure that this happens right from Mugello ”.
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