WEC | Isotta Fraschini paradox: the Tipo-6 deserves more

In the WEC there is a paradox and its name is Isotta Fraschini. The prestigious Milanese brand, which returned to racing this year with the Tipo-6 LMH Competizione after 111 seasons of silence, is experiencing an incredible situation that is truly difficult to explain.

The president, Alessandro Fassina, has chosen a courageous strategy to re-propose the historic brand on the market: starting from racing to bring ultra-technological and high-performance Hypercars onto the roads. It was therefore decided to take the most complex and expensive path: the LMDH class was not chosen which would have allowed a prototype to be “assembled” at the motorsport supermarket, purchasing the chassis, gearbox, engine and suspensions (as Case very prestigious such as Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini and Cadillac), but entry into the World Endurance Championship took place through the front door.

The combination with Michelotto Engineering was ideal: engineer Luigi Dindo and his staff set up the Tipo-6 LMH Competizione from scratch, an LMH car that expresses all the capabilities that owner Giuliano Michelotto was able to put together in the factory of Padua in half a century of activity mostly lived in close, very close collaboration with Ferrari.

Michelotto suddenly found himself an “orphan” of Maranello and found in Isotta Fraschini the opportunity to demonstrate that he could be a worthy constructor, entering a difficult world like that of the WEC to challenge Ferrari, Toyota and Peugeot.

To obtain homologation, the WEC Hypercars must undergo stringent wind tunnel and mechanical checks that define the BoP (balance of performance): the objective is to equalize performance with often abstruse algorithms.

In the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Isotta Fraschini finished 15th overall, three laps behind the victorious Porsche 963 of team Penske. Inexorably last among the Hypercars. But the paradoxical aspect is that before the third round of the season the Tipo-6 LMH Competizione was weighed down to 1,060 kg, while the Ferrari 499P which was fighting for the victory stopped at 1,053 kg. The Isolde could count on 520 kW of power, adding 3 MJ of energy for a total of 923 MJ in total.

#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Type6-C: Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The values ​​attributed by the technical commission suggest that the Tipo 6-C is a decidedly competitive LMH from an aerodynamic point of view and that the lack of results does not derive from the car. And, then, we need to shift the focus to the team that manages the only car admitted to the championship, namely Team Duqueine. The French team arrived at the premier class after proving to be ultra-competitive in the lower classes, boasting an excellent organization that derives from a Group based in Ales which operates in the composite materials sector also in aerospace and medical, as well as in automotive and defense.

The crew of the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C: Antonio Serravalle, Jean-Karl Vernay, Carl Wattana Bennett

Photo by: Isotta Fraschini

The point of failure, therefore, is that of the drivers: in the crew of three drivers only one can be considered category: Jean-Karl Vernay, a 36-year-old Frenchman, is a professional with successes in Indy Lights, Porsche Carrera Cup, 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Porsche LMGTE Am, not to mention in the TCR International Series and WTCR Trophy. He is a good craftsman who contributed to the development of the car and is the only one who boasts the indispensable experience, because the other two are very young people sent into trouble.

Carl Wattana Bennet, a 19-year-old Thai-American, who is part of A14 Management (Fernando Alonso’s driver academy) and Antonio Serravalle, a 21-year-old Italian-Canadian, are two rookies with little experience who, perhaps, have done too big a leap arriving at the Hypercar.

It is enough to analyze the times to get a clear reason: if Vernay had a pace of 2’11″055 with a best lap of 2’09″470, the two teammates traveled in 2’13″395 (Bennet) and 2′ 13”827 (Serravalle), regularly taking two seconds from the Frenchman.

#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Type6-C: Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

What is the point of launching a very ambitious and expensive program if the team and the brand are then unable to enhance the commitment and value of the car? The (right) budget logic led Team Duqueine to choose two young drivers with adequate financial support, but after three races held and on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it becomes all too clear that insisting on the new vague can be a poorly calculated risk.

Isotta Fraschini has invested approximately 40 million euros in the WEC. He sees the Tipo-6 promptly “penalized” with the BoP because the car is considered technically better than others in contention, but the results on the track are ultimately disappointing, even for those making their debut in the category. It is not correct to throw the cross on Bennet and Serravalle, who race without carrying out tests, but if you want to give meaning to participation in a professional championship it is legitimate to think that at least one level driver is needed who is able to measure what is the actual value of the Manufacturer and the team…