First race completed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Isotta Fraschini, who managed to end a weekend that was anything but easy at the 6h of Imola without any problems.
The Tipo 6-C #11 prepared by Team Duqueine was tested on the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit last October, when it was still a prototype of the… Hypercar prototype that it became today.
After the debut in Qatar, the French team and the men of Michelotto Engineering started working on the data collected to prepare for the match on Santerno, in which the trio formed by Jean-Karl Vernay/Antonio Serravalle/Carl Bennett had as primary objective is to reach the checkered flag and spend as much time as possible on the track.
In the end the intent came to fruition, albeit with a couple of shivers first experienced by Vernay at the start, when he found himself in the midst of the chaos unleashed by an Alpine, which also involved BMWs and Peugeots, then with Bennett ending up in spinning at the 'Variante Alta' in the wet and remaining stationary for a few laps on the gravel.
#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Type6-C: Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
“The weekend went quite well, we completed all the sessions and the race without experiencing any problems or taking penalties and this is a big step forward. We are very happy, also because, after Qatar, there was no way to do tests, but we concentrated on working on the systems”, Vernay tells Motorsport.com at the end of the home race for the Milanese brand.
“I must say that the team was really good and the good pace was also seen in Free Practice 1. Now we need to understand some things better, there is a lot of work to be done on the set-up because the best time of the event is we really achieved it in the first session on the track, then we were never able to beat him, not even in Qualifying with less fuel and new tyres, which is strange.”
The Frenchman already knew Imola and was the only one who had done a lot with the Tipo 6-C, but it is clear that the race conditions – with the rain mixing up the cards – were very different in terms of approach and work.
“We had already been to Imola for a test, but in October and with a completely different car; the race ended in 16th position, but there are many positive aspects and we gained more experience in view of Spa. And any problem is better than come out straight away so we can prepare for Le Mans.”
“Taking 14 laps from the winners is not at all nice, but I also think that we haven't made any serious mistakes and the average per lap has improved; in Qatar we were 3″ from the leaders, here we dropped to 1″9 from the Ferraris and therefore the step forward there was, but clearly not yet sufficient. After Spa, we will go and do a few days of testing in order to prepare well for Le Mans. I'm sure we will find something to do better both in Qualifying and in terms of race pace.”
#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Type6-C: Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
'JK San' has returned to his endurance racing roots, after winning two Touring Car titles (TCR International 2015 and WTCR Trophy 2020) getting used to fighting with less available means than the giants that fill the grid.
“Let's not forget that we are in a championship against huge companies that have much larger budgets than ours and fantastic drivers who come from F1 and who have won everything in endurance, while we are small and still young knowing that it is not easy. Even if do everything well, if you lack experience, it's difficult to get into the Top 10.”
“For Spa the objective is to take further steps forward and try to be closer to the others; we already have some ideas, then we'll see. There I've always managed to get on the podium or win, now it will be tough, but I want to find more confidence in general and this would already make me happy.”
“Personally I believe I have more potential in endurance, I am a very consistent driver and certainly touring racing has given me the opportunity to improve and be very efficient in traffic, losing less time than the others. The Touring Car has certainly been a nice interlude in my career. my career, but I'm really happy to be back in endurance racing in the golden era of this category; really cool!”, he concludes with decidedly impeccable Italian expressions!
#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Type6-C: Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay
Photo by: Paolo Belletti
Once the conversation with Vernay was over, Motorsport.com was also able to have a chat with the nice rookie Serravalle, a Canadian who had never set foot outside America and now catapulted into a World Championship with many unknowns.
“It was a truly incredible experience here in Imola, it was the first time I had raced in the wet and with this car. Unfortunately I had a small problem with the steering because a previous run off the track had bent it in contact with the barriers “, says the Class of 2002 from Toronto, whose grandfather has Calabrian origins and always accompanies him on the track together with his father.
“This complicated the driving because every time I braked the car tended to point to the right or left, so I was very cautious. And then from the wet we went to the dry, another great difficulty; I was quite doubtful when I went up for the last part, because the track was still wet and I didn't know if I could push to the limit or not.”
“The objective was to get the car to the finish line without problems, we succeeded and it's all experience which will be very useful to me because I haven't had much time to run with this car in different conditions.”
#11 Isotta Fraschini Duqueine, Isotta Fraschini Type 6 LMH-C: Antonio Serravalle, Jean-Karl Vernay, Carl Wattana Bennett
Photo by: Isotta Fraschini
After a couple of races, Serravalle is starting to better understand the world he has entered, with the awareness that it takes many small steps – even painful ones – to put together a long journey which for now he is enthusiastic about.
“In Qatar the track was very wide and flat, Imola on the other hand is the opposite and the GT traffic also complicated things quite a bit, especially in the rain.”
“After two races I think it didn't go badly, as a team we are improving a lot and I am convinced that the Isotta Fraschini and Duqueine teams can grow more and more race after race. For now I would say that everything is going very well”.
“Finding ourselves racing in a World Championship, with professional drivers and teams that have been involved in this series for a long time is wonderful, we are the team of the so-called 'underdogs', those who start as underdogs! I know it will take time, but I am convinced that the progress will come.”
“Now we'll go to Spa, another great track where we hope to be able to do well. For me, all the ones on the calendar are new, so the simulator will be very useful!”
#WEC #Isotta #Fraschini #small #steps #positive
