Giorgio Maggi (19) was not completely content with his result, even of P8 in the Pro-Am category and P30 in the general classification in a field of 55 cars at the 3-hours-race of the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup at Silverstone does not look too bad at all. Especially if you are able to cover the speed of the official Pro-car of the own team and follow one of the currently ever so fast Grasser Lamborghini in a direct fight, even managing to attack him.
Nevertheless, the young Swiss driver was slightly disappoirnted after the race in England: “We had expected a little bit more. But, unfortunately a few things went wrong in qualifying so we had to start the race from P34. Which means you are in the middle of the field, everything is ever so close and asking for trouble, which makes it even more difficult. At least we were still able to gain a dew positions, so it showed the potential is there…”
A lot of potential is also seen in Maggi in his Attempto Team. After the only three races in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 and a podium finish at his debut at the 12 hours of Mugello, he is regarded as a “talent for the future.” Team principal Akim Aka states: „I am really impresed how Giorgio drove so far, also at Monza and now here at Silverstone. He approaches his tasks by using his head and his ability, staying out of all trouble, avoiding, to get involved in any accidents. I am sure we can make him into one of the Top Drivers of the future.”
The unbelievably close field at Blancpain Endurance Cup is a huge challenge for Maggi: “If you only lift a little bit once, you immediately drop back about 15 places. In Qualifying the first 15 cars lay within one second, and the 24 cars behind within another one. This requires full concentration, a great feeling for the car and perfect tyre temperatures.
Especially the tyres play an important part – as in so many other top racing categories nowadays. Which tyre pressure is perfect for the car and driver to get the rubber to the right temperature and into the perfect working window? This is the secret for success – who ever can handle it best will make his way to the front. As it can be seen clearly with the regular winners of the last week, the Lamborghini number 63 of the Grasser Racing Teams. There the current series of wins is explained as a result of a perfect understanding of the tyres by drivers and engineers.
This is now also the big goal for Giorgio Maggis: To understand the car and the tyres even better. Therefore a two-day test is planned ahead of his next race, the 1000 km or 6 hours of Paul Ricard in June. There he will continue to work on the car with his team, really having the time for once to optimize every little detail. „The Lamborghini Huracan GT3 is rather challenging to drive, it tends to either over- or understeer. With a good set-up, the correct tyre pressures and perfect cooperation with my Germen engineer we should be able to reach the success we are all aiming for at Paul Ricard”, Maggi is adamant.