ST RACING SECURES SECOND GTWC EUROPE PODIUM AT NÜRBURGRING
ST Racing by Rinaldi secured their second podium finish of 2023 at round four of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, putting the team back within championship contention and earning ST Racing their first silverware in just the team’s second race with its recently unveiled Ferrari 296 GT3.
Following a disappointing end to their competitive debut at the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa, ST Racing was eager for redemption at the Nürburgring. Team owner Samantha Tan, along with team staples Jon Miller and Isaac Tutumlu Lopez qualified 5th fastest of the Pro-Am runners, meaning the trio of drivers had their work cut out for them during the race. However, once the green flag dropped, Samantha, who had taken the wheel for the start, quickly rose to P4 in class before handing the car off to Isaac near the one-hour mark. A stellar stint from Isaac meant that, despite serving a penalty for a pit lane infringement during his handoff to Jon, the team managed to hang on to P2 after the final scheduled pit stop of the race. From then on, it was a tough fight until the end for the second spot on the podium, Jon hanging on as long as possible until the final lap to eventually bring it home in third place.
The result has catapulted ST Racing with Rinaldi back into Pro-Am championship contention, with two podiums heading into the final race of the Endurance Cup season. The result marks the team’s first podium with the new Ferrari 296 GT3 at only their second attempt – A result that highlights the team’s resilience and future potential.
Samantha Tan, team co-owner/driver: “It was a challenging weekend with changing conditions at Nürburgring. We qualified P5 in class and started the race near the back of the grid, which meant the only way to go was up! From there, I put my head down, pushed and had a great stint with plenty of battles and overtakes on track. After a late call for my pit stop, Isaac got in the car and had an amazing stint to put us P2 in class. Unfortunately, we also had a 10 second penalty due to a pit stop infringement that Jon had to serve during his driver change with Isaac. We were fighting to keep P2 until the very end but sadly got overtaken in the closing minutes. Overall, it was a really great team effort with a podium finish and good points in the bank. A championship title is still within reach, looking forward to the final round in Barcelona!”
Jon Miller, team manager/driver: “We’re really pleased to give the Ferrari 296 GT3 its first podium in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe championship with our P3 finish at the Nürburgring. Rinaldi Racing gave us a fantastic car in what proved to be a challenging weekend with unpredictable weather. Part of me was wishing for rain for the race after our pace in the wet practice and qualifying sessions showed promise! It was a nice boost for me to be the fastest Ferrari in Q3, outpacing the factory cars in mixed conditions. The race itself was solid, with great drives by both of my co-drivers, Samantha and Issac. They put us in position for the podium finish and I got to bring it home. However, it wasn’t a perfect day, some small mistakes cost us time at a few different points in the race. We’ll analyze the race and come back stronger for Barcelona!”
Isaac Tutumlu Lopez, driver: “It was another great race at the Nürburgring and we’re very happy to come away with a podium! The car was fantastic and our pace was almost up there with the Pro cars. Samantha did a great job at the start to keep the car in one piece and move up the field and Jon brought the car home, fighting for second place all the way to the end. This result brings us back into championship contention and we’re happy to bring home some trophies!”
Round five of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup will take ST Racing to the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya from 30 September – 1 October. Prior to that, the team will compete in the Road America and Sebring rounds of the GTWC America series in their BMW M4 GT3 from 18-20 August and 22-24 September, respectively.