NEW HORIZONS FOR FACU REGALIA AT THE 24 HOURS OF PAUL RICARD

Argentina´s pilot will make his debut behind the wheel of a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup entered by MSG Motorsport at the 24 hours of Paul Ricard, on 11-12 July. Regalia will team up with three other drivers: Germany´s Hauschild, Austria´s Wimmer and Denmark´s Fjordbach

Facu Regalia will face a new challenge in his already long career as, next 11-12 July, he will make his endurance race debut: the 24 hours of Paul Ricard. For Regalia it will be one his toughest moments in motorsport, as it will be his first outing with a GT car, a MSG Motorsport-entered Porsche 991 GT3 Cup – equipped with a six-cylinder engine and 460bhp-, his first start in an endurance event and with weather forecast predicting high temperatures. The 24 hours of Paul Ricard promises to be an unique experience for the Argentinian driver.

Regalia has experience in F1 feeder series such as GP2. GP3, Auto GP, Euroformula Open, Formula 3 Euro Series, Italian Formula 3 or Formula BMW Europe, and now the South American racer takes his first steps towards new horizons: endurance racing. This kind of cars and racing is very different than anything Regalia has driven before so far. Regalia will share the Porsche 991 Cup with experienced drivers: Feliz Wimmer, Anders Fjordbach and Kim Hauschild, all of which have had several participations in 24-hour races and with Porsches 991. Regalia and his teammates will fight for 997 class honors, with other ten vehicles driven by seasoned and competitive line ups. The 24 hours of Paul Ricard have gathered endurance stars such as Jeroen Bleekemolen, Matteo Malucelli, Peter Kox, Vincent Radermecker, Kenneth Heyer, Thomas Jäger, Tom Onslow-Cole, Adam Christodolou, Lance David Arnold, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub or Emmanuel Collard among others.

Regalia will have his first taste of Porsche next Thursday, with a private test session scheduled at Paul Ricard. On Friday, another free practice session will serve as appetizer for Qualifying, starting at 18.15. Night practice will take part later that day. The 24-hour race is due to start at 14.30 on on Saturday.

Regalia: “For sure it shall be a nice experience, and I will try to make the most of the opportunity, because the 24 hours of Paul Ricard is going to be my first endurance event ever. I think this experience is very valuable for the future. 24 hours of racing is marvelous, sharing the car with three other teammates. I will meet them for the very first time next Thursday. At least I know Paul Ricard, because I finished on the podium my last time there, back in 2013, when I was racing in Formula 3. Our car is the same used by the Porsche Supercup. This race is a nice chance for assessing all aspects of endurance racing, something interesting for the future. I will make my best and it´s important to make the best of every minute to put experience under my belt with the Porsche. I have to learn so many different things: new braking points, GT driving style, different weight distribution,… My goal is to be as competitive as possible. We have a lot work to do and, despite I don´t know a lot of drivers, I know there are very experienced ones in endurance racing. It´s important to have a good race pace during 24 hours, and of course reliability plays a key role. Your grid position isn´t a big deal, unlike my previous experience in single-seater racing. On the other hand pit strategy is really important, more than ever. That and avoiding driving errors.”

Source. CTR Press