Balthasar will compete in the Italian GT 2022 Championship

Imperiale Racing is proud to announce that, starting from the second round of the Italian GT Endurance 2022 Championship that is scheduled for July 14-17 at the International Circuit of Mugello, the team will field the #9 Lamborghini Huracàn GT3 Evo.

The car will be driven by James Roe Jr. (IRL), Sebastian Balthasar (GER) and Riccardo Ponzio (ITA). This is a brand-new drivers’ lineup for Imperiale Racing that decided to bet on young drivers as all the three drivers are below 25 years of age.

James Roe Jr. will debut in GT racing after building a lot of experience and successful results in single-seaters. He started his racing career in 2014 in a Ginetta; he was second in the Ginetta Junior Ireland in 2015. He switched to formula cars in 2016 competing in important categories like the F4 UAE, F2000 (where he came second in 2018), F3 and Formula Regional Americas up to the Indy Pro 2000 in 2021 and Indy Lights that he is contesting this year.

Sebastian Balthasar made his GT debut with Lamborghini in 2020 taking part in the round of Misano. On that occasion, he posted the pole position time and ended the race in P3. He won many Super Trofeo Europe races, with a third PRO place in 2021. Last year he also took part in the Sebring’s round of the 24H GT Series. He also won the ATS F3 Trophy 2013 and ADAC Kart Masters KF3 2011 at the beginning of his career.

Riccardo Ponzio recently made his debut in competitions. He took part in the Italian F4 Championship 2015 and 2016. In 2018 he contested the European Le Mans Series in LMP3 and in 2019 he secured a great second place in the Italian Sports Prototypes Championship, which confirms his adaptability. One of the few Italians to pride himself on driving a Formula 1 car, he took part in the BOSS GP Championship in a Jaguar R3 last year taking P3 at the Red Bull Ring and two second places in Spa-Francorchamps.

James Roe Jr. (driver):
“I would like to thank Imperiale Racing, Topcon and all the people that made this program possible. Debuting on a GT car is a big step for me, an important chance to increase my experience in Europe in a very competitive series like the Italian GT Championship: I am sure we will have a lot of fun!”.

Sebastian Balthasar (driver):
“I am really happy to announce that I will compete in the Italian GT Endurance Championship with Imperiale Racing in 2022. After two successful years in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, I cannot wait to face some new challenges in GT3 championships. Being part of one of the most successful and experienced GT3 teams in Europe is a great honour. I would like to thank Lamborghini and Luca Del Grosso for the trust they have in me and all the people that worked to make this project real”.

Riccardo Ponzio (driver):
“I am really happy to get on board with an important team like Imperiale Racing and I am ready to give myself body and soul to this project. It is going to be a great challenge!”.

Luca Del Grosso (Team Manager):
“First of all, I welcome James, Sebastian and Riccardo on board. They are three young and determined drivers, ready to show all their value in a highly technical and competitive championship. I believe they will get a great feeling with each other and with the team: our target is to put in a crescendo of results and we will work to make this happen starting from the race in Mugello”.

2022 Racing Calendar
Round 1: Pergusa – May 12-15
Round 2: Mugello – July 14-17
Round 3: Vallelunga – September 15-18
Round 4: Monza – October 6-9

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