Isotta Fraschini is ‘evaluating if it is possible’ to have two cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, ahead of the Italian manufacturer’s debut in the series, and return to motorsport after decades away.
“Since car brands can have two cars on the grid we are simply evaluating if it is possible to have a second car on the grid with another team for the whole season. There are no changes to Vector’s plan,” a spokesman for the manufacturer told MotorsportWeek.com.
This indicates that the plan for current WEC LMP2 team, Vector Sport, to run a single Isotta Fraschini car in the series, as Gary Holland told MotorsportWeek.com at Sebring earlier this year, remains.
However, it also opens up the possibility of another team entering another Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH Competizione into the championship.
Furthermore, as reported by Dailysportscar, this could be any one of LMP2 team Duqueine, or the Swiss GT squad Emil Frey Racing, which currently races in DTM. However, Dailysportscar also reported that it believes either team are unlikely to be accepted with a second Isotta Fraschini next year. MotorsportWeek.com has contacted both teams, but has not had a reply from either.
The Milanese manufacturer continues to test its car, having most recently tested at Motorland Aragon.
They completed 251 laps and 1341 km over three days – from Sunday 10 to Tuesday 12 September – in the hands of Marco Bonanomi, Matteo Malucelli and Jean Karl Vernay.
“We expected three days of intense testing, and so it was,” said Claudio Berro, motorsport director of Isotta Fraschini.
“Apart from a small electronic problem on the first day, the tests developed very well. We had very variable conditions, as you normally find in endurance racing.
“Heat, sun, night, rain… everything needed to temper and consolidate an car studied for long distance races. We are therefore satisfied with the kilometers traveled in all these conditions, another important step for the developing the car. Great work by the team and the drivers.”
Update: we’ve heard back from Emil Frey Racing regarding the speculation. Here’s what they had to say:
“For Emil Frey Racing, involvement in LMH or LMDH is undoubtedly exciting from a technical point of view, but it also has to make sense from a financial point of view.”
