It will be a historic reunion next weekend, as Mirko Bortolotti gets back behind the wheel of one of Oregon Team‘s cars, racing a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the sixth round of the International GT Open at Red Bull Ring.
A return to the future for the Lamborghini factory driver, who in 2013, with the team led by Jerry Canevisio and Giorgio Testa, gave a decisive boost to his closed-wheel racing career by securing the European Mégane Trophy title. Since then, his career with Lamborghini has included overall and Endurance Blancpain GT titles in 2017, back-to-back GTD victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona (2018 and 2019), a GTD win in the 12 Hours of Sebring (2019), last year’s DTM title and the victory in the 24 Hours of Spa at the end of June.
Bortolotti’s GT Open outing with Oregon Team will be a one-off appearance. The Italian driver will complete a Pro lineup alongside the confirmed Artem Petrov, who has been a frontrunner in the first five rounds of the season and recently took seventh place at Paul Ricard with teammate Antoine Doquin.
“As with all Oregon Team challenges, this move comes from the heart. With Mirko, we want to bring a smile back to our team,” commented Canevisio. “For me, he will always be our ‘kid,’ even though a lot of time has passed since he last raced with us. I’ve got white hair now, and he’s certainly no longer a youngster.”
Another key highlight will be the debut of Enzo Geraci. The young Frenchman, currently leading the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Pro standings with Oregon Team – where he has already secured two wins – and a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Junior Driver, will step into the other Huracán GT3 EVO2 to share driving duties with Robin Rogalski.
“We believe Enzo has everything it takes to make his way in the GT world. By giving him this opportunity, we are staying true to the spirit of our team, which has always been about supporting the most deserving young drivers,” added Canevisio.
The Spielberg weekend will get underway on Friday with free practice. The first qualifying session will take place on Saturday at 10:40 am, followed by race one (70 minutes) at 3:00 pm. Qualifying two will be held on Sunday morning at 9:00 am, with the second race (60 minutes) scheduled to start at 1:15 pm. Both races will be streamed live on the International GT Open YouTube channel, @GTOPENseries.
