After the podium conquered in the 2016 last round in Barcelona, Solaris Motorsport confirms its presence in the 2017 International GT Open season. The Italian team will field an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for the Italian Francesco Sini and the Swiss Mauro Calamia. Thanks to the good results gained in 2016, Solaris Motorsport will be an Aston Martin Racing Partner Team also in 2017, keeping on working close with the historic English brand.
Francesco Sini, at his second season with the Italian Aston Martin, is ready for this new challenge: “I’m excited to come back on the European scene! After the 2014 EuroV8 Series title conquered with Solaris Motorsport, I missed a bit the possibility to race on the most beautiful tracks in Europe. We tasted the International GT Open in the 2016 final round at Barcelona, conquering the third place on the Race 2 podium. We liked it so much we immediately started to work on a 2017 full season program!” commented Sini, who won also the 2008 Radical Master Series and the 2007 Italian Prototype Series titles. “I’m very happy to share my Aston Martin with Mauro. It’s a young but quick guy and, moreover, he already has a great experience on the international tracks. I can’t wait! I want to be back in my favourite office!”
25 years, coming from Laupen, Switzerland, Mauro Calamia started his career in motorsport with the single seaters, until to competing in the 2012 Formula Two season. From the 2014, Calamia switched for the GT races, gaining soon good results.In 2014 he won the Trofeo Maserati World Series in a fantastic season which saw the Swiss driver conquering also the Europe Trophy, Pirelli Pole Position Award and the Under 30 Trophy of the Italian brand championship. In 2016 Calamia gained the third place in the 12h Abu Dhabi: “I‘m very happy to be now part of the Solaris Motorsport family! I’m excited of this new challenge! I have to discover the car and know all the secrets, but I’m confident with Francesco we could reach important goals. From my side I will give my best to be as fast as I can. To have the choice to race with an Aston Martin Racing Team Partner makes me very proud and energizes me a lot on this new challenge!” commented the young Swiss driver. “I know I’m in the right team, with the right teammate to be competitive in this season!”
“After two years in the Italian series we felt the need to face a new challenge. We decided to race in an European contest against a lot of strong competitors. The podium gained in Barcelona motivated us to accept this new project, with a car showed itself very competitive last year.” said Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal. “We have one year more experience, I’m confidente Francesco will assist the talent of Mauro in order to find the last tenths, helping all the team to grow up as quick as we can. It will not easy, the International GT Open is a well growing series with a lot of strong drivers and teams, but this is the kind of challenge we like in Solaris Motorsport!”
The International GT Open is the European series for GT3 cars promoted by Jesus Pareja’s GT Sport. The championship will start in Portugal, on the Estoril track, at the end of April, the 29-30th, and it will take place on the most beautiful and rich of history European circuits, most of them theater of F1 races. In May, the 27th and the 28th, the GT Open will race in Spa-Francorchamps, while the second week of June there will be the French round at Paul Ricard. One month later the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin is expected in Hungary, for the Hungaroring round on the 1st and the 2nd of July. At the end of the summer break, the date is in England on the historic track of Silverstone on 2nd and 3rd of September, while the 30th of September the ‘temple of speed’ of Monza will host the Italian round. Once more, Barcelona will be the last round of the season, on the 28 and 29 of October.
