Konrad Set for Rolex 24 Return

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

After coming up less than five minutes short in this year’s race, Konrad Motorsport is set to return to the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a bid for GT Daytona class honors.

Team boss Franz Konrad has confirmed a single-car effort for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener, with Marc Basseng, Marco Mapelli and Lance Willsey set to share the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracan GT3.

The German squad nearly pulled off victory in Lamborghini’s Daytona debut, but a fuel issue saw Fabio Babini slow from the class lead with three minutes remaining.

It was compounded with a post-race penalty for all Lamborghini Huracan GT3 cars due to a technical infraction.

“It was a shame with us,” Konrad told Sportscar365. “We had a fuel problem inside the tank. The pipes were burned from the fuel, so we lost 16 liters every stop. That’s why we made more stops and that cost us the race.

“Now we’re going again and I think we have a good chance to win.”

Konrad, who will begin his 46th year in motorsport, has 18 previous starts in the Florida endurance classic, with a pair of class victories to his credit.

It will be one of at least eight Hurcans GT3s on the grid for Daytona, joined by full-season entries from Paul Miller Racing and Change Racing, plus efforts from Dream Racing, Ebimotors and Grasser Racing Team.

The team will kick off its 2017 program again at the Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai, with Basseng, Mapelli and Jules Gounon confirmed as drivers, with a run in the Twelve Hours of Sebring also possible.

A single-car Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup entry is also in the works, likely in the Pro-Am class for 24H Series racer Paul Scheuschner.

“He’s done a lot of testing with us and is quite good. He’s Bronze so that’s why I have the chance to go in Pro-Am again,” Konrad said.

Konrad said they also have plans to return to the Nürburgring 24 next year and will be taking delivery of its third Huracan GT3 chassis shortly.

A four-car effort in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Europe series and two cars for the new Middle Eastern Championship is also planned.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John