Perera Replaces Caldarelli in FFF Lamborghini’s NLS Lineup

Photo: Franck Perera Facebook

Franck Perera will replace Andrea Caldarelli in Hankook FFF Racing Team’s lineup for this weekend’s Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie round as well as the Nürburgring 24, it has been announced.

Perera will join Marco Mapelli, Giacomo Altoè and Mirko Bortolotti behind the wheel of the team’s No. 63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo beginning with the four-hour EIBACH ADAC ACAS Cup on Saturday.

Caldarelli, who also serves as team principal for the Italian-based, Chinese-flagged operation, has clashes with two of the upcoming Nürburgring events due to his full-season Fanatatc GT World Challenge America powered by AWS program with Lamborghini customer team K-PAX Racing.

It includes this weekend’s round, which takes place at Circuit of The Americas, as well as the N24 itself after a date change made by SRO America.

“I’m happy to welcome Franck onboard to this project,” said FFF team owner Fu Songyang.

“His experience at the Nordschleife is for sure one of the main reasons that led to the choice to call him for the NLS3 Qualification Race and the 24 Hours.

“We’re sorry not to have Andrea with us due to his Lamborghini Squadra Corse commitments, but he’ll continue to follow the operations in his role of team principal.”

Saturday’s race will mark FFF Team’s race debut on the Nordschleife after the planned NLS season-opener was canceled due to snow. The team did not take part in the second round due to the clashing Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup event at Monza.

ROWE Confirms Lineup for NLS3

Fellow GT3 outfit ROWE Racing will also be making its first NLS start of the season, bolstered by BMW IMSA factory aces John Edwards and Connor De Phillippi.

Edwards will join Nicky Catsburg and Nick Yelloly in the team’s No. 99 BMW M6 GT3 with De Phillippi at the wheel of the No. 98 car alongside Martin Tomczyk and Marco Wittmann.

Both American drivers missed the 2020 Nürburgring season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

ROWE’s NLS participation in NLS3 will come just days prior to the second pre-season DTM test, which it will also be participating in.

“We have a few very stressful days ahead – particularly for our mechanics and truck drivers,” said team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf.

“Although we will be running a different car at the DTM test at the Lausitzring to the two races at the Nürburgring, the whole team still faces a logistical challenge to attend three events within ten days, not to mention the many kilometers spent on the motorway.”

An entry list for this weekend’s race has yet to be released.

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