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GT World Challenge Europe

Deletraz to Make Series Debut With GPX at Paul Ricard

F2 racer Louis Deletraz to make GTWC Europe debut as replacement for Dennis Olsen…

Photo: Formula 2

Louis Deletraz is set to make his GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS debut at the 1000 km Paul Ricard, replacing Dennis Olsen at GPX Racing.

Formula 2 driver Deletraz, who will race for Charouz Racing System in the second-tier single-seater series this year, will drive one of GPX’s Porsche 911 GT3 Rs alongside Romain Dumas the Thomas Preining.

He’ll be filling in for reigning Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli champion Dennis Olsen, who will be competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Detroit that weekend.

Olsen is contracted to Pfaff Motorsports, also driving a Porsche GT3 car, for the full season in the North American championship.

Deletraz joined GPX at last week’s pre-season test at Circuit Paul Ricard, turning laps alongside the team’s six other drivers.

“Dennis Olsen is going to be in the U.S. during the Paul Ricard race, so we decided to trust Louis Deletraz because he has been part of the GPX Academy for a long time,” GPX team principal Pierre-Brice Mena told Sportscar365.

“It was very easy to trust Louis and it is something we have been looking at for a long time, to place Louis in GPX Racing.

“We have just been waiting for a good opportunity to offer him a good car to play for the win. I think it’s the best moment to do it and I really hope the race will not be canceled.”

Deletraz’s previous sports car experience includes an ADAC GT Masters campaign with Schubert Motorsport in 2016.

He also drove a BMW M235i Racing Cup for Walkenhorst Motorsport in the 2015 24 Hours of Zolder, driving alongside Trent Hindman.

“I’ve worked my way up since I joined the GPX Academy. It’s been a great story and driving a GPX Racing Porsche is, in a way, closing the loop,” Deletraz said.

“Of course, this year my main focus is Formula 2 above all, but I’d like to point out that I don’t consider endurance as a Plan B.

“I really love this discipline as I grew up in this atmosphere when I accompanied my father to the big events. I also love the Porsche; it’s a really beautiful car that requires a different style of driving compared to a single-seater because of its weight, traction control and ABS.”

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.

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