FFF to Miss Paul Ricard Test Due to Coronavirus

Photo: FFF Team

Orange1 FFF Racing Team by ACM will miss this week’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS pre-season test at Paul Ricard due to preventative measures taken amid the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

The defending GTWC Europe champions, which has its European base in Sant’Agata Bolognese adjacent to Lamborghini’s headquarters, has followed the Italian government’s recommendations of not traveling amid controlling measures announced on Monday.

As of Wednesday, Italy has 10,149 reported cases of Covid-19, including 631 deaths.

“Although not a single case of contamination has been reported amongst the team’s personnel and drivers, ORANGE1 FFF Racing Team by ACM has opted to follow the recommendations made by the Italian government in recent days which means not traveling or participating in the upcoming SRO test in France, as an act of sensibility towards the team and others,” a statement from the team read.

The team is set to field three Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evos in GTWC Europe this year, including an entry for reigning champions Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli plus fellow Lamborghini factory driver Dennis Lind in the Endurance Cup.

It’s currently unclear if fellow Italian-based teams AF Corse and Dinamic Motorsport will also follow similar protocols and forgo the Paul Ricard test.

A Ferrari spokesperson confirmed to Sportscar365 on Monday that its FIA World Endurance Championship program has not been disrupted by the so-called countrywide ‘lockdown’ which still allows travel for business purposes.

The two-day test at Paul Ricard, which is not mandatory for teams, kicks off on Thursday.

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