2019 Champions Caldarelli, Mapelli Return in FFF Lineup

Photo: Dirk Bogaerts/SRO

Reigining champions Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli will return to the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS this year in a continuation of Orange1 FFF Racing Team by ACM’s successful Pro lineup.

Announced on Friday, the Italian-Chinese team will again field team co-owner Caldarelli alongside Mapelli for the full season, while Dennis Lind again joins for the Endurance Cup.

It’s understood that Caldarelli and Mapelli won’t run in the Sprint Cup again, with the team’s Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli campaign effectively replacing the short-distance European races.

The same lineup of Caldarelli, Mapelli and Lind were confirmed in FFF’s IGTC car at the beginning of the year, and already competed at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

Phil Keen and Hiroshi Hamaguchi will also return to FFF to defend their Pro-Am Sprint title, meanwhile, and are expected to be joined by a third driver to compete in the Endurance races.

The team’s final GTWC Europe entry is a Silver Cup Endurance car for Taylor Proto, who competed in the Silver car last year, alongside Porsche Carrera Cup France graduates Florian Latorre and Baptiste Moulin.

Further details on the team’s plans and liveries will be presented at a team launch event at its base in Sant’Agata Bolognese on April 7.

“The 2020 season has already started, but we hadn’t time to officially present ourselves to our sponsors, partners and friends,” commented FFF co-owner Fu Songyang.

“That’s why I look forward our team presentation, the first one we will hold in our new factory.

“It will be the perfect location to welcome Orange1 members, Lamborghini Squadra Corse key personnel and our special sponsors such as Roger Dubuis, which inspired our livery in the last seasons.

“I’m happy to welcome back the drivers from last year, as well as the new ones for 2020 and I really look forward to have the engines switched on for the European races.”

Jake Kilshaw

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