PREMA Racing will be back to a memorable location this weekend at Portimão as the FIA World Endurance Championship goes underway for round 2 of 2023, the 6 Hours of Portimão. The challenging 4.7-kilometre venue hosted the 2022 European Le Mans Series finale that handed PREMA a stunning win and its maiden endurance racing title. This time, it will move up to the world stage and will welcome the #9 and #63 Oreca LMP2 racecars, coming from a positive run in the series-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring.
In addition to the memories, the circuit has many interesting features, starting from its location, in the beautiful holiday resort of Algarve, to the up-and-down layout featuring high-speed blind corners.
The #9 car will see the return of Juan Manuel Correa, who was forced to miss Sebring due to a clashing commitment. The Ecuadorian-American was part of the crew that took the ELMS victory in Portugal last year and is set to join the full-season pairing of Dutchman Bent Viscaal and Romanian Filip Ugran, who also competed together in the ELMS finale last year with a top-5 finish.
The #63 car will be raced by the podium-finishing trio of Sebring. Daniil Kvyat, who has one F1 start at Portimão and was recently announced as an official Lamborghini Squadra Corse Factory Driver, will join Mirko Bortolotti, a long-standing stalwart for the Italian manufacturer, and French female racer Doriane Pin. The 19-year-old driver, whose head-turning performance in the USA left a strong impression, will compete on a track where she achieved outstanding results in the past.
Rene Rosin – Team Principal
“For sure we arrive at Portimao very motivated. Last year’s result here was a massive achievement for us, and while the challenge in the FIA WEC will be extremely high-level, we think we have the skills and experience we need to stay competitive and run at the front. Our drivers had some remarkable runs here in Portugal and we take that as an added value. We cannot wait to get back on track.”
Weekend Timetable*
Friday, April 14th
10:30 – Free Practice 1
15:30 – Free Practice 2
Saturday, April 15th
15:55 – LMP2 Qualifying
Sunday, April 16th
12:00 – 6 Hours of Portimao
*All times local, GMT+1 (EU-1)