Team Tresor and Car Collection Motorsport will join forces this season to undertake a full Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS campaign.
The partnership brings together Tresor, led by team principal Ferdinando Geri, and Peter Schmidt's Car Collection operation. The combined effort will compete under the Italian flag as ‘Tresor by Car Collection’, fielding a pair of new-spec Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO 2 machines in the Sprint and Endurance Cup formats.
Both will compete as Pro entries at Sprint events, while the Endurance campaign will consist of one Pro car alongside a Silver Cup contender. The driver line-up for the latter has been revealed, with youngsters Lorenzo Patrese and Axel Blom partnering Hugo Valente in the long-distance championship.
At 16, Patrese is very likely to be the youngest driver on the 2022 grid. The Italian will make his GT racing debut this term having contested his domestic F4 championship last year. Patrese is the son of multiple Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Riccardo, whose career swansong came at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa in 2018.
Blom is also a newcomer to the series. The Finn made his first steps into GT racing last season by competing in a handful of one-make categories, including Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Hugo Valente, meanwhile, has returned to the sport this season following a four-year absence, prior to which he raced touring cars between 2012 and 2017. The upcoming campaign will also be his first at the wheel of GT machinery.
“I am extremely happy about this project: a shared vision with Peter Schmidt allowed us to create Tresor by Car Collection," commented Ferdinando Geri. "Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS is a high-level competition where we will find strong rivals ready to show all our sheer determination.
"Since the beginning of this project, we intended to field some young talents next to experienced drivers and this is why I am proud to welcome Lorenzo Patrese, Alex Blom and Hugo Valente to the team”.
Tresor by Car Collection is expected to name its Pro line-up for the Endurance Cup, as well as the configuration of its Sprint crews, in the coming weeks. The new squad will be present at the official Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS test days at Circuit Paul Ricard on 7-8 March. The Endurance Cup season begins at Imola on 1-3 April, while the Sprint campaign launches at Brands Hatch on 30 April/1 May.