Emil Frey Racing celebrates a strong comeback with a Gold Cup victory and a rewarding team performance in Misano

📌 Fast Facts 📌 

An intense race weekend at Misano is behind Emil Frey Racing. For Saturday’s night race, Chris Lulham secured pole position in the Gold Cup and fourth overall on the grid in the #69 Ferrari, while Ben Green qualified fifth in the sister car. Unfortunately, the race ended early for the #69 after an unlucky collision. The #14 fought its way to the finish in eighth place thanks to a solid start and a strong pitstop. Sunday's race was interrupted for a long time following a serious accident that led to a red flag. After the restart, both cars staged an impressive comeback. Chris Lulham crowned his performance with a bold overtaking move and took victory in the Gold Cup, while the #14 finished in 15th place.

Race 1 – Saturday, 19th July 2025
Qualifying for the night race took place on Saturday afternoon. Chris Lulham put the #69 Ferrari on Gold Cup pole position and also secured fourth place overall. The sister car, driven by Ben Green, impressed with a strong fifth starting position.

The race started at 20:15 as the sun was setting. The field was closely packed, leading to several contacts. For the #69 Ferrari and Chris Lulham at the wheel, the race ended already on the opening lap after an unfortunate touch and a crash.

His teammate was able to gain a position at first but struggled to match the pace of the leading group. The #14 Ferrari was among the first to make the mandatory pit stop and returned to the track in fifth place, now with Konsta Lappalainen in the car. The Finn managed the pace and, as darkness fell, crossed the finish line in eighth place.

Race 2 – Sunday, 20th July 2025 
The second race on Sunday began for the Emil Frey Racing Team with Thierry Vermeulen starting from sixth place in the #69 Ferrari and Konsta Lappalainen in the #14 Ferrari from 22nd. Both drivers lost a few positions in the opening laps: Thierry dropped five places while Konsta slipped to 23rd. After about 15 minutes, the race was interrupted by a red flag due to a serious accident. Repairs to the track took a long time, and it was nearly two hours before racing resumed.

Both drivers made a good restart and engaged in some thrilling battles throughout the remainder of the race. The Emil Frey Racing Team particularly excelled during the pit stops, consistently ranking among the fastest teams in the field. After the disappointment of the previous day, Chris Lulham in the #69 Ferrari staged a remarkable comeback: with a determined overtaking move on the #25 Audi, he secured victory in the Gold Cup class and finished seventh overall. Car #14 also fought back impressively after a difficult start and ultimately crossed the finish line in 15th place.

TEAM QUOTES - Emil Frey Racing
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal
“Saturday’s qualifying went well, but unfortunately, with the #69, we had some contact and then the big crash – a real shame not to score any points from such a strong starting position. The #14 got off to a good start, but we struggled to keep up with the pace set by the cars ahead. We had the third-fastest pit stop, and I’m very proud of the team for their fantastic work! Sunday’s qualifying was tougher. Thierry did a solid job, and although Konsta couldn’t piece together a clean lap, he had a great comeback in the race. It was also a fantastic drive from Chris, who managed to overtake the Audi to secure the Gold Cup victory. Nevertheless, it was a challenging weekend where we certainly could have achieved more – the races were fiercely contested with many participants.”

Jürg Flach, Technical Director
“We arrived in Misano with high expectations. Our performance in qualifying was good, but despite strong pit stops, we didn’t capitalize enough on our starting positions. There are still two weekends left in the GTWC Sprint, but it’s getting harder to fight for a podium spot in the overall championship.”

DRIVER QUOTES - Emil Frey Racing 
Thierry Vermeulen (The Netherlands)
"Overall, it was a tough weekend, even though we managed to secure the Gold Cup win on Sunday. But now we need to look into why we struggled with the pace. Not scoring any points on Saturday certainly didn't help, but my thanks go to the whole team for repairing our car overnight.”

Ben Green (Great Britain)
"The conditions were a big challenge for everyone due to the extreme heat. I'm pleased that I was able to set the fourth fastest time in Saturday's qualifying and hand the car over to my teammate from that position. We gave it everything on the track, even though the final results didn't turn out as we had hoped. But the break before the next race in Magny-Cours is short – and I'm already looking forward to attacking again there and achieving a good result! ”

Konsta Lappalainen (Finland)
"We had a small issue with the car all weekend that we just couldn't quite get under control. That's why Sunday's qualifying position was poor. The hotter it gets, the more the problems intensify, and we can't keep up the lap times. That was really our main issue. Unfortunately, the pace just isn't there, but we fought until the end.”

Chris Lulham (Great Britain)
"The start of Saturday's race was a bit chaotic, especially the third row behind me - both cars made a small jump on the field, which immediately put me in a sandwich. I exited T1 well but lost a few places. Then, at the end of sector 1 in T5/T6, we went three-wide, and two cars on my right got together and spun into me, collecting me in the process.”

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https://emilfreyracing.com/en/presse/#pictures