Jean-Karl Vernay opens up about his adventure with Isotta Fraschini

One of the three Isotta Fraschini drivers, Jean-Karl Vernay, shared with MotorsInside about his first race at the 1812 kilometers of Qatar last Saturday. Not forgetting his love for endurance, friends, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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Rédigé par Par

The 1812 kilometers of Qatar have finally brought together the nine Hypercar manufacturers for a sumptuous display of beautiful machines.

Among the large factories, Isotta Fraschini was considered the underdog, somewhat like the friendly Glickenhaus until last year. From the outside, the race of car No. 11 from the Duqueine team could have seemed like a Via Crucis: a breakdown before the start and only half the race completed.

And yet, the native of Villeurbanne, Jean-Karl Vernay, one of the main architects of the development of the Italian LMH, found some good things to remember, despite clear teething problems of the Tipo 6 LMH.

I would say that the race went well, because we demonstrated that we had the potential, combined with a good race pace. It is clear that the Balance of Performance forced us to adapt and it was not in our favor.

As for the issues encountered, we had quite a few difficulties bringing the car into compliance with the FIA standards, especially during the Prologue. Even though we are lacking a bit in performance, we can be satisfied with the work that has been done: the pace was similar to the Alpine and the Lamborghini. We still have a lot of work ahead of us.

A very intense development

As previously mentioned, Jean-Karl Vernay was one of the key elements of the Isotta Fraschini project, the Italian manufacturer aiming to rise from its ashes through competition.

A lot of test drives were carried out, notably at Monza and Imola, during the year 2023. According to the Rhodanian, everything went very well and we had to adapt to a very complex car, especially with the hybrid system. But the luck we had was being able to cover over 12,000 kilometers in total! Even if endurance-type tests may have been missing from the Italian brand.

Of course, racing in the World Championship is an exceptional opportunity, especially in this new golden age of endurance. But for any self-respecting driver in this discipline, there is only one thing that matters more than anything else: Le Mans!

The centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, last year, had been absolutely crazy, with five manufacturers capable of fighting for the win and a legendary duel between Toyota and Ferrari. The even larger grid this year is a source of excitement for Jean-Karl Vernay.

This year, it’s the first time we will see so many manufacturers involved! Of course, Isotta Fraschini allows me to take part in this great celebration. Knowing that the Frenchman had participated in 2013 and had won the GTE-Am classification, with the Porsche No. 76 of IMSA Performance Matmut.

“This year, it will be much harder to repeat the feat,” he then said. “But we have the potential to perform well, despite stiff competition, which has more resources than we do. We are preparing for that.”

This new edition of Le Mans will of course be shared with his longtime friend: Kévin Estre, winner of the opening round at Losail. A friendship of deep sincerity, which has never needed the spotlight to remain intact. Even in such a competitive and high-stakes context.

Kevin and I grew up in the same place, near Lyon. I was a witness at his wedding, his mother is the godmother of my sister… He is a fantastic driver in addition to being a friend, and it’s great to race together this year, along with my former fellow competitors in promotional formulas.
Touching!

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