The Czech racing team I.S.R. Racing, which has long been active on the international scene, is returning to motorsport after a two-year break. And to return, it has chosen the ESET Cup in the GT3 category.
Igor Salaquarda’s team has previously been active in Formula Renault and later on the European Gran Turismo scene, fielding Audi R8 LMS GT3 cars. Salaquarda’s son Filip will be in ESET Cup with this model, competing in both sprint and endurance races.
“We chose the ESET Cup for a number of reasons,” says Igor Salaquarda and continuing, “It’s a Central European championship, so the circuits are close to our base, plus they are quality tracks. Another factor was the promoter Josef Křenek, with whom I have known for many years.”
As already mentioned, Filip Salaquarda will be the team driver. I.S.R. Racing will also be working closely with Duck Racing, which bought Audi R8 GT3 from I.S.R. Racing in the past , and with whom Petr Kačírek still races. “We will try to have the pits next to each other,” explains Salaquarda.
I.S.R. Racing was founded in 1993. After years in sportscars and touring cars, it moved to open wheel racing and in 2010 reached second place in the team standings in Formula Renault. Starting in 2014, I.S.R. Racing refocused on sportscar racing and began to operate in the Blancpain GT Series and then the ADAC GT Masters. Experience is therefore in abundance and the question arises as to what goals they have set for themselves in the ESET Cup.
“We don’t know exactly what the competition will be like yet,” says Salaquarda. “Based on the current entry list, I estimate that we should be near the front, but it depends on the opposition during the season. I don’t want to underestimate the competition, but on the other hand, with the experience our team has, we’ll probably be in front,” he guesses cautiously.