Emil Frey Racing
Emil Frey Racing is a Swiss racing team. Established in 2011, the team debuted with a bespoke Jaguar XK-based GT3 race car in the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series. After serving as a Lexus factory team from 2015 to 2018, the team switched affiliation to Lamborghini in 2019 and to Ferrari in 2023. The team now competes across multiple European championships with the Ferrari 296 GT3, including DTM and Ferrari Challenge Europe.
History
Jaguar XK Emil Frey G3
Development of the team's first race car was led by Frey and FIA Silver-ranked driver Fredy Barth. Once the design process was complete, chassis manufacturing was delegated to Bemani Motorenbau AG in Beinwil am See. The car completed its first shakedown at Anneau du Rhin in France in early 2012, and the design was eventually homologated as a member of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium's G3 class.The team and car debuted at the third round of the season at Circuit Paul Ricard. Driven by Frey, Barth, and Gabriel Gardel, the all-Swiss lineup finished 31st overall. The team then failed to finish at both the 24 Hours of Spa and the season finale at Circuito de Navarra.
In an attempt to diagnose and rectify issues with the Jaguar XK, the team appeared at two races of the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series with an Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The team failed to start the 24 Hours of Spa after a puncture during qualifying and failed to finish at the season finale at the Nürburgring.
The Jaguar XK Emil Frey G3 returned for the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series with a new power unit tuned by British engineering company Ilmor. The team intended to complete the full season for the first time in 2014, and the revised car was second-fastest in first practice at the season opener at Monza. However, a fire followed by mechanical issues caused retirements at the first two rounds of the season.Jürg Flach, former operations director at Sauber, joined the team to fulfill the same role for the 2015 season. In 2015, the team achieved a best result of first in class at the season finale at Nürburgring, achieving the team and car's first notable competitive result. In 2016, a new lineup paired Frey with Albert Costa and Stéphane Ortelli.