Ex-AutoGP champion will drive with Belgian Bourgois for Zele Racing in the brand-new Renault RS01 Trophy
In 2015, Zele Racing will apart from AutoGP also start in the Renault RS01 Trophy and the Austrians have now confirmed former AutoGP champion Vittorio Ghirelli as their first ProDriver.
The 20-year-old from Fasano, Italy, will team-up with prestige driver Philippe Bourgois. Ghirelli was already with Zele at the first official RS01 test in Varano, Italy, in April. “We have known Vittorio well from racing against him in AutoGP. He is highly talented and very fast”, team boss Michael Zele said.
Ghirelli began his career in karting at the age of 12 earning several national and international trophies. He then moved up through the ranks of Formula Renault 2.0, GP3, Formula Renault 3.5, F2, AutoGP, GP2 and Indy Lights. Winning the 6hrs of Vallelunga in a Ferrari F458, he also proved his skills behind a GT car wheel.
The Renault RS01 Trophy will travel the globe alongside the renowned World Series by Renault 3.5 and the series champion will earn himself a drive with a Nissan Nismo works team in the Japanese Super-GT Series 2016. The best prestige driver will receive a LMP2 cockpit at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Bourgois is particularly excited saying: “It is something special for me to run in this beautiful car. My understanding with Zele Racing has been perfect from day one, so I expect us to have a lot of success and also fun.”
Zele will present the second car’s line up after the next tests on May 13-15 in Valencia.
The RS01 Trophy series opens on May 30 in Spa, Belgium, and closes on October 18 at Jerez, Spain.
