Two weeks ago, Benjamin and Mauro Ricci were preparing for their Fanatec GT2 European Series debut at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. It would prove to be one of the most notable in the championship’s history, with the father and son duo claiming the first ever victory for the new Mercedes-AMG GT2 with Akkodis ASP Team.
We caught up with Benjamin for the next instalment of our ‘Getting to Know’ driver feature ahead of round three at Circuit Dijon-Prenois this weekend.
Benjamin, you and Mauro made quite the impression on your series debut. Did you ever imagine that you would be making history and claiming the first race win for the new Mercedes-AMG GT2?
“We discovered both the car and the track for the first time on Thursday, so we prepared ourselves to struggle during the races, not knowing how the car would respond to tyres and brake degradation. I was definitely not expecting this kind of performance for our first weekend in GT2! ”
Take us through the race from your perspective, how did you and Mauro manage to turn seventh on the grid into victory?
“Most of it was done at the start, with a great start from my father, then he showed a great pace during the race, staying in the top four. We pitted at the right time, doing the perfect pit stop.
“Then leaving the pit I was first and just had to bring back the car. I had Stefan Rosina putting a lot of pressure on me. After the Safety car, I tried to get a good restart and it went perfectly.”
How did it feel to achieve that accolade as a father and son driver pairing?
“It's a privilege to be able to race father and son together and share this passion regardless of the results. A weekend like this is just the cherry on top!”
Can you tell us a bit about your racing background and experience prior to this season?
“My father has been racing with SRO for quite a while now. He raced in Blancpain in GT3 in both the endurance and sprint championships, in Am and Pro-Am, always loyal to Akkodis ASP.
“I started in 2018 in FFSA GT4, where I did two seasons. And we have been racing together for the past two seasons in the GT4 European Series in the Am class, where my father scored second in class last year.”
What attracted you to race in the Fanatec GT2 European Series with Akkodis ASP?
“We took time to decide which championship we wanted to race in together. The only thing we knew was that we were racing with Akkodis. We felt we did our time in GT4, and the rise of GT2 looked promising, with close but fair battles. The announcement of Mercedes also coming into GT2 convinced us.”
What’s been your biggest challenge in learning the new Mercedes-AMG GT2?
“First, we need to spend more time in the car as the GT2 is very different from her two sisters, the GT3 and GT4, which we are familiar with. So, we can improve the set-ups and efficiency during races. Then I need to improve my driving, as we are now racing in Pro-Am, which means fighting with very experienced drivers.”
Next up, we have our first visit to Circuit Dijon-Prenois. How are you looking forward to your second outing in the series?
“Dijon is a very nice track, where I think the car can perform well. We are really looking forward to being back in the car.”
What do you hope to achieve during your first GT2 season?
“Having missed the first meeting in Monza, we have some catching up to do in the championship standings. Nonetheless, we showed some good pace and picked up strong points at the Red Bull Ring. We will keep fighting for podiums until the end of the season.”
Benjamin and Mauro will hope to continue their climb up the Pro-Am championship order in round three of the Fanatec GT2 European Series at Circuit Dijon-Prenois, France, 16-18 June.