Sports | Patience | 6 Hours of Imola: Will Ferrari answer Porsche at home?

The second round of the 2024 World Endurance Championship will take place this weekend at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari logo, for the 6 Hours of Imola. This is the first time the WEC has visited the heart of the Emilia-Romagna region since its creation.

We will have 14 manufacturers entered this season (Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota), with 37 (19) cars. Hypercars and 18 LMGT3) with a list of 110 pilots from 28 different countries.

This second round will mark the debut of Peugeot’s 9X8, which will benefit from significant aerodynamic improvements, including the addition of a rear wing.

A total of 12 Italian drivers will compete at home this weekend, including the Ferrari AF Corse trio of Antonio Giovinazzi, Antonio Fuoco and Alessandro Pier Guidi and the Lamborghini Iron Lynx duo of Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortar. Local hero and multiple MotoGP world champion, Valentino Rossi, will also be highly anticipated behind the wheel of Team WRT’s BMW M4 in LMGT3.

Lines changed at Alpine and Cadillac

There will also be two changes in the entry list compared to the inaugural race which was contested in Qatar. The first is about the staff of No. 35 Alpine where Jules Gounon, winner of the Bathurst 12 Hours, will replace Ferdinand Habsburg, following the latter’s crash during the test session which left the © Austrian with two broken vertebrae.

The second is about No. 2 Cadillac that will have only two drivers this weekend, the Englishman Alex Lynn and the New Zealander Earl Bamber, because Sébastien Bourdais will be in Long Beach as part of the IMSA championship.

The circuit, which runs counter-clockwise, is characterized by its unique old-school feel, and watching the Hypercars cover 4,909 kilometers will be spectacular. During each lap, the drivers will reach a speed of approximately 312 km/h and will have complete stability for approximately 50% of the lap.

It was Porsche that won during the 10 Hours of Qatar during the inaugural circuit, in Hypercar and in LMGT3. However, with so many entries this year, the German manufacturer will have no shortage of contenders this weekend.

Furthermore, with a very different setting and different weather, this second round should be a completely different story, and it will be interesting to see which cars will be best suited to the unique challenge presented by one of the most sacred grounds in motorsport. .

Complete list of engagés (PDF version)

Weekend plan

Friday April 19:

Free practice 1: 12:00 – 1:30 pm

Free practice 2: 5:15 pm – 6:45 pm

Saturday April 20:

Free practice 3: 11:10 am – 12:10 pm

Characteristics + Hyperpole : 14h45 – 15h55

Sunday April 21:

Course : 13h00 – 19h00