SORRY FOR FUOCO AND TRIPLE OF FERRARI 499Ps AT IMOLA IN WEC WORLD

Ferrari dominates at home and takes a strong position for the Italian round of the WEC World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Imola.

Three Hypercars from Maranello hit the pole with a hat-trick!

It is one of two official Ferrari 499Ps, No. 50 that will start from pole position for the 6 Hours of Imola in the Hypercar category. Italian Antonio Fuoco set the best time at Hyperpole ahead of the private Ferrari, number 83 of Robert Shwartzmann.

The first place in WEC World history signed at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari goes to Antonio Fuoco and Ferrari AF Corse!

The legendary Italian manufacturer, who dominated from the start of the 6 Hours of Imola weekend, hit the mark by completing an incredible hat-trick at home at Hyperpole.

After an initial burst of laps that had previously seen the Porsche 963s get the best times, the 499Ps then picked up the pace and demolished the competition in quick succession. Antonio Fuoco set the best time 1’29”466.

Robert Shwartzmann, at the wheel of Ferrari No. 83 private with yellow livery, he had to settle for the second time, behind the 0”415 of the brand founded by Fuoco. The victory was overall for the master of the position and third place for Ferrari No. 51 driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, who placed the third Ferrari Hypercar in third place. The number 51 will start ahead of the number 6 Porsche 963, the championship leader after his victory in Doha, Qatar.

The No. 5 Porsche, No. 7 Toyota and No. 20 BMW are 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.

The Hyperpole Top 10 in the Hypercar class is completed with No. 8 Toyota, 12 Hertz JOTA Porsche Team and 99 Porsche Proton Racing.

The second team of Hertz JOTA Porsche No. 38, Cadillac No. 2 and BMW No. 15, in which driver Dries Vanthoor suffered a panic in the gravel, failed at the Hyperpole gate.

Two Peugeot 9X8 2024, No. 94 and 93, will start 14 and 15 respectively.

Lamborghini Iron Lynx N°63, two Alpine N°35 and 36 and Isotta Fraschini N°11 bring up the rear in the Hypercar category.

GT3. MANTHEY PURE Rxcing EN POLE

A great start to the season continues for the German team Manthey PureRxcing! With a victory in the opening round of the 2024 calendar at Losail in Qatar, the number 92 Porsche will start in a good position for the 6 Hours of Imola thanks to Aliaksandr Malykhin.

The Belarusian driver dominated the proceedings by setting the best lap time 1’42”365. As in the first round, the No. 27 Aston Martin of Racing Hearts had to settle for the second time, Ian James being relegated. 0″693 of the brand founded by Malykhin.

Ahmad Al Harthy, fellow local hero, former Motorcycle Champion – multiple world champion – Valentino Rossi, placed third at Hyperpole at the wheel of one of the BMW 46s of the Belgian WRT Team, ahead of the sister car, number 31.

Thanks to the pole position step, Manthey PureRxcing increases its lead by 12 units on LMGT3 classification.

Belgian Sarah Bovy at the wheel of the No. 85 Lamborghini Iron Dames and Giorgio Roda in the No. 88 Ford Proton placed five and six times faster respectively.

Five different manufacturers (Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Lamborghini and Ford) will start from the first six positions on the LMGT3 grid.

The second Porsche from Manthey EMA, the number 91, Ferraris number 55 and 54 from Vista AF Corse and the number 59 McLaren from United Autosports complete the Top 10 in the category.

TF Sport’s No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette, D’Station Racing’s No. 777 Aston Martin, the No. 82 Chevrolet and the No. 77 Ford narrowly failed to qualify for Hyperpole.

The No. 95 McLaren, the No. 78 and No. 87 Lexus of Akkodis ASP and the No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini will start from the back of the grid.

Gilles GAIGNAULT

Photo : WEC – TEAMS

STARTING GRID FOR THE SIX HOURS OF IMOLA IN THE WORLD WEC

1 – Fire-Molina-Nielsen (Ferrari 499P) Ferrari – 1’29″466

2 – Kubica-Shwartzman-Ye (Ferrari 499P) AF Corse – 1’29″885

3 – Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi (Ferrari 499P) Ferrari – 1’29″953

4 – Estre-Lotterer-L. Vanthoor (Porsche 963) Penske – 1’30″101

5 – Campbell-Christensen-Makowiecki (Porsche 963) Penske – 1’30″385

6 – Conway-Kobayashi-de Vries (Toyota GR010) Toyota – 1’30″410

7 – Frijns-Rast-S. Van Der Linde (BMW M Hybrid V8) WRT – 1’30″600

8 – Buemi-Hartley-Hirakawa (Toyota GR010) Toyota – 1’30″652

9 – Stevens-Ilott-Nato (Porsche 963) Jota – 1’30″656

10 – Tincknell-Jani-Andlauer (Porsche 963) Proton – 1’30″692

11 – Button-Hanson-Rasmussen (Porsche 963) Jota – 1’31″322

12 – Bamber-Lynn (Cadillac V-LMDh) Cadillac – 1’31″397

13 – Marciello-Wittmann-D. Vanthoor (BMW M Hybrid V8) WRT – 1’31″549

14 – Di Resta-Duval-Vandoorne (Peugeot 9X8) Peugeot – 1’31″651

15 – Jensen-Müller-Vergne (Peugeot 9X8) Peugeot – 1 ’31″748

16 – Bortolotti-Mortara-Kvyat (Lamborghini SC63) Lamborghini – 1’31″862

17 – Chatin-Gounon-Milesi (Alpine A424) Alpine – 1’31″980

18 – Lapierre-Schumacher-Vaxiviere (Alpine A424) Alpine – 1’32″054

19 – Serravalle-Bennett-Vernay (Isotta Fraschini Tipo6) Isotta Fraschini- 1’33″575

20 – Malykhin-Sturm-Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Manthey – 1’42″365 (1st GT3)

21 – James-Mancinelli-Riberas (Aston Martin Vantage) Heart – 1’43″058

22 – Al Harthy-Rossi-Martin (BMW M4) WRT – 1’43″099

23 – Leung-Gelael-Farfus (BMW M4) WRT – 1’43″105

24 – Bovy-Pin-Gatting (Lamborghini Huracan) Iron Dames – 1’43″151

25 – Roda-Pedersen-Olsen (Ford Mustang) Proton – 1’43″229

26 – Shahin-Schuring-Lietz (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Manthey – 1’43″399

27 – Heriau-Mann-Rovera (Ferrari 296) AF Corse – 1’43″523

28 – Flohr-Castellacci-Rigon (Ferrari 296) AF Corse – 1’43″650

29 – Cottingham-Costa-Saucy (McLaren 720S) United Autosport – 1’43″835

30 – Van Rompuy-Andrade-Eastwood (Corvette Z06) TF Sport – 1’43″897

31 – Mateu-Bastard-Sorensen (Aston Martin Vantage) D’Station – 1’43″947

32 – Koizumi-Baud-Juncadella (Corvette Z06) TF Sport – 1’44″108

33 – Hardwick-Robichon-Barker (Ford Mustang) Proton – 1’44″118

34 – Caygill-Pino-Sato (McLaren 720S) United Autosport – 1’44″291

35 – Robin-Boguslavskiy-K. Van Der Linde (Lexus RC F) Accordion ASP – 1’44′′3

36 – Kimura-Masson-Lopez (Lexus RC F) Akkodis ASP – 1’45″680

37 – Schiavoni-Cressoni-Perera (Lamborghini Huracan) – Iron Lynx – 1’46″254