13 May 2016
Imola, 13 May 2016 - On Sunday 15 May two official Ferrari drivers, Davide Rigon and Andrea Bertolini, and forty-two cars will gather for the third running of the 4 Hours of Imola, round 2 of the 2016 European Le Mans Series. With fourteen LMP2, twenty LMP3 and eight LMGTE entries, there will be plenty of action on track for the Tifosi to enjoy and for the many fans around the world to watch on TV or online. No less than 13 drivers and 3 cars will be racing under the Italian flag at their home race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari and five of the eight LMGTE entries are wearing the Prancing Horse of Ferrari. In total there are 122 drivers and 42 cars representing 25 different nations from Europe, North America, South America and Asia.
GTE. The eight car GTE grid might be smaller than the two prototype grids ahead of them but the mouth watering battle between Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin is sure to be one that has everyone watching on Sunday afternoon. Italian hopes will rest with the two AF Corse entries with the no. 51 Ferrari being driven by Italians Marco Cioci and Piergiuseppe Perazzini, assisted by Portugal’s fast man Rui Aguas. The no. 55 AF Corse F458 is the Anglo-Irish team of Duncan Cameron, Aaron Scott and Matt Griffin.
WEC leader is racing. Three other Italians are on the GTE grid with 2010 FIA GT1 World Champion Andrea Bertolini in the JMW Motorsport Ferrari alongside British drivers Rory Butcher and Robert Smith. The bright yellow Ferrari crossed the line in first place at Silverstone but was excluded after failing the post race technical checks for not being in compliance with the homologation papers. Watch out for the no. 66 Ferrari at Imola as the team attempts to put the car at the front once again. Current WEC GTE-Pro leader Davide Rigon will be racing the no. 56 AT Racing Ferrari with father and son duo Alexander Talkanitsa Senior and Junior.
Anti-clockwise. The 4 Hours of Imola takes place at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on the outskirt of the town that the race is named after. Made up of 9 right-hand and 12 left-hand corners, the 4.909 km Imola track is one of relatively few on which cars run anti-clockwise. It offers a very technical layout which is difficult to conquer, with complicated corners which require superior driving skills. The 4 Hours of Imola will take place on Sunday 15 May, with qualifying on Saturday 14 May. Entry to the event is free for everyone, with just a small fee of 10€ to enter the paddock during the day. There is plenty of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy both on and off the track.