21 October 2016
Estoril, 21 October 2016 – The goal is just a step away, but these moments require maximum focus and avoiding distractions. It is with this attitude that JMW Motorsport and drivers Andrea Bertolini, Rory Butcher, and Robert Smith must approach the last race of the 2016 season of the European Le Mans Series scheduled for Sunday at the Estoril.
Only one rival. The British team and its drivers will take a Ferrari 458 Italia GTE to the track, enjoying a 20-point lead over the only rivals still in contention for the title: Alex MacDowall, Andrew Howard, and Darren Turner on an Aston Martin. Their task will be to manage the lead and collect even only a few points. A seventh place would guarantee the title, even if the Aston Martin were to win the race after earning the bonus point for the pole position; this objective is certainly within reach of car number 66.
The other Ferraris. Four more Ferraris will participate in the race. AF Corse will field the iconic 458 Italia number 51 with Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci, and Rui Aguas and car number 55 with Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin, and Aaron Scott; AT Racing will rely once again on Alexander Talkanitsa father and son and on Alessandro Pier Guidi. The field of Ferrari customer teams is completed by the 458 Italia driven by the now former champions of Formula Racing Johnny Laursen and Mikkel Mac Jansen and by the brand new IMSA GT-Daytona class champion, Christina Nielsen.
Schedule. Following the free practice on Friday and Saturday, the qualifications are scheduled for Saturday at 12:45 p.m. local time (1:45 p.m. CET). The race, which will last four hours, will start at 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. CET) on Sunday. The entire race can be viewed on live streaming on the series' website.