In the opening round of the 2021 Le Mans Cup held at the Barcelona circuit, both Ferrari entrants in the race made it onto the GT3 class podium: the #8 Iron Lynx team car, handled by Rino Mastronardi and Paolo Ruberti, clinched second place, while the #51 AF Corse outfit, crewed by Ken Abe and Matteo Cressoni, crossed the finish-line in third place.
Qualifying. Saturday got off to the best possible start for reigning champion Mastronardi on the Catalan track, claiming pole position at the end of the 15-minute qualifying session, while Japanese driver Abe set the fourth fastest class lap time
The race. The clash between Mastronardi's 488 GT3 Evo 2020 and Leutwiler's Porsche began from the very start of the race. The two crews produced a head-to-head which set the race alight over lengthy periods, yet despite repeated attempts at overtaking, the incumbent champion was eventually forced to settle for second place. Third place went to the AF Corse Ferrari which, in the closing stages, hounded their fellow brand-mates in a bid for second place thanks to a gung-ho Matteo Cressoni who had taken over from team-mate Abe.
Next round. The second round of the Le Mans Cup is set to take place on June 5 at the French Le Castellet circuit.