The Ferrari 296 GT3 number 12 wins Race-1 of the Road To Le Mans

It was Kessel Racing’s number 12 Ferrari 296 GT3 with Frederic Jousset and David Fumanelli that claimed the win in the first Road To Le Mans race at the Circuit du Sarthe. The car from the Maranello-based manufacturer managed to prevail in the GT3 class despite finishing fourth overall. The stewards subsequently handed penalties to the first three finishers, elevating the Swiss team's drivers to the top step of the podium. Third place went to the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 88 of AF Corse driven by Riccardo Agostini and Custodio Toledo.

The race was prematurely halted with a red flag after 42 minutes due to an incident involving an LMP3 car, as well as being marked by a start under Full Course Yellow conditions that lasted nearly ten minutes. At the green flag, the top three positions were occupied by three Ferrari 296 GT3s: that of Fumanelli, which had set the second-fastest qualifying time, followed by Matthew Kurzejewski in the number 55 and Toledo in the number 88.

After 15 minutes, the race was again neutralized by the deployment of the Safety Car to allow for the removal of a car that had ended up in a dangerous position. During this period, while running thirteenth, the number 82 car pitted ahead of the rest of the field for a driver change. By the end of a flurry of pit stops, Collard, who had taken over from teammate Charles-Henri Samani, found himself first overall. At the subsequent restart, Collard was overtaken by an LMP3 car, and shortly afterwards the stewards decided to unfurl the red flag, bringing the race to an early end after an accident that caused serious damage to the side barriers. A few minutes after the end of the race, however, the Ferrari 82 and the other two GT3 cars were penalised for not complying with the regulations during the driver change, thus handing victory to the Jousset-Fumanelli pairing. Joining them on the podium, in third place, were Agostini-Toledo. Fourth place went to Balzan-Kurzejewski in the number 51 AF Corse entry.

The Road To Le Mans cars will return to the track again on Saturday, June 15 at 10:35 a.m to contest Race-2, where the Ferrari 296 GT3 of Jousset-Fumanelli will start from pole position.