15 May 2016
Imola, 15 May 2016 – A podium finish and a pole position, that were for Ferrari the highlights of the first absolute race of the brand news GT3 Le Mans Cup. Turkey’s Salih Yoluc and Britain’s Euan Hankey won the race starting on the TF Sport Aston Martin starting from 3rd on the grid but taking the lead in the first corner after the no. 88 Mentos Racing Porsche of Egidion Perfetti collided with the pole position holder Luigi Lucchini in the no. 7 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 458 Italia, spinning both cars off the track.
Partial recovery. The Ferrari rejoined after a trip to the pits and eventually Matteo Cressoni finished in 6th place. Yoluc pulled away from the chasing pack, led by Japan’s Hiroshi Hamaguchi in the no. 55 FFF Racing Team by ACM McLaren, before handing over to Hankey who drove the car to the chequered flag. The no. 26 Classic and Modern Racing Ferrari F458 Italia GT3 finished on the podium after Matthieu Vaxiviere, who took over the car from fellow French driver Nicolas Misslin, finished 3.6s ahead of the charging Francesco Castellacci in the no. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488, the Italian setting the fastest lap of the race while trying to close down a 25 second gap when he took over the driving duties from Thomas Flohr.
Next round. Round 2 of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup will be held at Le Mans on the 18th June on the full circuit on the morning of the world’s most famous motorsport event.