Weekend preview: CIGT Sprint titles awarded at Imola

The Imola circuit hosts the final round of the Italian Gran Turismo Sprint Championship, with the Ferraris targeting the title or at least a place on the final podium. The Maranello manufacturer’s cars are set for another competitive weekend in the Ultimate Cup Series at Magny Cours, France.

CIGT. The Italian Gran Turismo Sprint Championship season closes this weekend with the awarding of eight Italian titles. With 40 points still up for grabs in the main class, AF Corse’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 52, with Jean-Luc D’Auria and Stuart White, is effectively out of the running in fourth place, 39 points behind the leaders.

Four crews will vie for the crown in the GT3 Pro-Am, including Jules Castro and Luka Nurmi in the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 51 of AF Corse, which has a 12-point lead over its closest pursuer.

In the GT3 Am, Best Lap’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 will also be on the grid, with Luigi Coluccio and Rocco Mazzola alternating at the steering wheel, while Easy Race’s Ferrari 296 GT3 will make its series debut with Thomas Biagi and Riccardo Ponzio in the GT3 Pro class.

In the GT Cup, open to single-marque cars, Leonardo Colavita will contend for the Pro-Am class title in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 199 of Double TT Racing. He currently sits just one point off the top and will be joined for the occasion by Giorgio Maggi. In the GT Cup Am, Vincenzo Scarpetta in the AF Corse Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 290 holds a 10-point lead at the top of the standings. The entry list also includes the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo of Easy Race crewed by Del Col-Pierantoni.

The last weekend of the season at Imola will open on Friday with two free practice sessions followed on Saturday by two qualifying sessions, from 10.50 to 11.40 a.m., which will decide the starting grid for the two 50-minute plus one-lap races, scheduled for Saturday at 4.20 p.m. and Sunday at 2.20 p.m.

Ultimate Cup Series. Round five of the Ultimate Cup Series heads to Magny Cours for the penultimate leg of the season. Jean Bernard Bouvet, Jean-Paul Pagny and David Hallyday in Visiom’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 1 will line up for the four-hour Endurance GT race, leading in the standings on 112.5 points. Entrants for the French round in the UGT3B class include the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 74 of XP Racing with Karl Pedraza, Philippe Papin and Xavier Pompidou.

Francesco Atzori will start in the three-race Sprint GT Touring Challenge in the UGT3B class. He tops the ranking with 248 points, four more than his teammate Edoardo Barbolini, with whom he shares the steering wheel of the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 33. Patrick Michellier and Alexis Berthet in CMR’s Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 73 will compete in the same class. The UGT3B entry list includes the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 91 of Racing Spirit of Léman with Frédéric Lacore.

The programme at Magny Cours kicks off on Friday with free practice in the morning, followed in the afternoon by qualifying and Race-1 of the Sprint GT at 8.10 p.m. Race-2, and Race-3 will run on Saturday from 8.45 to 9.10 a.m. and from 3.15 to 4.05 p.m. respectively. After qualifying on Saturday afternoon, the Endurance GT will comprise a four-hour race with a green flag at 9.50 a.m. on Sunday.