Weekend notebook: class win at 12 Hours of Mugello

A fifth place overall and first in the Pro-Am class for the 296 GT3 number 8 of Boem by Kessel Racing was the standout result among the three Ferraris competing at Mugello in the first European round of the 24H Series. The Boem by Kessel Racing car also secured overall pole position, something a Ferrari had not accomplished in the endurance series since 2017. Over the weekend, the Fuji circuit in Japan hosted Super GT tests featuring two Ferrari 296 GT3s, including the Ponos Racing team car driven by official driver Lilou Wadoux. 

24H Series. The 12 Hours of Mugello, the first European round of the 24H Series, whose season kicked off in the Middle East in January, unfolded in two legs of six and a half and five and a half hours, respectively, on Saturday, 23 March, and Sunday, 24 March.

Over the two days, the 296 GT3 of Boem by Kessel Racing secured the best result for the Prancing Horse, finishing fifth overall and first in the Pro-Am class. The car, crewed by L.M.D.V, Alessandro Cutrera, Marco Talarico, Marco Frezza and David Fumanelli, started from pole, thanks to Fumanelli’s lap time of 1’47”912 set in Q3. After finishing the race’s first leg in sixth place overall, the Italian quartet made up one position in the second leg held on Sunday and, after 320 laps, took the top step on the Pro-Am class podium.

In Tuscany, Pellin Racing finished 17th with the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 29, driven by Lisa Clark, Kyle Marcelli, and Jeff Westphal. The other 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in the race, Kessel Racing’s number 5, secured 21st place overall and fifth in the Am class. The car had set off from seventh on the grid, courtesy of a time of 1’48”405 by Felice Jelmini, who shared the wheel with brothers Alexandre and Mikaël Bochez and Murat Cuhadaroglu.

The championship will be back in the spotlight on 19 April with the 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

Super GT. The Fuji International Speedway hosted two days of testing for the championship that will feature two Ferrari 296 GT3s in the GT300 class: the number 45 of the Ponos team, driven by Kei Cozzolino and Lilou Wadoux, and the number 6 of Velorex with Yoshiaki Katayama and Roberto Merhi Muntan.

The Ponos Racing car was involved in an accident on Saturday, 23 March, from which Wadoux emerged unscathed, causing the team to end their testing prematurely. The 296 GT3 number 45 therefore returned to the track on Sunday, with both drivers clocking impressive times. Merhi Muntan and Katayama also performed well, turning in the second-best time during the first session and in Qualifying 1.

The season’s opening race is on 13-14 April at the Okayama circuit (Super GT pictures, copyright: GTA).