Ferrari 296 LMGT3s at Imola for the Italian FIA WEC race

Imola’s Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is the venue for the second round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, featuring two Ferrari 296 LMGT3s in the only class reserved for series-derived cars. The Vista AF Corse team, following the season opener in Qatar, returns to the limelight in Italy with the 296 LMGT3 number 54, driven by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Prancing Horse official driver Davide Rigon, and the number 55, shared by François Heriau, Simon Mann and official driver Alessio Rovera. The 6 Hours of Imola race gets underway on Sunday, 21 April at 1 p.m. (local time).

The round. Following their fifth- and seventh-place finishes at the 1812 km of Qatar, crews number 54 and 55 respectively from the Vista AF Corse team are ready to showcase the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 in front of the Italian tifosi, as they seek to amass more crucial points for the Team and Driver rankings in the FIA Endurance Trophy.

The history. For the first time the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari – inaugurated in 1953 and renamed in 1988 in honour of the founder of the Maranello-based manufacturer following his passing – will host an FIA WEC race. The track, which measures 4.909 kilometres and includes 21 corners – twelve left turns and nine right – is the venue for the first round on European soil of a championship calendar that, in total, includes eight rounds this year.

The programme. On Friday, 19 April the cars will take part in two 90-minute free practice sessions, starting at 12 noon and 5.15 p.m. Saturday 20 will see a third practice session, scheduled from 11.10 a.m. to 12.10 p.m., followed by the LMGT3 class qualifying sessions from 2.45 p.m.: the best ten crews will access the Hyperpole (from 3.25 p.m. to 3.35 p.m.) to establish the first five rows of the starting grid. The race starts on Sunday the 21st, at 1 p.m. (times indicated are local).

Davide Rigon, 296 LMGT3 #54: “After our debut in Qatar, we’ve prepared as best we can ahead of the Italian leg of the World Endurance Championship. I hope that our crew can be competitive, and I think we’ll start to discover our performance levels on the track right from the first free practice sessions on Friday. I’m expecting lots of fans supporting Ferrari in the stands, in both the LMGT3 and Hypercar classes: we’d like to give all of them a memorable weekend. The track? Imola is an ‘old-school’ track, with the gravel and the grass demarcating the asphalt. That makes the track limits impossible and you need impeccable, flawless driving to get a good result”.

Alessio Rovera, 296 LMGT3 #55: “I can’t wait to compete at Imola, more than a month and a half after the first round in Qatar. In Italy I’m expecting a similar race to Lusail in certain regards, with the Ferrari 296 LMGT3s proving to be competitive. Our aim is to climb the podium, while our dream is to reward our fans with a victory. On a personal level, I really like the Imola track: I’ve competed there a lot in the past, in the various Italian categories, so I know the circuit well, and I’m sure that the 6 Hours of Imola will be a real spectacle.”