The second seasonal round of the ACI Racing Weekend wrapped up at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Circuit. The final six races of the weekend took place, featuring the Italian GT Sprint, Italian Sport Prototypes, and Italian Historic Circuit Racing Championships, along with the Porsche Carrera Cup and the Topjet Formula 2000.
Unchallenged dominance by Sandy Mitchell – Andrea Frassineti (Lamborghini Huracán) in the Italian GT Sprint GT3 Championship. Starting from pole position, the Scottish driver immediately set a blistering pace, allowing him to reach the driver change with a comfortable margin. Frassineti finished the job, crossing the line with nearly an 11-second advantage. A great day for Lamborghini, which placed another of its crews in second, with Loris Spinelli and Franck Perera securing a second place that was never in doubt. The third step on the podium went to the BMW M4 driven by Jens Klingmann and Jesse Krohn, ahead of the Ferrari 296 piloted by Lorenzo Ferrari – Mahaveer Raghunathan.
Undisputed victory for Marco Zanasi and Andrea Belicchi (Ferrari 296) in the Italian GT Sprint GT Cup Championship. The race was dominated from start to finish, with no rival able to challenge their path to victory, despite a Safety Car three laps from the end that could have thrown the result into question. Second place went to the Lamborghini Huracán driven by Jean-Luc D’Auria and Giuseppe Forenzi, while third place was claimed by Lorenzo Pegoraro – Filippo Croccolino (Ferrari 296), winners of Race 1.
Twist in Race 2 of the Italian Sport Prototypes Championship. Following a clash with Victor Ionescu in the early stages, Simone Bianco, the championship leader and Saturday’s race winner, was forced to return to the pits, losing any chance of victory. Giacomo Maman took advantage, overtaking Alberto Fulgori and crossing the finish line first. The Safety Car period reopened the fight for second place, with Ionescu managing to get the better of Fulgori.
Expectations met in the Italian Historic Circuit Racing Championship. The pole-sitters, Massimo Ronconi – Giovanni Gulinelli (Porsche 935), claimed a comfortable victory, with Giovanni Ambroso – Denny Zardo (BMW 323i) in second, and Luciano Tarabini (Porsche 911 RS) taking the third step on the podium.
Marvin Klein takes a double victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italy. In this Race 2, the Frenchman skillfully took advantage of a Safety Car restart, overtaking race leader South African Keagan Masters and then defending his position with determination in the intense finale. Behind him, German driver Alexander Tauscher took second place, while Italian Francesco Braschi claimed the third step on the podium.
An exciting duel also marked Race 2 of the Topjet Formula 2000. Once again, the protagonists were Hungarian Benjamin Berta and Swiss Sandro Zeller. A duel full of overtakes and counter-overtakes ultimately rewarded Zeller, who made the decisive move three laps from the finish, repeating his Saturday race victory. Italian driver Andrea Benalli once again claimed the third step on the podium.
Pietro Benvenuti (Direttore Generale Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari): “With the second round of the ACI Racing Weekend, an extraordinary racing season comes to a close for the Imola Circuit, which has hosted top-level events such as Formula 1, WEC, ELMS, CIV, and the ACI Racing Weekend. It has been a year full of excitement and successes, once again confirming our track’s ability to host competitions of both international and national caliber, always delivering thrilling action, safety, and strong audience engagement. A heartfelt thanks goes to everyone who contributed to the flawless execution of this season: the marshals, medical and paramedical staff, law enforcement, service and security personnel, and of course, the entire Formula Imola team. Without their dedication and professionalism, reaching such important milestones would not be possible.”
