Final day of the Imola Classic, concluding a trio of events (WEC and ELMS) at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Circuit, which has embraced both the past and present of the endurance racing world. On the schedule were the final races, featuring the Classic Touring Challenge, Endurance Racing Legends 1 and 2, Gentlemen Challenge, 2.0L Cup, Heritage Touring Cup, and Classic Endurance Racing 1 and 2 categories on track.
The anticipated battle for victory in Classic Endurance Racing 1 came to an end 10 minutes before the finish. After leading the race for more than half the distance, Jan Magnussen and Chris Ward (Lola T70 Mk. 3B) found themselves chasing from behind, but a technical issue halted their comeback and forced them to retire. Victory went to Armand Mille (Lola T70 Mk. 3B), who, with a 16-second lead, would have been difficult to beat regardless. Second place thus went to Charlie Hyett (Chevron B19), while third was claimed by Rory Jack (also in a Chevron B19), who benefited from a penalty given to Kyle Tilley (Lola T210) for failing to comply with the pit-stop window.
A one-lap penalty for missing the designated pit-stop window cost Yves Scemama (TOJ SC 304) a clear victory in Classic Endurance Racing 2, dropping him down to eighth place. The winner was Nick Padmore (Lola T292), who finished ahead of Charlie Hyett (Chevron B31) and Emile Breittmayer (Porsche 935 K3).
The duel that ignited Race 1 of the Endurance Racing Legends 1 did not reoccur in Sunday’s race. On the third lap, Jamie Constable (Zytek 04S) spun out following contact with Emmanuel Collard’s Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive. After recovering, his comeback ended in second place, handing an easy victory to Christian Albrecht (MG EX257), who thus earned a well-deserved repeat win following Saturday’s success. The third step of the podium went to Mike Newton (MG EX264), who held off Collard’s late charge.
Out due to a technical issue was Marco Zanasi (Ferrari F430 Evo), the winner of Saturday’s Endurance Racing Legends 2 race and leader on Sunday. This made it relatively easy for Philip Kadoorie (Ferrari F430) to claim victory, despite a late Safety Car period that reshuffled the order—but only for the remaining podium positions. Those positions were taken by Sebastian Glaser (Porsche 993 Evo) in second and Jean-Marc Merlin (Porsche 997 RSR) in third.
Victory went to Sebastian Glaser (BMW 3.0 CSL) in the Heritage Touring Cup. Starting from third on the grid, he quickly took the lead, managing every situation with great confidence and never giving Maxime Guenat (Ford Capri RS 3100) a chance to close in, who had to settle for second place. The third step of the podium went to Guillaume Mahe (BMW 3.0 CSL), who had secured pole position.
The forecast held true in the Classic Touring Challenge. Nigel Greensall (Ford Mustang 289) claimed a commanding victory, quickly pulling away from the pack just a few laps after the start. Seb Perez (Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA) took second place on the podium, while Frank Stippler (Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA) secured third, benefiting from Kyle Tilley’s retirement (Ford Cortina Lotus) two laps from the finish.
Three spins and a pit-stop irregularity prevented Dr. Afschin Fatemi (Tojeiro EE) from securing victory in Gentlemen Challenge Race 2, despite leading by a comfortable margin after just a few laps. In the end, he had to settle for third place on the podium, leaving the battle for victory between Frederic Wakeman (Cooper T38) and Nigel Greensall (Lister Costin Jaguar) on the final lap. Under pressure from Greensall, Wakeman made a mistake, handing the way to his rival.
An exciting two-way battle for victory unfolded in the 2L Cup featuring the Porsche 2.0L cars. The win went to Oliver Bryant, who made the decisive overtaking move on the final lap against Seb Perez. A solitary third place went to David Danglard.
