ELMS - Prema Racing takes home win in topsy-turvy 4 Hours of Imola

The win for the no9 Oreca didn’t come easily after two early penalties for a jump start and then crossing the pit exit line pushed Lorenzo Columbo down the order. However, a quick pitstop under Full Course Yellow put the Italian team back at the front.

Another penalty for Ferdinand Habsburg dropped the car back down the order again and a top five finish was on the cards before another fortuitous Full Course Yellow with 25 minutes to go put Louis Deletraz back to the front of the field following a quick pitstop.

The LMP2 podium was completed by the no37 Cool Racing Oreca, with Yifei Ye, who had been looking good for the victory prior to the FCY, finished just ahead of the no65 Panis Racing Oreca of Job Van Uitert.

The no34 Racing Team Turkey Oreca was the top LMP2 Pro-Am car for the second time in a row, with Jack Aitken crossing the line in 7thoverall, three places ahead of Mathias Beche in the no31 TDS Racing X Vaillante Oreca, which finished 2ndin Pro/Am after starting the race from the pitlane.

The LMP3 win went to the no3 United Autosports Ligier with Kay Van Berlo finishing well ahead of the two Cool Racing Ligiers, with the no27 Ligier of Antoine Doquin finishing ahead of the no17 Ligier of his Danish teammate Malthe Jakobsen.

The no14 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Mateusz Kaprzyk was lying in second place but with just six minutes left on the clock, the Polish driver ended up in the gravel at Turn 3, promoting the two Cool Racing Ligiers that were behind him at the time.

History was made in the LMGTE Category with the first win for an Omani flagged team in ELMS history. The no69 Oman Racing with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage of Marco Sorensen took the chequered flag after the car, which had been started by Ahmad Al Harthy, lead for almost the entire race distance.

It was a 1-2 for the team with the no95 Oman Racing with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR finishing second after Henrique Chaves took the flag nearly a minute behind his teammate.

The final podium position was filled by the no57 Kessel Racing Ferrari F488 GTE EVO, with Mikkel Jensen crossing the line a distant third behind the two Aston Martins.