Fifth place at Imola for 296 LMGT3

The second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship, held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, concluded with a fifth-place finish for the top-performing Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 – car number 54, crewed by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci and Ferrari official driver Davide Rigon. After contesting the top positions, the sister car, number 21, driven by François Heriau, Simon Mann and fellow Ferrari official driver Alessio Rovera, was forced to retire when a contact sent it into the barriers.

Heriau made a brilliant start from fourth on the grid at lights out, immediately moving into second and maintaining that position throughout the opening stint. The Frenchman even snatched the lead with a bold move, braking into turn one before serving a five-second penalty for a starting procedure infringement. Simon Mann took over in fourth place and battled back into podium contention, briefly taking the lead thanks to a different pit strategy. However, just over two hours from the finish, car number 21 was struck at Rivazza 2 by the number 46 BMW – which later received a Stop & Go penalty – and was sent into the barriers. The crew resumed the race three laps later but ultimately had to retire.

The number 54 car faced a more challenging start. Thomas Flohr lost ground in the opening laps, dropping out of the points zone. Francesco Castellacci recovered to bring the car back into the top ten by the fourth hour before handing it over to Davide Rigon. The Ferrari official driver executed several overtakes to climb through the field and finish fifth, one lap behind the race-winning car. In the championship standings, the number 54 crew now sits eighth with 16 points, while car number 21 is in tenth with 15.

The FIA WEC returns to the track from 8 to 10 May at Spa-Francorchamps for the next six-hour race.