Ferrari second in Race 1 of Road to Le Mans

Thursday marked the first race of the Road to Le Mans, round three of the Le Mans Cup championship. This special event, held on the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe during the week of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, celebrated its tenth edition, an anniversary also acknowledged by the organisers with a dedicated logo. The number 51 Ferrari 296 GT3 of AF Corse, piloted by Alessandro Cozzi and Eliseo Donno, secured the runner-up position in the GT3 class in Race 1 of the Road to Le Mans.

The race kicked off at 6.25 p.m. in 28°C conditions, with the AF Corse Ferraris numbers 51 and 52 starting from the front row. Alessandro Cozzi and Vincent Abril took the wheel for the opening stint. As the morning’s qualifying session was disrupted by three red flags, preventing any driver from setting a valid lap time, the results from Free Practice 1 determined the starting grid, 

Despite their front-row start, the two Ferraris were unable to maintain their positions and were overtaken after a couple of laps. After the driver change, the number 51 car, now with Eliseo Donno at the wheel, mounted an impressive comeback, securing second place on the final lap. The number 17 Kessel Racing Ferrari, driven by Andrea Belicchi and Lorenzo Ferdinando Innocenti, finished just off the podium in fourth place. The number 23 Ferrari of Biogas Motorsport, with Spanish drivers Josep Mayola Comadira and Marc Carol Ibarra, crossed the line in eighth. The number 55 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by Christoph Ulrich and Leonardo Colavita, finished in tenth, ahead of the sister car from the Piacenza-based team, crewed by Laurent De Meeus and Vincent Abril. 

The number 21 AF Corse entry of Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo finished in 12th place after being delayed by a drive-through penalty for an incorrect manoeuvre during the Safety Car period.

Unfortunately, the second Kessel Racing car, the number 33 featuring David Fumanelli and Murat Ruhi Çuhadaroğlu, was unable to participate in the race due to damage incurred during the morning’s qualifying session.

The Road to Le Mans returns to the track on Saturday, 14 June, with Race 2 set to start at 10:05 a.m.