ELMS @ 4 Hours of Imola 2022: LMP Race
LMP2 Race
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
From the start Lorenzo Colombo with #9 Prema took off in front of pole-sitter François Perrodo with AF Corse #88.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
After three laps, Perrodo with AF Corse #88 was dropping into fourth.
Colombo built enough of a gap to suffer a drive-through penalty for failing to follow starting procedure while the pursuers refueled and stayed ahead of the race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
In lap 5, #22 United Autosport was taking over #88 AF Corse.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
After one hour race, a safety car enabled Colombo to pit without losing too much time but he had to serve a penalty for crossing the white line at pit exit, losing the lead. The new ranking was: #37 Cool Racing, #65 Panis Racing, #22 United Autosport, AF Corse #88, #9 Prema, #28 IDEC Sport.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
At mid-race #37 Cool Racing was leading in front of #65 Panis Racing, #22 United Autosport, #9 Prema, #28 IDEC Sport.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
After 3 hours #19 Algarve Pro Racing driven by Sophia Flörsch and Bent Viscaal climbed from P9 to P4. #65 Panis Racing, #37 Cool Racing, #9 Prema were still in front of the race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
But once again, a new FCY enabled both Deletraz’s #9 Prema and Gamble’s #22 United Autosport to make their final pit stop taking the lead in front of Ye’s #37 Cool Racing and #65 Panis Racing.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
As Louis Deletraz would recognise later at the press conference, they had some luck to win this race even though being the fastest. A second victory in a row in the European Le Mans Series for him and his teammates Ferdinand Habsburg and Lorenzo Colombo (setting the fastest lap of the race) with their #9 Prema.
LMP3 Race
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
Tamburello was very hot between both DKR engineering #4 and Inter Europol Competition #14 while pole-sitting Cool Racing #17 took a few lengths in front.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
After 3 laps, Inter Europol Competition #14 was taking off before Cool Racing #17 and DKR engineering #4.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
As always in LMP3, the battle in the peloton was very tight.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Imola May 2022
Andrew Bentley and Kay van Berlo emerged as winners of the class with their #3 United Autosport Ligier.
