Podium reward after challenging weekend at Imola

Proton Competition emerged from a challenging weekend at the 4 Hours of Imola (6 July) with a hard-fought podium finish. In a European Le Mans Series race marked by numerous incidents and unpredictable rain, strategy and tyre choice proved more critical than ever.

Saturday’s qualifying session offered an early sign that the #77 Oreca 07, driven by Giorgio Roda, René Binder and Bent Viscaal, would be a strong contender for LMP2 Pro/Am honours in Emilia-Romagna. Roda delivered a stunning lap in challenging conditions, securing pole position with a margin of nearly three seconds over the next-fastest car.

The strong performance carried over into race day, as the #77 crew stayed out of trouble and skillfully managed multiple full course yellows, safety car periods and a red flag. Roda’s solid opening stint laid the groundwork, with Binder and Viscaal maintaining the momentum to bring the car home in second place.

Roda’s standout performance didn’t go unnoticed by the ELMS fan community, who voted him the winner of the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for the best driver of the weekend in the LMP2 Pro/Am class.

“It was a great race, but also a tough one,” said Roda after the race. “After leading in the opening stint, the weather made things tricky. We opted to stick with slick tyres and that proved to be the optimum strategy. I’m really happy with second place in my home race, and it’s a great honour to pick up the Goodyear Wingfoot Award too.”

Proton Competition’s two other entries narrowly missed out on podium finishes, with the #9 Oreca 07 crossing the line in fourth and the #60 Porsche 911 GT3 R finishing fifth in class. Jonas Ried, Matteo Cairoli and Macéo Capietto made a strong start in the #9 and remained firmly in the hunt for a podium throughout the race, but a late penalty ultimately dashed their hopes of a top-three result overall.

It was a similar story in LMGT3 for the trio in the #60 car, who steered clear of the accidents and incidents that plagued many of their class rivals early in the race. After Christian Ried handed over to Matteo Cressoni, the Italian took command, leading for substantial stretches during his stint. Alessio Picariello took the wheel for the final push and gave it everything, but fell just short of securing a podium finish.

The European Le Mans Series reconvenes on the weekend of 22 to 24 August for round four of the season at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Proton Competition are back in action in just one week’s time (11 to 13 July) with the next round on the FIA World Endurance Championship in at Interlagos in Brazil.

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Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)