Imperiale Racing on track at Magny Cours for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup and at Mugello for the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint

22.08.2024 – After the summer break, it is on the French circuit of Magny Cours and the Tuscan circuit of Mugello that Imperiale Racing will restart its track engagement. On the Burgundy circuit will be staged the third round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup, while in Tuscany it will be the turn of the third round of the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint.

At Magny Cours, the Mirandola-based team will line up a Lamborghini Huracàn GT3 EVO2 entrusted to Ugo de Wilde (BEL) and Dmitry Gvazava (KGZ), who will compete in the Bronze category. The crew of the #85 Lamborghini has had an excellent start to the championship: at Misano, in the first race of the season, the two had managed to finish second in race one, while the second race had rewarded them with third place in class after a long battle on the track with many of their rivals. The Hockenheim race had also confirmed their speed: having come close to a podium finish in the first race of the weekend, the second race would have rewarded them with third place before a penalty caused them to drop out of the running.

Five weeks on from the last time the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup had been out on track, the Magny Cours weekend features more than nine hours of on-track action between testing, free practice, qualifying and racing. In particular, race one on Saturday will be staged at night: after Misano, this will be the second in the series to be run after the sun goes down.

The Magny Cours circuit has hosted eighteen editions of the French Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Moto GP in 1992. At 4,411 metres long, it is characterised by the fast section leading from the start line to the Adelaide hairpin via the Grande Courbe, Estoril and Golf straight. The slower section includes three hairpins, intersected by the Nürburgring and Imola chicanes: the sharp right-hand turn that leads to the last chicane is the Complexe du Lycée.

The Mugello International Circuit, on the other hand, will welcome two Lamborghini Huracàn GT3 EVO2s from Imperiale Racing. The #85 will be driven by Philippe Denes (USA) and Jack Bartholomew (UK), while the #54 will compete in the PRO-AM class with Robin Rogalski (POL) and Giuseppe Fascicolo (IT).

Denes and Bartholomew’s season did not start with too much luck: in the opening Misano race the two had managed to take third place in race one before a penalty after the race knocked them off the podium. The trend was the same at Imola: despite dominating race one, a post-race disqualification had ruined their on-track performance. Race two, however, rewarded the efforts of the drivers and the team, with the #85 winning its first race of the season. The #54 Lamborghini was consistent, always managing to finish in the points.

The Mugello International Circuit is recognised by many as one of the most fascinating tracks in Europe. Its 5,245 metres unfold along a continuous up and downhill stretch, characterised by turns that are always very fast and often blind. The wide and flowing turns favour a very high speed, where it becomes essential to avoid the slightest mistake. The track hosted the Italian MotoGP round and in 2020 welcomed Formula 1 in the only Tuscan Grand Prix run in history.

Elena Pignatti (Team Owner):
‘In the first two rounds of the season we have shown the value of our team and our crew: Ugo and Dmitry have already collected two podiums since the start of the season, coming close to as many at the weekend in Hockenheim. It is very positive to be back on track after a five-week break: all of us have recharged our batteries and are ready to give our best again!

Also the return to racing in the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint gives us a lot of energy. In this start of the season we have always shown great speed, but a bit of bad luck has often prevented us from getting the results we deserved. We have shown that we can fight on equal terms with all our rivals: we want to do it again at Mugello!’.

Weekend programme – Magny Cours
Thursday 22 August > Testing 1:20 pm
Friday 23 August > Free Practice 1:10pm; Pre-Qualifying 8:25pm
Saturday 24 August > Qualifying 2:25pm; Race One 8:15pm
Sunday 25 August > Qualifying 9:10am; Race Two 2:45pm

Where to watch the race – Magny Cours
https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com/watch-live
https://www.youtube.com/@GTWorld
Sky Sport Max (channel 205) and Sky Sport Arena (channel 204)

Standings Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup – Bronze Class | Round 2 of 4
1. Harper-Leung pti. 52,5
2. Hui-Cheever pti. 41
3. Collard-Mitchell pti. 36
4. De Wilde-Gvazava pti. 31
5. Mukovoz-Pereira pti. 26

Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup 2024 Calendar
Round 1: 17-19 May > Misano
Round 2: 19-21 July > Hockenheim
Round 3: 23-25 August > Magny-Cours
Round 4: 11-13 October > Barcelona

Weekend programme – Mugello
Friday 23 August > Free Practice 10:55am; Free Practice 5:00pm
Saturday 24 August > Qualifying 9:20am; Qualifying 9:45am; Race one 3:10pm
Sunday 25 August > Race Two 2:40pm

Where to follow the race – Mugello
ACI Sport TV (Channel 228 SKY)
facebook.com/cigranturismo
www.acisport.it/CIGT
www.motorsport.tv
facebook.com/imperialeracingofficial
facebook.com/acisporttv

Drivers’ classification Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint | Round 2 of 4
1. Michelotto-Stadsbader pti. 50
2. Delli Guanti-Mazzola pti. 41
3. Kligmann pti. 35
4. Cazzaniga-Di Folco pti. 34
5. Denes-Bartholomew pti. 32

Drivers’ classification PRO-AM Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint | Round 2 of 4
1. Ebrahim-Malvestiti pti. 65
2. Fabi-Moulin pti. 47
3. Berto-Jelmini pti. 34
4. Blattner-Marschall pti. 32
5. Coluccio-Postiglione pti. 30
13. Fascicolo-Rogalski pti. 14

Calendar Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Sprint 2024
3-5 May > Misano
31 May-2 June > Imola
23-25 August > Mugello
4-6 October > Monza