Imola Friday Notebook

***Hugo Valente set the pace in the 60-minute Bronze test on Friday afternoon. The French driver clocked in a time of 1:41.739 behind the wheel of the No. 11 Tresor by Car Collection Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, which is competing in the Silver Cup class. Results

***Valente was one of seven Silver drivers handed dispensation to take part in the Bronze test, as a competitor who had never previously driven around Imola, either in race conditions or in a private or official test session.

***Jonathan Hui was the top Bronze driver and second-fastest overall in the Sky-Tempesta Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, 0.262 seconds behind Valente. Jens Liebhauer took third for Winward Racing, in a session that took place in dry but windy conditions.

***Inception Racing missed the Bronze test as it spent Thursday repairing its McLaren 720S GT3 following an accident for Brendan Iribe during Wednesday’s paid test. According to team manager Bas Leinders, Iribe spun on the grass and into the barriers upon entry to Tamburello, in avoidance of a braking car.

***Inception’s No. 7 McLaren chassis has not been replaced but Leinders reported to Sportscar365 that “quite some work” has been needed on the right-rear corner.

***Iribe missed the 6 p.m. drivers’ briefing but Leinders stated this was not an outcome of the accident, with the American sitting the meeting out due to business commitments.

***SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stephane Ratel addressed the GTWC Europe drivers at the start of the briefing and extended a warm welcome to Valentino Rossi ahead of the motorcycle racing champion’s first full season in GTWC Europe.

***Ratel thanked Rossi for choosing GTWC Europe in the year after his MotoGP retirement: “Your contribution to this platform is amazing: the effect on spectators, TV and coverage is unbelievable. I personally, and I think everybody does, wish you a fantastic season.”

***The exits of Turn 9 and Turn 15 have been identified as track limits hot spots, with drivers informed that any left wheels falling outside the red-painted curb will be considered a breach.

***According to race director Alain Adam, the GPS-based 3DTK track limits system is only being used by 21 cars this weekend after it was trialed at several GTWC Europe events last year. Adam said that the new system is “not fully ready due to some bits and pieces” that need to be sorted. Track limits penalties will only be handed out based on marshal observations. SRO has appointed a ‘deputy racing director in charge of track limits control’. The system included small orange boxes on each car’s roof.

***Adam also stressed that lapped cars are to respect blue flag warnings, addressing an issue that arose at some of the races last season. He told the drivers that he now has the possibility to send in-car blue flag warnings from race control.

***The minimum refueling time has been set at 40 seconds for each ‘mandatory’ pit stop during the 3 Hours of Imola. A mandatory pit stop consists of fuel, tires and a driver change.

***13 cars are on the entry list for the opening round of season two for the Fanatec GT2 European Series. Six Audi R8 LMS GT2s, three KTM X-Bow GT2s, a pair of Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsports and single Lamborghini and Brabham entries make up the field.

***SRO boss Ratel is not competing in the GT2 European Series this weekend. The formula’s creator contested a full season last year driving an LP Racing Audi.

***Ian Loggie will be the designated Bronze-rated driver in Team GB’s lineup for the FIA Motorsport Games, according to Sky-Tempesta Racing’s Chris Froggatt. The remaining driver positions are yet to be determined, with Froggatt saying that he could either partner Loggie in the two-driver Pro-Am race or move up to the single-driver Pro field, depending on how the grid shapes up and how he adapts to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo this year.

***The new Pirelli P Zero DHF tire, which is making its global debut this weekend, is expected to produce much faster qualifying times than its DHE predecessor which was used at Imola in 2020. “If the temperature remains like this, the engines will be better, so probably one second or more faster,” Pirelli racing manager Matteo Braga told Sportscar365 on Friday.

***The best 2020 qualifying time was a 1:41.213 set by Frederic Vervisch in an Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo. The fastest lap of this week’s track action has been a 1:40.816 from Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed driver Steijn Schothorst during paid testing.

***JP Motorsport driver Christian Klien is hoping to avenge the disappointment of his last visit to Imola in 2014, when his Newblood by Morand Racing Morgan LMP2 broke down in the final laps of a European Le Mans Series race. Klien is gearing up for his first full Endurance Cup season since 2018 with Emil Frey Lexus Racing.

***JP Motorsport has hired some former FFF Racing Team GT3 engineers to bolster its two-car McLaren program, the team’s largest commitment to a series since its 2020 inception. FFF team principal Andrea Caldarelli is in the Imola paddock despite his organization being absent from the GTWC Europe grid. Caldarelli is overseeing FFF’s increased four-car entry in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe.

***Reigning Super Trofeo Europe champion Oregon Team withdrew its Pro entry from the support series season-opener after Luciano Tarabini crashed at Tosa during Free Practice 1, writing off the chassis.

***AF Corse driver Stefano Constantini was dealt a hefty €1150 ($1271 US) fine for exceeding the 50 km/h pit lane speed limit by 22.8 km/h (approx. 14 mph) during the Bronze test.

***CMR is considering an additional entry for the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa with a vehicle from a different manufacturer, other than the Bentley Continental GT3 that it runs full-time in Endurance Cup. Team principal Charly Bourachot said it’s “a little bit early” to go into details, but the French squad is starting to prepare for the future.

“We have kept the Bentley because I really like this car,” Bourachot told Sportscar365. “But for sure it’s not a car for the future. Now we have to think about the next one.”

***Bourachot added that CMR anticipates being able to perform driver changes with paraplegic racer Nigel Bailly within the 40-second minimum refuel time. Bailly is controlling the Bentley’s throttle with a paddle on the steering wheel and applying the brake using a push-function hand lever. The hand-control system has been developed by CMR.

***JOTA marked April Fool’s Day by announcing a ‘spider’ version of its McLaren 720S GT3 for an additional entry into the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa.

***CrowdStrike has entered a partnership with the 24 Hours of Spa, expanding on its multi-year link with SRO America. CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform will be used to protect the 24H Spa digital systems from cybersecurity threats, while the American company’s logos will be seen on advertising boards around the circuit.

***Saturday’s track action begins with a 90-minute Free Practice session starting at 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Pre-Qualifying, which also lasts 90 minutes, will then take place at 2:05 p.m. (8:05 a.m. ET).