Daniel Mancinelli is ready to return to action in the Italian GT Endurance Championship, which heads to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola on September 4-6 for the third of four rounds of the season.
Mancinelli will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 26 EasyRace Ferrari 296 GT3, sharing the car with highly experienced Swiss gentleman driver Leonardo Gorini and 24-year-old Massimo Perrina, a promising young talent who has competed in the Ferrari Challenge North America in recent seasons and is also coached by Mancinelli.
The EasyRace crew arrives at Imola firmly in contention for the GT3 AM championship lead. After the opening two rounds of the season, Gorini and Perrina sit second in the standings with 46 points, just one point behind the Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Cuhadaroglu-Fumanelli-Pulcini, currently leading the class with 47 points.
Such a narrow margin makes the weekend at the Santerno circuit especially important ahead of the final round of the season.
“We arrive at Imola just one point off the championship lead, so we are feeling very confident going into the weekend.” – said Daniel – “Last week’s test went very well and the team did an excellent job. This will be a very important race for the championship. Our goal is to make up that one-point gap and, if possible, take the lead in the standings before the final round.”
The Imola weekend is also expected to be particularly demanding from both a physical and technical standpoint, with high temperatures forecast throughout the on-track sessions.
“The heat will definitely be a factor for everyone.” – Mancinelli continued – “With temperatures so high, managing the car, the tires and the drivers will become even more important. We will need to execute well in every phase of the weekend and focus on being consistent. We know we have a competitive package and we want to make the most of it.”
The Italian GT Endurance Championship schedule for Saturday, September 5 includes the third free practice session, followed by the three qualifying sessions starting at 2:00 PM. The race will get underway on Sunday, September 6 at 12:05 PM and will run for 180 minutes.
The Imola weekend will also be available to follow live on ACI Sport TV, on Sky channel 228 and Tivùsat channel 52, as well as via live streaming on the ACI Sport website and through the official Italian GT Championship social media channels.
