IRON LYNX FACES TOUGH IMOLA CHALLENGE, ENDS UP WITH POINTS FINISH

Iron Lynx showed an extremely promising pace again but faced a challenging Sunday as it lined up for the third round of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Imola. Lining up with the #63 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 car of Martin Berry, Lorcan Hanafin, and Fabian Schiller, and with the #9 Oreca 07 of Jonas Ried, Maceo Capietto, and Matteo Cairoli, the team could only come home with a fourth place in the LMP2 class.

The weekend had a stellar start for the #63 crew. The Mercedes proved extremely competitive on the ups and downs of Imola, and drivers were in great shape right from the get-go with solid laps in all conditions.

Qualifying was highlighted by a stellar performance from Berry, who took pole with a quick lap before a red flag and a strong rain shower made it impossible for anyone to improve at the Emilia-Romagna venue. The precipitations led to a long stoppage, and when the action resumed, the Iron Lynx Proton #9 Oreca captured third in LMP2 qualifying on an improving track.

With such a strong run in the books, there was confidence ahead of Sunday’s four-hour classic. That was corroborated by a great start for Berry. Unfortunately, an ill-timed spin in turn 7 by an LMP3 prototype left him with no place to go, costing him the loss of several positions. Berry moved back up to P7 and went for P6 with a dive at the Tamburello, but made contact with his contender. That led to a pile-up that damaged the car beyond repair.

Ried had a brilliant start, going up to P2, and the team stayed in contention for the podium all day. Matteo Carioli drove in the middle stint and closed the gap with the leading pack, taming an unexpected rainfall that made the conditions very tricky. Maceo Capietto was fighting for P3 in the final stages when a Full Course Yellow infringement forced the #9 car to come back to the pits for a drive-through.

With everyone in the team aware of the potential, all hopes are now set on the upcoming round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Interlagos.

It’s sad to start from pole and see the race end up so abruptly. Martin did a stellar job in qualifying and a perfect start, but the early mistake cost us a race where we had so much potential. While it sure is disappointing, it’s part of his journey and will make him an even stronger driver in the future. On the other hand, the #9 Oreca proved competitive and consistent, securing a good points finish in a hard-fought race with many challenging variables. It’s a pity about the penalty, but the pace is promising and I look forward to the next race.

Andrea Piccini – Team Principal & CEO