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IMOLA CLASSIC 2016


An action-packed final rendezvous full of last-minute twists  Click to view Gallery.


Peter Auto’s final event of the 2016 season, the Imola Classic, took place over the weekend of 22-23 October on the Enzo & Dino Ferrari circuit, reports Henri Suzeau.

It was an opportunity for drivers in five of the organiser’s grids to go head-to-head one last time before the winter break. And for some the aim was to score the points necessary to clinch titles in the overall general classification. Free practice, qualifying followed by races in the Classic Endurance Racing 1 & 2, Sixties’ Endurance, Heritage Touring Cup, Trofeo Nastro Rosso and U2TC grids took place under blue skies in the Emilia-Romagna region.

In the majority of grids the final event of the season proved decisive for the winners, beginning with CER 1 in which Grant Tromans/Richard Meaden led Martin O’Connell/Sandy Watson by a single point in the Proto 1 category before the Italian round. Following their win at the weekend, Tromans/Meaden sealed the title. In GT1, only two points separated the French pair Raymond Narac/Michel Lecourt and the Germans Ralf Kelleners/Detlef von der Lieck before the final race. The outcome was uncertain for a long time and finally victory went to the latter in their De Tomaso Pantera.

In CER 2, Dominique Guénat failed to cash in on the advantage he had before arriving at Imola. He finished 10th in the race while Tony Sinclair came home second snatching the lead in the final overall classification in Proto 2 by two points. Yves Scemama, who was also well placed to win before Imola, retired, dropping him back to fourth overall behind Martin O’Connell, who was victorious in last Sunday’s race. In GT2, Peter Muelder/Patrick Simon’s third place was good enough to clinch the trophy in their category as they beat Maurizio Fratti/Andrea Cabianca.

The final results were totally reshuffled in the Heritage Touring Cup. Although Yves Scemama arrived at Imola in the lead, he had to make do with second place overall after finishing 20th in the race. Claude Boissy/Patrick Bourguignon took advantage of his below-par performance and snatched first place overall in the general classification thanks to their second position at Imola. Ben Gill who was second before coming to Italy finished third in the title chase.

Among the 45 cars in the Sixties’ Endurance, the race led to numerous upsets in the final overall classification. Christian Dumolin/Christophe van Riet arrived at the Italian circuit as favourites, only to be excluded from the race by the stewards losing the title by a single point Andrew Beverley, third before the last round, suffered the same fate dashing his chances of a top-three finish. Pierre-Alain and Erwin France, second before last weekend did not start and fell back to 16th overall. The title finally went to Thomas Studer, while Grant Tromans/Richard Meaden finished third overall in the 2016 ratings.

And last but not least, Lukas Halusa in his Ferrari 250 GT Breadvan won both races in the Trofeo Nastro Rosso on the Enzo & Dino Ferrari circuit, further underlining his domination after having sealed the title in the Dix Mille Tours.

Just a reminder, that the title in Group C Racing, the last round of which was held at the Dix Mille Tours at the beginning of October, went to Eric De Doncker.

Rendezvous in 2017 for a new season of historic races and new destinations!.