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The 6 Hours of Imola in the LMGT3 class ended with the success of the #92 Porsche 911 R GT3 of Pera/Lietz/Hardwick and with a big disappointment for the BMW WRT crew of Rossi/Al Harthy/Van der Linde. After taking the class pole position success seemed almost a foregone conclusion and instead one particular episode thwarted everything.
When in the middle part of the race the #46 M4 GT3 with the Doctor at the wheel, which at that moment was battling with the #21 Ferrari of Heriau/Mann/Rovera, hit the Italian 296 GT3 of Mann at Rivazza 2. In the contact the Ferrari was eliminated from the race and the officials intervened by imposing a Stop&Go on Valentino that obviously complicated the race of the German team, which in the end finished second at the checkered flag.
“I have mixed feelings because a podium is a good result, but we could have won," declared Valentino after the race. "It’s very unfortunate because the team did a fantastic job, the car was very fast, and we managed the tires well. Ahmad and especially Kelvin drove brilliantly fighting to the finish. "
"Unfortunately, I made a mistake and hit the Ferrari in front of me during an overtaking attempt. The subsequent penalty cost us the win. I am sorry for that,” he apologized.
For his part, WRT boss Vincent Vosse also did not hide his disappointment over missing out on first position. "There is a lot of frustration because they led for a long time and proved they had the speed to win if the penalty had not come. However, a podium is always a satisfaction. Now we think about Spa-Francorchamps, the home round for us."
