A mixed 4 Hours of Imola for Iron Lynx after a promising display of pace

Written by Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah

The No.9 Iron Lynx-Proton ahead of its LMP2 rivals | Credit: Iron Lynx

Iron Lynx delivered a strong performance during the qualifying session of the 4 Hours of Imola on Saturday, where their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo took LMGT3 pole position while their Oreca 07 took third in LMP2. However, a pile-up and a penalty denied either car’s chances of a podium finish in front of the home crowd.

Martin Berry drove the No.63 Mercedes-AMG car and snatched pole position before a red flag and a heavy shower prevented the other LMGT3 cars from improving their lap. The LMP2 qualifying took place much later, and their No.9 LMP2 car took third on an improving track.

Berry had a good launch at the start of the race, but an ill-timed spin by an LMP3 car left him nowhere to go, costing him places. The 48-year-old attempted to take sixth place with a dive at Tamburello but collided with the No.86 GR Racing and collected the No.57 Kessel Racing and the No.28 IDEC Sport of the LMP2.

The No.63 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo on the pit lane | Credit: Iron Lynx

With their Mercedes retiring, Iron Lynx hoped their LMP2 car could still fight for the podium after Jonas Ried took the No.9 car into second and stayed in podium contention throughout the race. Matteo Cairoli navigated the tricky conditions with an unexpected rainfall in the middle stages.

Maceo Capietto drove the final stint, where the team fought for third place before a full-course yellow infringement forced the No.9 car to serve a drive-through penalty near the end, which ended its podium dreams as it came home in fourth.

“It’s sad to start from pole and see the race end up so abruptly”, said Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx’s Team Principal & CEO. 

“Martin did an amazing 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 No.9 Oreca [07] 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”, Piccini concluded.

Iron Lynx will return to action with this weekend’s 6 Hours of São Paulo FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round on 13 July.