The #60 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE has been reinstated as the GTE class winner for the 4 Hours of Monza after a successful appeal to their exclusion from the race results.
The car, driven by Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni and Davide Rigon crossed the line as the winner of the race in the GTE class but was excluded post-race after the car was seen being pushed back into pit lane with assistance from the sister #83 Iron Dames Ferrari, apparently out of fuel.
Whilst post-race scrutineers were able to collect the required fuel sample from the car Race Stewards later excluded the car for receiving outside assistance after a protest from the then second-placed Proton Competition team.
Iron Lynx filed an appeal which was heard by the FFSA court (the presiding body for regulatory appeals for the ELMS) which found that whilst the protest from Proton was legitimate, the exclusion was too harsh a penalty for the infraction.
The decision (translated from the original French) reads:
The National Appeals Tribunal declares the appellant’s appeal admissible. It states that the decision of the stewards’ panel should be confirmed since it considered that the facts contested by the appellant constituted an infringement of article 15.1.1 of the 2022 European Le Mans Series sporting regulations and of article 2.5 of the ISC; but decides, taking into account the elements developed above, to cancel the disqualification pronounced by the Stewards’ Panel and to replace it by a fine of 10,000 Euros imposed on the competitor in application of the provisions of article 12.4.1.c of the ISC and of article 16.1.5 of the 2022 European Le Mans Series sporting regulations. The #60 car will be reinstated in the event standings and in all its sporting rights. Half of the appeal deposit will be retained by the FFSA in accordance with the provisions of article 5 of the “National Appeal Tribunal” regulations.
The revised result makes a significant difference in the points standing with the #60 regaining 25 points, pushing the car from 13th to second in the Championship (and into a provisional auto entry for Le Mans slot).
They now stand on 49 points with the #77 Proton Porsche losing seven points from their Monza result, now on 62, still leading the Championship.
The now third placed in the Championship #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari crew lose 2 points as they slip from seventh to eights in the Monza results with fourth placed Kessel Racing losing three points as they drop from second to third at Monza, they come to this weekend’s penultimate race at Spa on 37 points.
