Masson continues to impress under the watchful eye of Toyota
The Forestier Racing by Panis team looks poised to return to winning ways tomorrow at Imola, following Esteban Masson’s second ELMS pole in a row this afternoon in the #29 ORECA.
The Frenchman says that the nature of the tight Autodrome, where overtaking is tricky, made today’s qualifying the most important of the season. But he and his teammates, Louis Rousset and Oliver Gray, don’t underestimate the task at hand as they look to get their season back on track after a DNF at Paul Ricard.
“It doesn’t guarantee anything,” he told DSC. “The start can be a mess, so it’s good to start from the pole. You can also control the race. But you can’t guarantee P1. The atmosphere in the team is lovely, as usual. I feel welcomed by the team as a family member, and I feel so good. We all have a good pace, Oliver is insanely fast, and Louis is learning quickly.
“We’ve put the Paul Ricard result behind us, and now we focus on the result tomorrow. The points we get, like the point for pole, could be very important at the end of the season.”
In a wider context, these races appear especially important for Masson, who is being closely watched by Toyota Racing and has long been tipped as a future Hypercar driver. He explained DSC that he’s not feeling the pressure, though, and is simply grateful for the opportunities the Japanese manufacturer is offering him.
“I’m just focused on my job. It’s very welcome from Toyota because they’re super supportive and follow up a lot. I’m confident, and when you feel good, you perform well. I don’t think about what’s next because I trust those around me to make the decisions.
“I drove the Hypercar in Le Mans, on the Test Day, and I got plenty of laps. They are happy, and that’s all I can say. Hopefully, if I do my job, it’s enough for a Hypercar drive in the future. I hope it’s as soon as possible, but I trust Toyota, my management and my family.
“They have so many good drivers, they keep the line-ups the same for a long time. Once you have good drivers, why change? That’s why I will wait for opportunities, and I will be happy to take them if they come.”
Perfect America 250 result for McDonald
Blake McDonald has enjoyed a perfect start to the July 4th holiday, taking pole for the 4 Hours of Imola in TF Sport’s Corvette.
He is one of 11 American drivers on the entry celebrating the USA’s 250th birthday today, and heads into tomorrow’s race confident he can help TF claim a second consecutive LMGT3 class win in the event.
He’s been able to build on his weekend spent at Imola earlier this year with TF in the FIA WEC season opener, standing in for injured Ben Keating.
“We’ve worked hard after coming close in Qualifying at the first two races, where we were P2. We gave everything today, and thankfully, we got it. To get it done in an American car on the 4th of July, I couldn’t be happier,” he said in the post-qualifying press conference.
“Being here for the second time this year has helped a lot; it’s the reason I could get that time.”
Race director change
The race director for the 4 Hours of Imola is Gwen Bourcier, the regular race director for the ELMS-supporting Michelin Le Mans Cup, standing in for Eduardo Freitas.
Freitas is still present, though, acting as a senior advisor for the race meeting in race control.
Lightning strikes Nielsen
The first time DSC strolled past the Nielsen Racing paddock set up this weekend, it appeared that the team had suffered some sort of fire in their hospitality trailer, as two of the windows were boarded over with apparent scorch marks.
As it turns out, the team’s truck was struck by lightning in a storm on the way to Imola from the UK earlier this week. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the only damage was two shattered windows, which have since been repaired.
4H Imola hosts Women in Motorsport event
Last night, the ELMS event at Imola hosted the second Women on Track event, bringing together women from across the paddock and young Italian students eager to discover careers in motorsport.
During the event, the panel shared their experiences working in the industry to inspire the next generation of female engineers, mechanics, officials, and other industry professionals.
How to follow
Tomorrow’s 4 Hours of Imola, which is set to get underway at 13:00 local time in Italy, will be broadcast for free on FIAWEC+. All you need is a free login to the platform to access the race live stream and timing.
You can sign up HERE >>>
Bustamante named 4H Imola starter
Eurocup 3 racer and F1 Academy race winner Bianca Bustamante will start tomorrow’s race, waving the green flag.
She’s competing this weekend on the support bill, racing with Palou Motorsport, owned by IndyCar superstar Alex Palou.
Imola festivities
Prior to the race weekend, the ELMS hosted an event at Piazza Matteotti, near the Imola circuit. Fans were able to get a glimpse of the LMP2 Championship trophy and meet Italian drivers Enzo Trulli, Riccardo Agostini, Giorgio Roda and Matteo Quintarelli.
Images courtesy of David Lord & ELMS
