POLE POSITION AND VICTORY AT IMOLA

This week, the Panis Racing team headed to the legendary Imola circuit for the third round of the ELMS. At the end of this Italian round, after securing pole position, Charles Milesi and his teammates Arthur Leclerc and Manuel Maldonado claimed a brilliant victory.

On Thursday, the two private test sessions were frequently interrupted by red flags (P12 & P3). On Friday morning, the ORECA #65 finished the first free practice session in 4th position.

The following day, under intense heat, Panis Racing dominated the second practice session, thanks to the fastest time set by Charles Milesi, just ahead of the afternoon's qualifying session, which was also entrusted to him. The French driver achieved the remarkable feat of securing pole position on his final lap!

The race started on Sunday at 11:30 AM. After two formation laps, Manuel Maldonado launched from pole position, expertly managing the start of the race despite pressure from the competitors behind him. Lap after lap, he widened the gap while navigating the traffic. The first Full Course Yellow (FCY) was deployed after 18 minutes of racing, and after 24 laps, the Venezuelan made his first pit stop for refueling. After 50 minutes of racing, the Silver driver conceded a place to the #34 car of Inter Europol Competition, just before another FCY. Several other FCYs followed, and during the restart, Manuel found himself in 3rd position.

Arthur Leclerc took over the controls of the ORECA #65 after 80 minutes of racing. Running in second, he began to chase down the leader Robert Kubica (AO by TF), regularly setting the fastest lap times on track. A virtual Safety Car was deployed just as the Monegasque driver entered the pit lane for refueling, which unfortunately dropped him back to 4th place. Upon returning to the track, he immediately went on the attack before handing the car over to Charles Milesi for the final hour of the race. His speed paid off: 33 minutes from the end, he found himself right behind the leader when another FCY was deployed. After a final "splash" of fuel, Panis Racing took the lead and held it all the way to the checkered flag: VICTORY for the French team!