Italian GT Imola: Marciello and Klingmann claim BMW Italia victory in penalty-affected Race 2

BMW Italia Ceccato Racing’s #7 BMW M4 GT3 of Raffaele Marciello and Jens Klingmann took victory in a penalty-affected Race 2 of the Italian GT Championship (CIGT) Sprint at Imola, while Stefano Comandini and Vito Postiglione secured a popular GT Cup win for Best Lap.

Marciello immediately on the attack

In contrast to Saturday’s chaotic opening race, the field made it through the first laps of Race 2 cleanly despite running five-wide into Tamburello, with several cars dipping wheels into the dirt but avoiding any significant incidents.

Raffaele Marciello in the #7 BMW Italia Ceccato Racing BMW M4 GT3 came under immediate pressure from Giuseppe Forenzi (#77 FAEMS Team BMW M4 GT3) and Georgi Dimitrov (#63 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3), both of whom made strong getaways. While Dimitrov managed to get ahead of the BMW, Marciello in turn overtook Paul Levet, who had started from third in the #19 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3.

Harry King in the #57 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 held the lead through the opening phase and focused on extending his advantage, opening up a margin of around seven seconds as the pit window approached. The strategy was clear: maximise the gap before handing over to his Am co-driver Hiroyuki ‘Bankcy’ Ogawa, giving the Pro-Am entry the best possible track position against the class competition.

Marciello settled into fourth at the start and gradually increased the pace as the stint developed, making his move on Dimitrov into Rivazza to move up to third.

With that move completed, his focus shifted immediately to Mattia Michelotto in the #66 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3, closing the gap as the chasing group remained tightly packed behind King.

Further back, the midfield remained closely together, with Luca Ghiotto (#34 Oregon Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3), Emanuele Zonzini (#82 Antonelli Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3), and Stefano Gai (#69 Spirit of Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) among those locked in prolonged battles.

Michelotto puncture disrupts fight for second

However, just before the pit window opened, the battle for second was abruptly neutralised.

Michelotto’s #66 Lamborghini suffered a puncture just as he reached the pit entry, removing him from contention at a critical moment.

Pit window reshuffles the order

The focus then shifted to the pit window as teams looked to position themselves for the final phase of the race.

Marciello brought the #7 BMW in late in the window for the mandatory stop, handing over to Klingmann, while race leader Harry King extended his stint even further, pitting on the final possible lap before handing the #57 Porsche over to Bankcy.

The strategy initially worked to perfection, with the Porsche maintaining a significant advantage after the stops despite the driver change.

Luca Segù brought the #72 DL Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in from seventh place and slightly earlier than most of the frontrunners. As the pit cycle unfolded, teammate Franck Perera emerged in second place, holding an advantage over Klingmann while closing in on Bankcy.

Late Safety Car

However, that advantage was short-lived. A late move from Ignazio Zanon in the #66 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 on Florian Scholze in the #22 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 at Rivazza left the Audi stranded in the gravel, forcing a Safety Car.

Bankcy led the field back to green with just over five minutes remaining and executed the restart cleanly, holding on to the lead through the opening chicanes and briefly keeping both Perera and Klingmann at bay before conceding the position into Tosa.

Penalty hands BMW the victory

While Perera moved into the lead and Klingmann positioned himself to attack, news came through of a 25-second post-race penalty for the #72 DL Racing Lamborghini due to a pit stop infringement.

Further back, Andrea Frassinetti continued the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3’s charge, making a late move on Marcus Paverud (#19 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3) into Tamburello to take third place on track. The move left the Norwegian vulnerable, with Ian Rodriguez (#77 FAEMS Team BMW M4 GT3) following through shortly after.

Perera crossed the line first on the road, but the penalty dropped the #72 Lamborghini down the order to 18th, handing victory to Klingmann and Marciello in the #7 BMW Italia Ceccato Racing BMW M4 GT3.

They were joined on the podium by Alex Aka and Andrea Frassinetti in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, completing a remarkable recovery drive from the back of the grid, while Rodriguez and Forenzi secured third in the #77 BMW.

Just behind, Paverud and Levet finished fourth ahead of the #55 Nova Race BMW of Pedro Ebrahim and Jasin Ferati, rounding out the top five.

In Pro-Am, Francesco Braschi and Jef Machiels took the class win for Spirit of Racing, with Bankcy and King ultimately bringing the #57 Porsche home in third after leading the race into the final minutes.

The Am class was won by Emanuele Colombini and Emanuele Zonzini in the #82 Antonelli Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Italian GT Sprint – Imola Race 2 (GT3) Top 10

#7 BMW Italia Ceccato Racing
Jens Klingmann / Raffaele Marciello — BMW M4 GT3
#99 Tresor Attempto Racing
Alex Aka / Andrea Frassinetti — Audi R8 LMS
#77 FAEMS Team
Ian Rodriguez / Giuseppe Forenzi — BMW M4 GT3
#19 VSR
Paul Levet / Marcus Paverud — Lamborghini Huracán GT3
#55 Nova Race
Pedro Ebrahim / Jasin Ferati — BMW M4 GT3
#63 VSR
Georgi Dimitrov / Simone Riccitelli — Lamborghini Huracán GT3
#64 Antonelli Motorsport
Guy Albag — Mercedes-AMG GT3
#51 Spirit of Racing (Pro-Am winner)
Francesco Braschi / Jef Machiels — Ferrari 296 GT3
#85 Imperiale Racing
Lautaro De La Iglesia / Phillippe Denes — Lamborghini Huracán GT3
#88 Tresor Attempto Racing (Pro-Am)
Alberto Clementi Pisani / Alberto Di Folco — Audi R8 LMS

GT Cup: Experience proves decisive for Comandini and Postiglione

The GT Cup race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was shaped by multiple interruptions and incidents, with two Safety Car periods repeatedly compressing the field and creating an unpredictable flow. Early on, Giacomo Pollini led the opening phase ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, as incidents further down the order disrupted the rhythm of the race. Fisichella’s challenge was then compromised after contact with a backmarker damaged the front of his car, allowing Pollini to build a small margin.

Amid that, Vito Postiglione kept the #101 Best Lap Ferrari 296 Challenge firmly in contention from seventh place during the opening stint. A strong pit stop from Best Lap brought the car back into the fight at the front, with Comandini rejoining in second close behind Giuseppe Fico in the #114 Oregon Team Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo 2.

Comandini quickly applied pressure, and when Fico ran wide onto the main straight, the Ferrari driver seized the opportunity to move into the lead with around 15 minutes remaining.

Despite another Safety Car shortly after, Comandini executed the restart cleanly and controlled the pace at the front to secure Best Lap’s second victory of the weekend, with Andrea Fontana and Tommaso Lovati finishing second in the #109 Zanasi Racing Ferrari 296 Challenge, while Giuseppe Fico and Milan Rytter completed the podium.

Italian GT Sprint – Imola Race 2 (GT Cup) Top 10

#101 Best Lap
Vito Postiglione / Stefano Comandini — Ferrari 296 Challenge
#109 Zanasi Racing
Andrea Fontana / Tommaso Lovati — Ferrari 296 Challenge
#114 Oregon Team
Giuseppe Fico / Milan Rytter — Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo 2
#106 Pollini Racing
Giacomo Pollini / Matteo Pollini — Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo 2
#150 Spirit of Racing
Edoardo Borelli / Andres Mendez — Ferrari 296 Challenge
#117 MM Motorsport
Leonardo Arduini / Michal Bartoszuk — Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo 2
#111 Best Lap
Alex Frassineti / Lorenzo Pegoraro — Ferrari 296 Challenge
#211 Zanasi Racing (Am)
Victor Briselli / Luca Demarchi — Ferrari 296 Challenge
#208 Villorba Corse (Am)
Luciano Privitelio / Donovan Privitelio — Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo 2
#261 MP Racing (Am)
Thomas Gostner — Ferrari 296 Challenge

Sprint opener complete as Endurance awaits at Misano

With the opening Sprint round complete, Klingmann and Marciello leave Imola as the early leaders in the GT3 championship standings, while Postiglione and Comandini take the lead in the GT Cup. The Italian GT Championship now turns its focus to the Endurance series, with the opening round set for Misano on 8-10 May.

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