WEC

Relive Toyota's victory at the 6 Hours of Imola with live commentary

Relive Toyota's victory at the 6 Hours of Imola, second round of the 2024 WEC season, live with commentary on AUTOhebdo.

Published on 21/04/2024 à 18:30

Dorian Grangier

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Relive Toyota's victory at the 6 Hours of Imola with live commentary

© Javier Jimenez / DPPI

For the first visit of the World ChampionshipEndurance in Imola, we can say that the race kept all its promises! Toyota finally emerged victorious from the event, ahead of both Porsche official. After a hat-trick in qualifying, the Ferrari had their fill in showers and finished just off the podium, with the No. 50 finally ranking fourth.

Relive the highlights of the race via our live commentary, thanks to which you were able to follow the entirety of this second round of the 2024 season!

6H of Imola – Relive the race with live commentary

19h10 - Find the full race report here.

19h04 - The classification for the 6 Hours of Imola 2024 below. In GT3, victory went to the #31 BMW of Team WRT with Darren Leung, Sean Gelael and Augusto Farfus. The Belgian team signs a double with the n°46 of Maxime Martin, Ahmad Al-Harthy and the local hero Valentino Rossi thanks to a daring strategy of having kept the Slick tires despite the rain.

19:02 p.m. – The Porsches complete the podium with the No. 6 of Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor ahead of the No. 5 of Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki.

19:00 p.m. – TOYOTA WINS THE 6 HOURS OF IMOLA WITH ITS TRIO KAMUI KOBAYASHI – NYCK DE VRIES – MIKE CONWAY ON N°7.

19h00 - Error Brendon Hartley at the first corner, which allowed Fuoco to take fourth place.

18:59 p.m. – Fuoco improves the best time again: 1:31.794.

18h57 - It was hot for Kévin Estre, who narrowly avoided an accident with a GT. Toyota should take the victory.

18h55 - Small detour via the gravel trap for Jenson Button, without seriousness.

18h52 - On the attack, Estre puts two wheels in the gravel and loses a little time on Kobayashi.

18h48 - Estre is behind Kobayashi, but does not manage to block the last meters which would allow him to carry out an attack. The clock is ticking for the Lyonnais who will have a five-second penalty after the checkerboard.

18:45 p.m. – Best lap in the race signed by Antonio Fuoco: 1:32.209.

18h42 - Estre is just a second behind Kobayashi!

18h39 - Martin stops in turn, Farfus takes the lead of GT3. Drive through for the #20 BMW Hypercar, which was in contention for the overall podium a little earlier.

18h37 - Augusto Farfus, GT3 leader with the #31 BMW of Team WRT stops, and comes out behind his teammate Maxime Martin.

18h33 - The top 10 with less than thirty minutes to go.

18h32 - Pier Guidi takes his revenge on Ye for 7th place.

18h30 - 30 minutes from time, Toyota is heading towards victory.

18h28 - Estre hit the gas again and came back six seconds behind the leading Toyota. Problem for the Frenchman: his car will have to pay a five-second penalty after the race…

18h27 - Magnificent overtaking by Yifei Ye (AF Corse) on Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari) for 7th place!

18h25 - ⚠️ Drive through for the #46 BMW of Valentino Rossi – Ahmad Al-Harthy – Maxime Martin who is second in GT3 behind the other WRT BMW. Runway exit for Nicolas lapierre (Alpine #36).

18h22 - ⚠️ Five-second penalty for Kévin Estre's Porsche for overtaking under Safety Car.

18h21 - The #51 Ferrari stops to put on the Slicks. It was still on Rain tires, unlike the others.

18h20 - Small error for Estre who lost five seconds on a slight exit from the track.

18h19 - The top 10 with forty minutes to go:

18h17 - Second, Kévin Estre took a second from Kamui Kobayashi in the previous lap. Will the Frenchman go for a second victory in a row for Porsche this season in WEC ?

18h16 - Pressed by the Porsche n°5, Yifei Ye (AF Corse n°83) made a small mistake and went through the gravel.

18h14 - The #50 Ferrari leaves 6th. Fuoco gets a scare at the first corner on cold tires, but stays on the track.

18h12 - Sheldon van der Linde (BMW n°20) takes a spin in the gravel. The #50 Ferrari stops, the #7 Toyota takes the lead!

18h11 - Matt Campbell passes into the pit lane, the #50 Ferrari regains the lead.

18h10 - Green flag!

18:06 p.m. – 🟡 Full Course Yellow! The Proton must be evacuated from the side of the track.

18h04 - The #5 Porsche of Matt Campbell inherits first place ahead of the #50 Ferrari. The two did not stop.

18h03 - Technical problem on the Proton Competition n°99. Andlauer stops at the Alta Variant. The #6 Porsche in the pits.

18h00 - The #7 Toyota leading the race returns to the pits to put on the Slicks. The sister car has just gone through the gravel…

17h – The No. 8 Toyota, which defended its 3rd place in front of the No. 20 BMW, returns to the pits.

17h – 🔎 Here is the last time point before the last hour of the race! 

17h – The other BMW M Hybrid V8, number 15, returns to its box, continuing a very difficult weekend…

17h – The battle continues between the #8 Toyota and the #20 BMW for the last step of the podium… but the #5 Porsche of Matt Campbell is getting closer and could join the fight!

17h – 🔎 Some GTs go through the pits to put on slick tires, like the No. 55 Ferrari Vista AF Corse… but the latter makes a mistake, fortunately without consequences.

17h – ☁️ The rain has stopped in Imola, and a drying trajectory begins to form…

17h – ⚠️ The #46 BMW of the Rossi – Al-Harthy – Martin trio, currently 2nd in LMGT3, is under investigation for non-compliance with VSC procedures.

17:37 p.m. – 🟢 The race resumes again,Alpine No. 35 was able to leave.

17h – The reaction of Dorian Pin after the Iron Dames abandoned very early in the race. The Frenchwoman was experiencing her penultimate round of the WEC before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, before handing over to Rahel Frey for the rest of the season and focusing on the car.

17h – ⚠️ Full Course Yellow, again! This time, it's theAlpine n°35 by Paul-Loup Chatin which is stuck in the gravel trap!

17h – Change of leader in LMGT3! Augusto Farfus takes advantage of a small error from Maxime Martin to overtake him at the exit of Aqua Minerali! The #31 BMW takes the lead ahead of the #46 BMW.

17h – 🟢 After remaining immobilized for two minutes, Julien Andlauer was able to get out of the gravel and leave. Green flag!

17h – ⚠️ The No. 99 Porsche Proton Competition of Julien Andlauer is in the gravel at Aqua Minerali! Full Course Yellow!

17h – The surprise of this ranking is the #20 BMW which is currently in 4th place among the Hypercars… and which threatens the #8 Toyota for a place on the podium! The gap fell below a second…

17h – 🔎 Surprising information concerning the two BMWs of Team WRT in LMGT3: the two cars did not stop to put on rain tires, but are still on slicks! And for now, it's still working, and the two BMWs remain one lap ahead of the competition.

17h – 🔎 Peugeot is currently in 12th position for #93 and 17th place for #94.

17h – The #78 Lexus of Timur Boguslavskiy makes a mistake at Rivazza! The Russian can leave.

17:13 pm – 🟢 Green flag, and already an attack by Earl Bamber's Cadillac on the No. 38 JOTA! Leader of the LMGT3 category, the #92 Porsche stops and leaves the two BMWs from Team WRT in the lead!

17h – 📺 The rain offers us a beautiful spectacle between the Hypercars, especially between the Cadillac and the Peugeot!

17h08 - 🟡 The difficult weekend for the #15 BMW continues. It is now Raffaele Marciello who spins into the gravel. FCY.

17h06 - 🔎 New ranking point with less than two hours to go. Ferrari seems to have lost its Slicks bet.

17h04 - ⚠️ The three Ferraris are finally in the pits and tumbling down the rankings! The #7 Toyota in the lead ahead of the #6 Porsche and the other Toyota!

17h03 - At Porsche we decided to switch to rain tires.

17h01 - Porsche No. 5 stopped for rain. The #7 Toyota takes back around fifteen seconds per lap from the Ferraris!

17h00 - ⚠️ Penalty at Peugeot. 5 seconds for the #93 at the next stop for an irregularity during a pit stop.

16h58 - The Ferraris continue on the Slicks, as does the #5 Porsche.

16:57 p.m. – ⚠️ The three Ferraris have not returned!

16:56 p.m. – All Hypercars are on eggshells! The GT3s overtake them! Molina stays on the track, the pursuers return to the pits for the Rain!

16:54 p.m. – Miguel Molina takes the lead of the race against a struggling Kobayashi!

16:54 p.m. – 🟢 Green flag! The track is wet and everyone stays on the Slicks. 

16h53 - Note that the Hertz Team JOTA n°12 was taken out of the gravel. Norman Nato took over from Callum Ilott. She is in 15th place.

16h49 - The exceeding of Nyck de Vries on Miguel Molina:

16h48 - In the pit stop game, the No. 7 Toyota regained first place. Kamui Kobayashi is now behind the wheel.

16h44 - 🌧️ The track is declared “Wet” and the public takes out umbrellas in the stands.

16h42 - Classification point while the VSC has transformed into a Safety Car:

16:36 p.m. – ⚠️ Nyck de Vries under investigation for overtaking a second after the VSC was triggered.

16h34 - 🟡 Virtual Safety Car!

16h32 -  🟡 Callum Illott (Hertz Team JOTA n°12) still in the gravel at Rivazza! The left front tire of the Peugeot no. 94 shattered on the straight and had to continue at slow motion.

16h30 - 🟢 Bennett leaves and restarts the race. Nyck de Vries (Toyota) immediately surprises Miguel Molina (Ferrari) for second place after the Alta Variant! The #94 Peugeot goes straight through the gravel at Tamburello.

16h28 - ⚠️ Ferrari #51 under investigation for technical infraction.

16h25 - 🟡 First drops of rain and already a trap! This is Carl Wattana Bennett (Isotta Fraschini) in the Alta Variant. FCY.

16h23 - The sky is getting darker and darker in Imola. Yesterday at the end of the day, a huge storm hit the circuit. Will it be the same today?

16h – 🌧️ On the pit straight, we start to feel the first drops of rain!

16h – 📺 Relive the duel between the two Ferraris a few minutes ago.

16h – After struggling against James Calado, Miguel Molina finds himself fighting to defend his second place against Nyck de Vries! The #7 Toyota came back to within a second of the #50 Ferrari!

16h – A lost position for Valentino Rossi: the Italian was overtaken by Simon Mann in the #55 Ferrari to gain 2nd place. The Italian falls to 3rd place.

16h – 🔎 Here is the ranking at the halfway point of these 6 Hours of Imola!

15h – ☁️ The sky is becoming more and more threatening above Imola, and the first estimates suggest rain for 16:40 p.m.…

15h – 🔴 And it’s a battle between the two official Ferraris! Barely out of the pits, Miguel Molina finds himself fighting with James Calado! And the #51 Ferrari passed in front of the #50, after the latter was hampered by a McLaren GT3 in Tosa!

15h – Pit stop for the leaders, the #50 Ferrari, and change of driver: Niklas Nielsen gives way to Miguel Molina. The Reds only changed the right tires.

15h – 🇫🇷 Small ranking point for our French Hypercars, which are still vegetating in the second part of the ranking. The #93 Peugeot has just stopped while in 10th place, and came out in 12th place. The sister car, No. 94, is 16th. At the house of Alpine, No. 35 is 15th, No. 36 is 18th.

15h – A difficult first home race for Isotta Fraschini: involved in the start incidents, the No. 11 fell to 17th place after several driving errors from Carl Wattana Bennett.

15h – 🔎 Very big stint from Nyck de Vries aboard the No. 7 Toyota: the Dutchman, 3rd, came back into the exhausts of the No. 51 Ferrari and is only seven seconds behind the No. 50 Ferrari in head of the race.

15h – ⚠️ The commissioners are not idle this afternoon: after having inflicted three drive-throughs on the Ford n°77, the Porsche n°91 and the Lamborghini n°60 for non-compliance with the blue flags, it is the turn of BMW No. 20 to be under investigation for a technical infraction.

15h – 🛠️ Hectic race also at Proton Competition and Ford, plagued by problems with their flat bottom. No. 88 has been in the garage for a while, and it seems set to last...

15h – 🔢 73600 : this is the number of spectators present at Imola over the three days of running!

15h – 🔎 After Callum Illot’s mishap, the Peugeot n°93 returned to the Top 10 at Imola! Mikkel Jensen is behind the wheel.

© François Flamand / DPPI

15h – Are you wondering how a pit stop is organized for a Hypercar? Here is the answer with Porsche!

15h - Mick Schumacher is now behind the wheel of theAlpine No. 36, which ranks 18th.

15h – ⚠️ Be careful, a JOTA in the wall at the Tosa hairpin! It was Callum Illot's No. 12 Porsche that failed to brake! The Briton was able to restart, but lost positions: he is 11th.

15h10 - A point on the top 10 in GT3. Valentino Rossi (WRT) is in third position.

15h08 - ☁️ The weather is getting darker and the wind is picking up in Imola. Will the rain appear before the end of the race?

15h05 - 🔎 One point out of the top 10 after two hours of racing, the two Ferraris took back the first two places.

15h03 - At JOTA we play the strategic shift with the n°12 which stops several turns after others. Will the British team manage to make one less stop than their rivals?

15h00 - Second waltz of stops among the leaders. Cylinder problem for the Peugeot n°94 whose passage to the pits is interminable.

14h56 - 💬 Sarah Bovy: “ The start was really, really strange to be honest. I'd love to talk about it with some of the other drivers! We accelerated, then braked, then again, three times in a row! I feel like I saw a red flag in front, so maybe the leaders saw the same thing and slowed down, but the guys behind were coming with a lot of speed and the Porsche behind me couldn't avoid me and hit me. The damage to the chassis wasn't that bad, the car was drivable, but we started having electronic problems. I tried to run several power cycles to resolve the problem but it was clearly not enough, we had to return to the garage to repair. Now that the car is gone again, we can only cry because the car was quite good, it was pleasant to drive. »

Julien Delfosse / DPPI

14h55 - 🔎 The abandonment of Iron Ladies is the first for the Italian team in the WEC.

14h53 - ⚠️ Carl Wattana Bennett makes a mistake with the Isotta Fraschini n°11. He leaves after a spin.

14:47 p.m. – Statement from the Iron Dames: “Our race at Imola ended prematurely. A contact at the start put us on the back foot as soon as the green flag fell, and we were faced with an impossible recovery from there. Returning to the garage, we lost 18 laps and we made the decision to abandon the car. We are now focusing on the future and we will come back stronger. »

14h45 - Drive through for the #99 Proton Competition for abusing track limits.

14h40 - Mike Conway (Toyota n°7) puts pressure on Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche n°6) for second place!

14h37 - ❌ It's over for the Iron Dames. Disabled after a collision from the start, the #85 Lamborghini did not restart. Neither Doriane Pin nor Michelle Gatting will have had time to take the wheel.

14h35 - The Hertz Team JOTA occupy 8th and 10th places in the ranking.

14h25 - ⚠️ Drive through for AF Corse n°83 for non-compliance with procedures under Full Course Yellow.

14h21 - The Iron Dames’ #85 Lamborghini is back in its garage…

14h11 - The #15 BMW returned to the track after having remained in its garage since the accident at the start.

14h – The leaders pit for the first time! The three Ferraris stop, and it's n°51 which takes the lead ahead of the #6 Porsche and the #7 Toyota! The #50 Ferrari changed the left rear tire, hence the time lost in the pits. The #83 Ferrari is 4th.

14h – ⚠️ The commissioners give the first penalties of this race : one minute penalty forAlpine n°36 after the collision in the first corner, and a minute penalty also for the Porsche n°91 after its accident at the start with the Lamborghini n°85 of the Iron Dames.

14h - 🔎 Here is the ranking after an hour of racing in these 6 Hours of Imola!

13h – 📸 A picture is worth more than 1000 words to describe this eventful departure…

© Javier Jimenez / DPPI

13h – 🔎 For the moment, Hertz Team JOTA is right in the middle of the Hypercar pack, in 9th and 10th places.

13h – ⚠️ It is the turn of the #83 Ferrari, currently third, to be under investigation for overtaking under FCY at turn 8.

13h – 🔙 And at the Iron Dames, we finally leave the garage! Sarah Bovy returns to the track in the #85 Lamborghini, after her incident at the start with the #91 Porsche.

13h – 🛠️ At BMW, we are still working on number 15, which was initially damaged. The German team is making repairs to restart the LMDh as quickly as possible.

13h – ⚠️ The commissioners indicate that theAlpine #36, the #94 Peugeot, the #15 BMW and the #11 Isotta are under investigation for the collision at the first corner at the start.

13h – 🟢 Green flag, the race is restarted.

13h – ⚠️ The #54 Ferrari in the gravel trap at Tamburello! Thomas Flohr made a mistake and seems stuck. Full Course Yellow is deployed.

Photo François Flamand / DPPI

13h - ⚠️ The Peugeot n°93 is slowing down! Mikkel Jensen slowed down for a few seconds before regaining his racing pace. A gearbox problem for the Lioness, the Dane got stuck in a gear before leaving.

13h – 🛠️ The Iron Dames’ Lamborghini No. 85 is still stuck in its box, disappointment can be seen on Sarah Bovy’s face. The Belgian is under investigation for the incident with the No. 91 Porsche at the start of the race. The Manthey EMA has just left the stands.

13h – ⚠️ Hiroshi Koizumi made a mistake at the Piratella corner with the No. 82 Corvette, passing through the gravel, fortunately without gravity.

13h – 🟢 And here we go again, the leading Ferraris get rid of the LMGT3s.

13h – 🟡 Full Course Yellow to clear debris at turn 4.

13h – That’s it, the first Hypercars are arriving in LMGT3 traffic!

13h – Finally, Sarah Bovy returns to the pits and Iron Dames decide to return the car to its box. A nightmarish start to the race for Doriane Pin's Iron Dames. The Italian team tells us that the FIA ​​sensor no longer works, which forces the team to bring the Lamborghini in to try to repair it.

13h – 🔎 Here is the Top 10 Hypercars after this eventful start.

13h – ⚠️ Problem for the Iron Dames’ #85 Lamborghini ! Sarah Bovy is slowing down, but she continues her journey without entering the pits.

13h – 🟢 Green flag, the race is restarted! The three Ferraris still lead the way, with the #50 ahead of the #51. Good news:Alpine No. 36 has already come out of its garage.

13h – 📺 Relive this chaotic start at the Hypercars in replay just below.

13h – The BMW n°15 as well as theAlpine n°36 return to their boxes. The Peugeot n°94 was able to leave.

13h – 🟠 Safety Car! There is damage, especially for our French Hypercars! THEAlpine #35 hit the #94 Peugeot approaching the first corner, leading to a pile-up with the #15 BMW, theAlpine n°36 and Isotta Fraschini n°11. Behind, the #91 Porsche spun on the straight. 

13h – ⚡️ Here we go ! The #50 Ferrari remains in the lead, and there is already trouble at the first corner with the #15 BMW in the gravel! Both Alpine are affected, as well as the Peugeot n°94!

12h – You can follow the live evolution of the ranking via the Official WEC Live Timing, available here ! And you can even follow several on-board cameras from different Hypercars right here.

12h – The engines are fired up, the cars make their first laps and set off for the two formation laps!

12:50 pm – The Italian anthem has just sounded at Imola, the drivers are returning to their cars, the start of the formation lap should be given in a few minutes. In the meantime, here is the starting grid for these 6 Hours of Imola, with three Ferraris in the lead.

12h – Hello and welcome to AUTOhebdo to experience the 6 Hours of Imola (Italy), second round of the 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. The start will be given in a few minutes, at 13:00 p.m. The 37 cars are already on the starting grid, ready to do battle!

WEC 6H from Imola Direct commentary Live

© Charly Lopez / DPPI

ALSO READ > LIVE – Experience the 6 Hours of Imola with different on-board cameras

Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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