Silver-rated Francesco Castellacci’s advice for traffic management for the tight, narrow Imola circuit, to the Vista AF Corse’s bronze-rated drivers, was ‘stay on the racing line’.
Castellaci races the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, with co-drivers Davide Rigon and bronze-rated Thomas Flohr.
‘Stay on the racing line, for sure – even if he’s behind another GT3 car,” said Castellacci.
“Don’t open up before we go – sometimes you try to open up if you’re fighting another GT car. Instead, stay really behind until you really want to commit further overtake, because the Hypercars come very quick and the more the race goes, there will be pick up on the outside.”
Not getting what the drivers call ‘tyre pickup’, otherwise known as marbles, is an important point according to Castellacci.
“These tyres don’t like a lot of pickup. It takes two laps to clean them again, so really stay on the racing line and let the Hypercar manage through everything. Stay predictable and on the racing line.”
“Luckily,” he continued, “we have the new radar on the car, which signals green,yellow, and then red and when a car is approaching, on the left or the right, plus the camera. It’s really good.”
However, despite Imola’s tight, technical, narrow nature which lacks overtaking opportunities, Flohr especially was relishing the challenge.
“I think he has a lot of experience, and he likes this track. It’s really a bit narrow, but then you need to stick to the racing line, and you will be fine,” concluded the Italian racer.
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