British-Korean driver Jack Aitken will be targeting back-to-back European Le Mans Series victories this weekend as Imola plays host to the second round of the 2022 season.
Fresh from a maiden ELMS triumph in the Pro-Am category at Paul Ricard last month, Jack will again team up with Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood in the Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport Oreca for his second visit to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari this year following the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe season in April.
The team comes into the weekend leading the championship with 25 points, seven clear of its nearest rivals and eager to consolidate that advantage with a strong result in Italy. Of the 17 LMP2 entries in the series, seven are competing in the Pro-Am category.
Running to the same four-hour race duration as the rest of the ELMS calendar, this weekend’s race at Imola will be Jack’s first time driving the track in prototype machinery, with the LMP2 cars the top class.
Negotiating traffic is likely to play a big role in the outcome of the race as well, due to the tight and twisty nature of the Italian parkland circuit. Securing a strong starting grid position in qualifying will also be a crucial element towards a good result on Sunday.
The weekend kicks off with free practice on Friday 13 May, starting at 11:30 CET, with the second practice taking place on Saturday 14 May at 09:30 CET. Qualifying is split by classes, with LMP2 taking to the track at 14:45 CET. The race is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 11:30 CET.
JACK ON… CONTINUING 2022 MOMENTUM
“We had a really good start to the season at Paul Ricard with the victory, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend and seeing what we can achieve. The goal is obviously to fight for a win but this will be my first time at Imola in a P2 car, so we’ll see how the weekend unfolds.”
JACK ON… ADAPTING TO THE LMP2 CAR
“It’s a very different kind of car to what I am used to in GT3 with the Lamborghini. I would say that it is more similar to single-seater and formula cars in the way it drives and how it behaves, so I can definitely rely on my experiences in single-seaters when I’m at the wheel.”
JACK ON… TACKLING IMOLA IN A PROTOTYPE CAR
“Imola is a very tight and twisty track, which means that overtaking will be tricky, I’m sure. It’s a challenging track and quite different to Paul Ricard so it will be interesting to see how the car reacts to that. I’m getting more and more confident in the car; the seat time is really valuable. The key will be qualifying but then in the race, you need to be lucky and assertive in the traffic. We’re the faster cars this weekend so finding the right balance of pushing but being patient in traffic is important.”
Source. Jack Aitken
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