Pourchaire’s Dominant Pole at ELMS 4 Hours of Imola
Imola, Italy — Théo Pourchaire secured pole position for the 4 Hours of Imola in a dramatic and rain-affected qualifying session. The French driver clocked a lap time of 1:37.919 in the #25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07 Gibson, edging out the competition late in the session, which faced significant weather disruptions.
After a thunderstorm delayed the start of the LMP2 Pro/Am and LMP2 sessions by an hour, qualifying saw fluctuating conditions. Pourchaire initially set a time of 1:41.129 before the session was interrupted by a red flag due to an off-track incident involving Tristan Vautier in the #37 CLX Pure Rxcing ORECA. Upon resuming, Pourchaire’s final effort saw him surpass provisional pole-sitter Maceo Capietto, who ultimately ended up third with a lap time of 1:38.890.
“I was stressed due to the long delay,” Pourchaire remarked. “I don’t have much experience in wet conditions but managed to adapt quickly. It’s a great feeling to claim my first ELMS pole.”
In LMP2 Pro/Am, Giorgio Roda of Proton Competition achieved the class pole with a time of 1:47.528, leaving competitors like PJ Hyett and Giorgios Kolovos in his wake.
LMP3 saw Theodor Jensen claim pole for CLX Motorsport with a time of 1:45.844. “I had to push hard on my first lap before the rain,” Jensen stated. Ian Aguilera and Quentin Antonel rounded out the front row in LMP3.
In the LMGT3 category, Martin Berry set the pace for Iron Lynx with a 1:43.799, while Clement Mateu followed closely with a 1:43.926 for Racing Spirit of Leman.
The 2025 4 Hours of Imola is scheduled to commence at 12:00 local time on Sunday.
