Round three of the 2026 European Le Mans Series at Imola delivered an action-packed race, featuring multiple Full Course Yellow periods, Safety Cars and soaring temperatures. In demanding conditions where strategy and track position proved decisive, IDEC SPORT leaves Italy with a strong fourth-place finish for the #18 Oreca, valuable lessons from a challenging weekend for the #28, and a class victory at the Le Mans Classic thanks to IDEC SPORT LEGEND.
A Strong Race for the #18 Crew
Racing on home soil, Valerio Rinicella produced an outstanding opening stint aboard the #18 Oreca-Gibson. The young Italian made several positions at the start before handing over to Jamie Chadwick and Laurents Hörr. The three Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Programme drivers once again demonstrated the strength of the line-up throughout the four-hour race.
Despite several neutralisations, heavy traffic and a few setbacks in the pit lane, the #18 remained firmly in the fight for the podium before taking the chequered flag in an encouraging fourth place.
“It was a very intense race, especially in front of my home crowd. I tried to stay clean and attack at the right moments. We had the pace to fight for the podium, so it’s a little frustrating, but fourth place is still a good result for the whole team.”
Valerio Rinicella
Jamie Chadwick also praised the collective effort: “Track position is everything at this circuit. Valerio made an excellent start to put us back into podium contention. Despite a few incidents, the team did a great job and these points are important for the championship.”
Laurents Hörr highlighted the positives to take away from the weekend:“We gave everything until the very end. The neutralisations made the strategy more complicated, but the whole team did a solid job. We need to build on the positives and keep pushing.”
A Frustrating Weekend for the #28
The #28 crew was unfortunately unable to convert its pace into a strong result. After an already challenging week, an early-race mistake dropped the car two laps behind the leaders.
With overtaking made even more difficult by the repeated neutralisations, Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Job van Uitert continued to push throughout the race, using the experience to gather valuable data and prepare for the remainder of the season.
“There are a lot of positives to take from this week, but a small mistake at the start of the race put us out of contention. We did everything we could and we’ll come back even stronger at the next rounds.”
Paul-Loup Chatin
Job van Uitert also underlined the pace the team had throughout the weekend: “We had a good car, but once you’re that far behind it’s very difficult to fight your way back. We kept pushing, kept learning, and everything we learned here will help us during the rest of the season.”
Nicolas Minassian: “We Must Keep Pushing”
For Team Principal Nicolas Minassian, the Italian weekend once again demonstrated the competitiveness of IDEC SPORT.
“The #18 delivered a very strong race and fourth place brings valuable championship points in an incredibly competitive field. As for the #28, we simply have to turn the page. These things happen in motorsport. We know our cars are competitive and we’ll keep working to fight for victories.”
Minassian also praised Valerio Rinicella, who was named Driver of the Race in front of his home fans.
“Valerio continues to make impressive progress. He managed his stint perfectly, gained positions without making mistakes and keeps showing how much he is improving this season.”
Victory at the Le Mans Classic for IDEC SPORT LEGEND
While the ELMS programme was competing at Imola, another part of the team was racing at the Le Mans Classic under the IDEC SPORT LEGEND banner.
After a perfectly executed weekend, Alexandre Leroy claimed victory in the Legends of Le Mans category aboard the iconic Ligier JSP2, rewarding the team’s outstanding work at one of the world’s most prestigious historic racing events.
In the Berlinetta category, Olivier Markarian also impressed with his Ferrari 458. Running comfortably in second place for much of the race, he looked set to secure a podium finish before an unfortunate setback prevented him from converting his strong performance into the result it deserved.
Looking Ahead
Although Imola leaves mixed emotions, IDEC SPORT departs Italy with plenty of positives. The pace shown by the #18, the continued development of both driver line-ups and IDEC SPORT LEGEND’s victory at the Le Mans Classic all underline the team’s strong momentum.
As the European Le Mans Series enters the second half of the season, IDEC SPORT remains fully focused on turning its proven pace into more podium finishes—and ultimately, race victories.
