The Mugello Circuit hosted the fifth round of the European Le Mans Series 2024. Matteo Cairoli competed alongside Jonas Ried and Maceo Capietto at the wheel of the Oreca 07 LMP2 #9 of Iron Lynx – Proton. The race not only marked the series’ debut at the Tuscan track, but also saw the Italian driver secure his first victory in the prototype class.
Cairoli took charge of qualifying, securing pole position with a lap time of 1:32.829, just 0.037 seconds ahead of his rivals, showing the potential of the car and setting the bar high for Sunday’s race.
At the start, Ried lost the lead after a few minutes, but with the 4 Hours of Mugello characterized by many neutralizations and Safety Car interventions, the German driver was able to still compete for the win. Once he handed the car over to Capietto, the team gained back the lead and began widening the gap from the others.
The decision to have Cairoli drive the last stint proved to be the winning strategy, as a red flag erased the gaps built during the first two hours of the race. The Italian jumped in the car after the restart and quickly rebuilt the lead, perfectly managing the last part of the race. Cairoli crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of his nearest rival, securing the first seasonal podium of Iron Lynx, and his maiden win in the LMP2 class.
The result boosted the team up to eighth place in the championship standings with 34 points, filling the trio with enthusiasm as they prepare for the last European Le Mans Series race in Portimao on October 19.
Matteo Cairoli
“Being able to race in Mugello was already great news before even arriving at the track, and the idea of leaving with the win makes it magical. This season has been pretty difficult for us, but we finally showed what we are capable of. I want to thank my team and my teammates, Jonas and Maceo, for the sensational performance we delivered in Italy. Portimao won’t be too different from Mugello, so we will try to replicate this result”.
