Professional racing driver Christina Nielsen continues a packed 2016 season in Italy this week as her European Championship-winning Formula Racing team brings its No. 60 Ferrari 458 GTE “home” to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, known worldwide as Imola.
Nielsen is looking to help her teammates to move up to a podium position this weekend in pursuit of a run to retain the much-prized European Le Mans Series title for the all-Danish team.
Arriving in Europe off the back of a breakthrough win at the world-famous 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, hopes are high of continued success for both the team and for Nielsen, a new driver for the team in its title defense.
“This is a tough circuit, tight, very technical, and tough to pass on,” Nielsen said. “Qualifying is going to be important, and staying out of other team’s troubles even more important.”
“The weather for the weekend looks less than ideal, too, so changing track conditions will take some getting used to for very many of the drivers on the (42-car) grid.”
Imola has been home to no fewer than 27 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix and sits just over an hour away from the iconic Ferrari factory in Maranello, home to the world’s most famous road and race cars.
Spiritual home of the fanatically passionate Ferrari fans, dubbed the ‘Tifosi’ (literally meaning ‘fans’), anything and everything about Ferrari is the subject of great passion and debate.
“Bringing the Ferrari here is very special, of course,” Nielsen said. “The local fans love Ferrari, but most of all they love Ferrari to win. Here’s hoping we can encourage them to get behind our effort.”
“The history here is impossible to miss. Every part of the circuit has reminders of a proud racing past. Everyone here, though, wants to help write the next chapter.
“We have a strong team and a car with proven race-and title-winning ability. Now it will be a matter of each of the drivers giving their very best efforts in speed and consistency.”
Qualifying gets underway at Imola on Saturday, May 14 at 13:50 local time in Italy with the race, the 4 Hours of Imola, getting the green flag at 14:00 on Sunday, May 15.
Live coverage is available on the EuropeanLeMansSeries.com website or on dedicated channels on YouTube or Dailymotion.com.
NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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