On the beautiful, sun-drenched Imola racetrack, the DHG Team took to the starting line for the first Masters race of the year.
Olivier Hart also felt at home in the Ford Mustang, and with a fifth-place starting position, he was well placed to finish on the podium.
He knew beforehand that it wouldn’t be easy, but by driving very quickly and making no mistakes, he joined the leading group and ultimately crossed the starting line in second place among the very fast Ford Falcons.
The gentleman drivers’ race was a Dutch affair during practice. “Our” Nicky Pastorelli was on pole with the Ferrari, and next to him were the Hart gentlemen in the AC Cobra Daytona Coupe.
Pastorelli maintained pole position, and David was able to follow very well in the Cobra, keeping the others well behind him.
The DHG Team’s pit stop went well. Olivier took over the wheel for the final stint, but a battery explosion soon left him stranded at the trackside.
Last but not least, the race with the Lola that David shared with Nicky Pastorelli. They set the second fastest time during qualifying and saved a new set of tires for the race.
Leo Voyazides, who led with Hadfield, also maintained the lead at the start, while David ran a strong second in the opening laps.
A collision with Leo sent both drivers off the track, and David managed to resume the race in fourth place. However, two punctures sustained in the incident forced him to pit.
Nicky had to try to close the gap on the spare rear tires, which
was an impossible task, but he still managed to finish in P10 with the fastest race lap.
Pre’66 Touring cars:
- Gardiner/Wolfe Ford Falcon
- Olivier Hart Ford Mustang
- Thomas/Lockie Falcon
Gentleman drivers
- Pastorelli Ferrari GTO
- Goose/Wolfe AC Cobra
- Thomas/Lockie Jaguar E-type
Failed Heart/Heart AC Cobra Daytona
Hist.Sports Cars
- Wilson/Pittard Chevron B8
- Wright Lola T70
- Comes/Claridge Lola T212
- Hart/Pastorelli LolaT70