The pace of the McLaren 650S of Hamaguchi and Quaife-Hobbs was somewhat masked by a broken anti-roll bar, but the team received a major blow when the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Sean Fu Songyang and Andrea Caldarelli was lost during a trip into the Imola barriers at Acqua Minerale.
A superb effort by the FFF Racing mechanics to repair heavy rear-end damage and make the Lamborghini race-worthy again was valiant, but futile.
Nothing could be done trackside to meet the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s exacting safety standards and the team was forced to withdraw the car.
All hopes rested with Hamaguchi and Quaife-Hobbs and, while the pairing were underwhelmed after qualifying fourth on the grid, a desired podium finish was well within reach going into Saturday’s (14 May) two-hour enduro.
Hamaguchi was required to take the start and an incident involving the race-leading Ferrari and Porsche on the first run through the Tamburello chicane allowed the Japanese Am through into second position.
With only the TF Sport Aston Martin of Salih Yoluc standing between him and the race win, Hamaguchi never looked back. His attack was unremitting and his determination to snatch the lead was visible to all as he traded fastest laps with his foe.
Television cameras were fixated on what was a supremely mature and controlled display by both drivers, and the gap continued to fluctuate approaching the compulsory driver-changes, when a mistake in FFF Racing’s stop resulted in a significant loss of time.
The gap stood at 13 seconds when Quaife-Hobbs emerged from the pits at the start of the second hour, but the British Pro was in an assured second position and changed tact by focusing on staying out of harm’s way and bringing the car home with zero mistakes.
Quaife-Hobbs showed his class during a quick, yet controlled run to the flag and a well-deserved second position against a small, but perfectly formed field.
