For this week's race in the Le Mans Ultimate Racing Club, we head to Imola, a circuit where the WEC paddock is just packing up and leaving from the previous weekend. With both the Hypercar class and the LMGT3 class cars on offer, a stacked grid is guaranteed, and we want you to have the opportunity to join in on the fun!
After a great race at Monza last week in the LMGT3 cars, we move south in Italy, near Bologna, to the history-soaked circuit of Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, also known as Imola.
The original layout of the Imola circuit followed a river route alongside Tosa, up the hillside to Piratella and Acque Minerali. The river then makes its way downhill before plunging back down towards the Rivazza. While the track layout itself is largely unchanged, little else would be recognisable to racegoers today.
Imola in 1980. Image: Formula One
Skipping forward a few decades to the 1970s, the decision was taken at the end of the decade to formalise the circuit into one of Italy's permanent racing circuits. The first stage of this massive project was to close all the major roads to public traffic. Construction work could then commence, and barriers were erected around the perimeter, along with permanent grandstands and new pit buildings.
The reward for all the new investment was a Formula One Grand Prix – initially a non-championship race in 1979, won by Niki Lauda in a Brabham. Just one year later, in 1980, the Italian Grand Prix was awarded to Imola following a dispute with organisers at last week's Le Mans Ultimate event venue, Monza. The following year, 1981, Imola was granted a race alongside its compatriot, Monza, under the guise of the nearby Republic of San Marino, an event it would host for the next quarter-century.
Ayrton Senna embarks on his final lap before tragically losing his life in an accident on lap six. Image: Formula One
Skipping forward to the 1990s, what is known as Imola's 'Black Weekend', the tragic death of both Roland Ratzenberger and Aryton Senna shocked the world of Formula One and the circuit owners and organisers. The circuit underwent major upgrades and changes
Finally, to this day, Imola is a world-class facility that hosts Formula One and the World Endurance Championship, as well as numerous local championships and motorcycle series. The circuit still has its old-school charm, but with enhanced safety following the 1994 tragedies.
This event is for premium members only, but you can sign up for premium for just €1 per month! So, if that sounds like something you would be interested in, check it out with the link just above!
After a great race at Monza last week in the LMGT3 cars, we move south in Italy, near Bologna, to the history-soaked circuit of Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, also known as Imola.
History of Imola
Imola is in an area with deep roots in speed and competition. It is believed that as far back as 80 BC, the Romans created an amphitheatre for gladiatorial chariot racing in the area near Bologna. When it comes to cars, four local Italians with a love for everything on four wheels — Alfredo Campagnoli, Graziano Golinelli, Ugo Montevecchi, and Gualtiero Vighi — saw the opportunity presented by the creation of a new road in their area. This linked the Emila, where the Rivazza curve is now located, to the town of Codrigano, as far as the current Tosa curve.The original layout of the Imola circuit followed a river route alongside Tosa, up the hillside to Piratella and Acque Minerali. The river then makes its way downhill before plunging back down towards the Rivazza. While the track layout itself is largely unchanged, little else would be recognisable to racegoers today.
Imola in 1980. Image: Formula One
Skipping forward a few decades to the 1970s, the decision was taken at the end of the decade to formalise the circuit into one of Italy's permanent racing circuits. The first stage of this massive project was to close all the major roads to public traffic. Construction work could then commence, and barriers were erected around the perimeter, along with permanent grandstands and new pit buildings.
The reward for all the new investment was a Formula One Grand Prix – initially a non-championship race in 1979, won by Niki Lauda in a Brabham. Just one year later, in 1980, the Italian Grand Prix was awarded to Imola following a dispute with organisers at last week's Le Mans Ultimate event venue, Monza. The following year, 1981, Imola was granted a race alongside its compatriot, Monza, under the guise of the nearby Republic of San Marino, an event it would host for the next quarter-century.
Ayrton Senna embarks on his final lap before tragically losing his life in an accident on lap six. Image: Formula One
Skipping forward to the 1990s, what is known as Imola's 'Black Weekend', the tragic death of both Roland Ratzenberger and Aryton Senna shocked the world of Formula One and the circuit owners and organisers. The circuit underwent major upgrades and changes
Finally, to this day, Imola is a world-class facility that hosts Formula One and the World Endurance Championship, as well as numerous local championships and motorcycle series. The circuit still has its old-school charm, but with enhanced safety following the 1994 tragedies.
Event Sign-up
Check out the signup sheet below to get involved with our Le Mans Ultimate Racing Club event tomorrow, Tuesday, 22/04/2025!1 hour of Imola
Tue, 22 Apr 2025
Server Name
OT Club - 1 hour of Imola
Password
sign-up to see details
Welcome to OT Racing Club!
The 4th multiclass event on LMU is here, this time we will be using the Hypercars and GT3's.
Join us for another round of multiclass gearing up for what could become a series here and testing LMU in general.
The event will unfortuantly not be streamed live on our Racing Club Twitch channel but we are back in May with a full broadcast with commentary
The 4th multiclass event on LMU is here, this time we will be using the Hypercars and GT3's.
Join us for another round of multiclass gearing up for what could become a series here and testing LMU in general.
The event will unfortuantly not be streamed live on our Racing Club Twitch channel but we are back in May with a full broadcast with commentary
Pre-race checklist
Participants
HY
13 / 17
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
GT3
15 / 17
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Schedule
Tue, 22 Apr 2025
Time
Duration
P1
19:30
30m
Q1
20:00
15m
R1
20:15
60m
Timezone: Europe/London (modify)
Imola
Additional Information
Briefing:
- Heavy real road (practise and then building)
- Weather: Sunny with 0% chance of rain
- In game race start time: 16:30
- Rolling start, follow in game instructions.
- Assists set to factory so will be limited to whatever the real car has.
- Reminder of the old RD "Golden Rule". If you run someone off, be a gentleman and wait for that driver to join and give the driver your position.
- This is a friendly club race, we're just hosting this race to test how it all works out, please post feedback etc after the race and please just have fun on track without ruining it for others.
Note: We will alternate between multiclass and GT3 events on tuesdays, stay tuned for more events.
- Heavy real road (practise and then building)
- Weather: Sunny with 0% chance of rain
- In game race start time: 16:30
- Rolling start, follow in game instructions.
- Assists set to factory so will be limited to whatever the real car has.
- Reminder of the old RD "Golden Rule". If you run someone off, be a gentleman and wait for that driver to join and give the driver your position.
- This is a friendly club race, we're just hosting this race to test how it all works out, please post feedback etc after the race and please just have fun on track without ruining it for others.
Note: We will alternate between multiclass and GT3 events on tuesdays, stay tuned for more events.
This event is for premium members only, but you can sign up for premium for just €1 per month! So, if that sounds like something you would be interested in, check it out with the link just above!
