Following Ferrari Pole, Toyota Leads at Halfway Mark of the 6 Hours of Imola, WEC's Season Opener
· Yahoo Sports
Halfway through the 6 Hours of Imola, the No. 8 Toyota TR010 leads over the No.51 Ferrari 499P that started on pole. Toyota took the lead following a drive-through penalty for the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R late in the second hour of the race.
The Cadillac was leading as the front row starters cycled through their pit stops. Starting second, Brendon Hartley dropped to third as the No. 50 joined its sister Ferrari up front with Miguel Molina taking second place in the opening corner.
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Will Stevens in the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R originally took the lead following the first safety car period. Stevens passed the No. 50 Ferrari of Miguel Molina for third on the track and then inherited the lead as the No. 51 Ferrari and No. 8 Toyota cycled through their pit cycle. Nick Cassidy, new to the World Endurance Challenge in the No. 93 Peugeot, ended up stuck in the gravel to bring out the second safety car period.
Stevens in the No. 12 and Nicklas Nielsen, who recently started his first stint in the NO. 50 Ferrari were both handed drive-through penalties for yellow flag infractions.
At halfway, Stevens runs 15th, and Nielsen runs 16th, both 45 seconds behind the leading Toyota and Ferrari.
Toyota looks to back up its Bahrain victory from last year, when the No. 7 GR010, updated and rebranded as the TR010 over the winter break, ended Toyota's winning drought, while the No. 8 locked up a Toyota 1-2.
While Toyota looks at momentum, so does Ferrari, as it seeks to back up its first home victory in Imola last year and its championship.
The first half of the race has been run in the sun, but that may change as storms are being forecast in the area in the final two hours.
The No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren 720s GT3 Evo has had a dominant start in the LMGT3 category, first pulling away to a three-second advantage and cycling back to the lead through pit stops. The McLaren leads the No. 69 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Anthony McIntosh and the Ford Mustang of Stefano Gattuso.
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