Villadsen and Magnussen Impress with Podium Finish in Dramatic GT3 Thriller at Misano

Mathias Villadsen and Jan Magnussen secured a strong second-place finish in Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo after an intense and rain-soaked three-hour race at Misano World Circuit.

The second round of Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo turned into a dramatic affair as Mathias Villadsen, Jan Magnussen and the rest of Team Spirit Racing fought their way to an impressive runner-up finish in the GT3 championship’s first Endurance race of the season at Misano World Circuit. For Villadsen, it was also the first endurance race of his career, and the Danish BMW driver delivered a strong performance under extremely challenging conditions.

Just minutes before the start of the three-hour race, heavy rain hit the Italian circuit, and the constantly changing conditions came to define the event, which featured no fewer than five safety car periods. Mathias Villadsen took the start in the team’s BMW M4 GT3 and kept a cool head through the chaotic opening laps, where visibility was close to non-existent. The Dane not only stayed out of trouble but also worked his way forward through the field.

With less than an hour remaining, the Danish duo had climbed into second place, and in the closing stages Magnussen launched his attack on the leading Ferrari. Traffic from slower cars made the final laps particularly difficult, and although Magnussen repeatedly reduced the gap to the race leader, he was unable to get close enough to challenge for victory, eventually crossing the finish line just six seconds behind the winning car.

“It’s a fantastic result – much better than we had dared to hope for, especially considering the difficult conditions. It was my first-ever race in the rain, the start was really intense, we switched to slicks at the very last moment, and I could barely see anything because of the rain and spray, but I managed to hold my position and fight my way forward. The track dried up as the race went on, we built up our pace, and Jan did a fantastic job in the final stint. It’s amazing to watch Jan drive – there are simply so many things you can learn, and that kind of experience is invaluable. I definitely feel like I’m getting faster and learning the car better, and the team has worked incredibly hard for several months, so to come away with this podium is just fantastic,” said Mathias Villadsen.

“A second place almost feels like a victory for us. A new lineup, Mathias’ first endurance race – and then a podium finish. That’s seriously impressive. Mathias did a fantastic job at the start in very difficult conditions. The team was strong in the pit lane, and overall we just managed to put together a really solid race. Huge congratulations to the entire team,” added Jan Magnussen.

The third round of Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo – the championship’s second Sprint event of the season – takes place in just two weeks’ time on 23-24 May at Vallelunga Circuit north of Rome. Jan Magnussen will return to his role as coach, while Mathias Villadsen will continue his fight for points in the weekend’s two sprint races.