Villadsen and Magnussen move up the championship standings at Imola

After a hard-fought three-hour race at Imola Circuit, the Danish BMW duo crossed the finish line in sixth place overall while moving up the standings in the Italian GT3 championship.

Mathias Villadsen and Jan Magnussen secured a sixth-place finish and a valuable haul of championship points after a strong performance in the sixth round of the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo at Imola Circuit last weekend.

The three-hour race also marked the third round of the Endurance championship, and the result saw the Team Spirit Racing duo move from fifth to fourth place in the overall standings.

– Overall, it was a really good weekend. We knew we had a good opportunity to fight for a strong result, partly because we had plenty of data from my previous race at Imola and also because, this time, we didn't have to deal with a success penalty from the previous round. We started from the eighth row and finished third in our class after a race where nothing came easy, so we're very happy with the result, says Mathias Villadsen.

In addition to battling a number of strong factory teams, the two Danes had to overcome several challenges during the hot three-hour race. A puncture disrupted the team's strategy, but despite the setback, Villadsen and Magnussen managed to stay in contention and bring home a solid result.

For Villadsen, however, the result was not the only positive to take away from Imola. The young Dane, who is competing in his first season of GT3 racing, also experienced an important breakthrough behind the wheel of the distinctive yellow BMW M4.

– For the first time this season, I felt that my connection with the car came more naturally. I was able to drive more instinctively, which gave me more capacity to focus on the details and maximise my performance. It was an important step forward in my development, and naturally, that gives me even more motivation heading into the next round, Villadsen adds.

Jan Magnussen was also pleased with both the result and the continued progress of his young teammate.

– It's a tough championship with a lot of very strong teams and drivers, so finishing near the front is definitely a solid achievement. It's clear that Mathias is developing from race to race, which is exactly the main objective of this season. The fact that we're also scoring good results and moving up the championship standings is a great bonus. Full credit to both Mathias and the rest of the team, says Jan Magnussen.

The next round of the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo takes place at Monza on October 10-11. The focus will switch back to the Sprint championship, with Mathias Villadsen competing alone in the car while Jan Magnussen supports him from the sidelines as coach for the weekend's two sprint races.