Motorsport: Brendon Hartley determined to get World Endurance Championship season back on track

Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley. Photo / Getty Images

Brendon Hartley is aiming to get his season on track when the World Endurance Championship resumes at Imola this weekend.

The 35-year-old Kiwi is a four-time WEC champion but he and co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa had to settle for fifth in the opening round at Qatar in February.

“Even if the result in Qatar was not what we normally aim for, the execution from the whole team to score strong points despite the challenging circumstances shows what we’re capable of,” Hartley said.

“If we can repeat that performance in Imola, we’ll be there or thereabouts at the chequered flag, scoring more big points to help us challenge for both world titles [drivers and manufacturers]. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

The WEC continues to grow in strength, with 13 original equipment manufacturer teams registered to compete: Toyota, Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes, Peugeot and Porsche.

This weekend 18 Hypercars from eight manufacturers — Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot and Porsche — will race alongside 18 LMGT3 cars in Italy.

Hartley’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team are the reigning manufacturers’ champions and have pedigree at Imola, winning the rain-affected race last year.

“I really enjoy racing in Italy and Imola is a fantastic circuit which is fun to drive,” said Buemi. “It’s also a challenging track where getting the set-up and strategy right is particularly important, and that will be our focus in free practice.

“We need to extract the maximum performance from our cars, because we know the competition is strong, but we’re really motivated, and we will keep pushing hard.”

Hirakawa knows a good result is required to get into contention for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ title in the eight-round championship.

“The team has been working hard to prepare, and we saw last season that our GR010 Hybrid is competitive at Imola, so I’m optimistic we can fight for the win,” Hirakawa said.

“I’m excited to race again at Imola because it’s a traditional circuit and there are so many passionate fans in the grandstands to support us.”

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This weekend is the first of three European races, culminating in the Le Mans 24 Hours — which Hartley has won three times — in mid-June.

Kiwi Earl Bamber is also contesting the WEC. Racing for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota with former Formula One champion Jenson Button one of his co-drivers, they placed 16th in Qatar.

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola has become one of motorsport’s most recognisable circuits since opening in 1953. This is the WEC’s sixth visit, replacing Monza last year.

The six-hour race starts at 10pm on Sunday.