Strong Start for Cottingham with Top-Four Finish on Porsche WEC Debut at Imola
EDGE Sporting Management driver James Cottingham made an impressive start to his 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign, securing a top-four finish in the LMGT3 category at the Six Hours of Imola.
The opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship took place at the iconic Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, marking Cottingham’s first competitive outing with Porsche machinery following his switch from McLaren in previous seasons.
Learning Phase in Practice and Qualifying
Teaming up with Manthey Racing in the No. 91 entry, Cottingham piloted the Porsche 911 GT3 R run in conjunction with Manthey DK Engineering.
The early sessions proved challenging, with both Porsche entries working to optimise setup and extract performance. Across practice, the cars hovered around the P10-P14 region, leaving work to be done heading into qualifying.
In a tightly contested LMGT3 session, the No. 91 crew secured P10 on the grid from James who with a best time of 1:43.081 – 1.4 seconds shy of pole position, which enabled the No.91 car to go through into Hyperpole. The silver graded drivers would partake in hyper pole and James’s teammate Timur Boguslavskiy did a sterling lap time that saw the No. 91 Porsche line up P8 for the race.
Race Performance Delivers Step Forward
Despite the qualifying result, the six-hour race told a very different story. Demonstrating strong race pace, strategy, and consistency, Cottingham and his teammates steadily worked their way forward through the field.
After 193 laps and just over six hours of racing, the No. 91 Porsche crossed the line in P4, marking a highly competitive opening round result in the championship.
The strength of the Manthey DK Engineering operation was further underlined by the sister car securing P3, completing a double top-four finish for the team.
Promising Start in World-Class Competition
The result represents a significant step forward from the challenges faced earlier in the weekend and highlights the team’s ability to adapt quickly to the new package.
Competing in one of the most competitive GT3 environments globally, Cottingham delivered a composed and effective performance against an experienced field of endurance racing specialists.
Focus Shifts to Spa-Francorchamps
With a strong opening result secured, attention now turns to the next round of the championship at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, taking place in just over two weeks’ time.
A top-four finish on debut with a new manufacturer signals a promising season ahead for Cottingham, as he continues to build momentum in the FIA World Endurance Championship.