Sedgwick puts in a classy drive in the 12H of Imola

The youngest of the Team Cooksport trio, the Southam teenager teamed up with Josh Cook and Ollie Cook to drive the Renaultsport Clio in the first running of the event which forms part of the FIA 24H Series.

The race, which was open to a range of cars, was contested over two parts, with a sprint race on Friday held shortly after qualifying and an eight-hour race on the Saturday.

The sprint race took place under the hot Italian sunshine and Sedgwick stayed in the car for 80 minutes before handing it over with a lead of two laps on the second-placed car.

The 18-year-old’s fastest lap time during the race would also be the fastest time set by the team and the quickest lap for the class.

The remainder of the race passed without any incident, with Sedgwick watching from the pit wall as his team finished the race in first place in their class.

The second part of the race started mid morning on Saturday and Josh Cook started the race for the team before giving way to Sedgwick who completed a two-hour stint before pitting and handing the car over again.

The lead built up from the first part of the race was maintained all the way to the chequered flag and Team Cooksport crossed the line in first place in their class to win the inaugural 12H of Imola.

“Winning the 12H of Imola is a dream come true,” admitted Sedgwick.

“After finishing second in Dubai, the aim was to go for the win and we did it.

“This win is for the whole team who did a fantastic job.

“I now can’t wait for the next race as we are also only three points away from the championship lead with one race to go.”

You can follow Alex and Team Cooksport’s progress in the 24H Series via @alexsedgwick9