The third round of the 2026 Eurocup-3 season delivered another memorable chapter as the championship made its first-ever visit to the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Across three fiercely contested races, Ean Eyckmans inherited his maiden Eurocup-3 victory following a post-race penalty for original winner Heitor Dall’Agnol, Patrick Heuzenroeder claimed his first success in the category in Sprint Race, while James Egozi returned to dominant form on Sunday to secure his fourth victory of the season and further strengthen his position at the top of the standings.
Friday belonged entirely to Egozi. The Palou Motorsport driver underlined his championship credentials by securing pole position for both Race 1 and Race 2, confirming the pace that had already made him the benchmark during the opening two rounds of the campaign.
Saturday’s opening race produced drama from lights out to the chequered flag. Although Egozi started from pole position, his race came to an early end due to a mechanical issue while fighting at the front. Another title contender, Keanu Al Azhari, was also forced to retire after being pushed onto the grass during a battle with Heitor Dall’Agnol, an incident that ultimately proved decisive. In an eventful contest featuring several incidents and Safety Car interventions, Dall’Agnol crossed the finish line first ahead of Ean Eyckmans and Rafaël Pérard. However, after reviewing an incident with Al Azhari, the stewards handed the Brazilian driver a post-race penalty for forcing his rival off the track. As a result, Eyckmans inherited his maiden Eurocup-3 victory, while Pérard was promoted to second and Dall’Agnol was classified third.
The second race of the weekend proved equally unpredictable. An early red flag interrupted proceedings before the race was restarted, with a subsequent Safety Car once again bunching up the field. Patrick Heuzenroeder managed the chaotic conditions perfectly to take his first Eurocup-3 victory, demonstrating excellent composure during the multiple restarts. Juan Cota initially crossed the finish line in second place, but was later handed a post-race penalty after activating the Push to Pass system three seconds before crossing the start/finish line at the restart following the Safety Car, in breach of the sporting regulations. The sanction promoted Gino Trappa (P2) onto the podium alongside Gianmarco Pradel in P3.
Sunday’s final race provided a more familiar picture at the front. Starting from his second pole position of the weekend, James Egozi controlled proceedings from the very beginning, quickly building a comfortable advantage and never allowing his rivals an opportunity to challenge for victory. Rafaël Pérard completed his best weekend in E3 by finishing second (first podium) while the battle for the remaining podium place rewarded another consistent performance from the chasing pack with Kacper Sztuka taking first podium ever for Tecnicar in this series.
With four victories from the opening eight races of the season, Egozi leaves Imola with an even healthier advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, while Palou Motorsport also reinforced its position in the Teams’ standings after another highly successful weekend. You can check the full standings here.
The championship now heads to Monza for Round 4 at the end of July (31-2), where all drivers and teams will once again face one of Europe’s most legendary circuits: The Temple of Speed.