Daniel Serra and Marco Cioci took their second win of the season in the Luzich Racing Ferrari 488, i a Race 1 at Silverstone that got very lively in the final stages. The Brazilian clinched the pole and led during the first stint, but the Italian had to fight hard in the final laps to keep at bay the Imperiale Racing Lambo of Jeroen Mul. The Dutchman and Giovanni Venturini took their fifth second of the season, with the Teo Martin BMW of Fran Rueda-Andrés Saravia completing a podium which saw three different brands represented.
Today fifth, together with Alessandro Pierguidi, Mikkel Mac (Luzich Racing Ferrari) sees his lead in the standings slightly reduced to 6 points over Rueda-Saravia and 18 over Venturini- Mul.
In front of their fans, Ollie Wilkinson and Brad Ellis gave the Optimum Motorsport Audi a home win in Pro-Am, with Andrzej Lewandowski-Giulio Borlenghi (VSR Lambo) reinforcing their leadership in the Am category thanks to a fourth race win.
THE RACE – Perfect start from the pole for Daniel Serra, who precedes Breukers, Rueda, Venturini, Giammaria, Pierguidi, Keilwitz, Ellis, Sowery and Fioravanti, while Pierburg stops at the end of lap 1 with a punctured tire following a contact by West, who spins, at the chicane. The leading Luzich Ferrari pulls away, while the group behind him is very compact and positions stabilize.
In lap 9, the Bentley of Loggie stops in the pits with damage following a puncture. Breukers signs the fastest lap in lap 10 and has progressively pulled off to become a lone second. Lewandowski leads in Am.
Rueda, Venturini and Pierguidi are among the first to stop for driver change in lap15, with the leading pair of Serra and Breukers doing it two laps late, and Keilwitz and Ellis at the end of the window.
After all stops, Cioci keeps the lead with 4.6 seconds on Mul and 6 on Saravia, followed by Wilkinson, Liang, Mac and Frassineti with Agostini on P11. In Am, Burke on the ARC Bratislava Lambo is leading. Crestani gests a 2-second penalty for not serving the entire handicap time at pit stop. Mul closes progressively on Cioci. Therevis great fight for 5th between Liang, Frassineti, Di Amato and Mac, especially when they get melted with lapped cars. Di Amato will emerge as winner, although he will get a 3-second penalty for track limits. . It’s also hot between Liang, Agostini, Cruz and Perel for eighth. Wilkinson cannot resist the attacks of Di Amato, Frassineti and Mac, but retains solid first in Pro-Am, ahead of Perel and Liang.
In the very last laps, Mul catches Cioci but the Italian will retain first under the flag. Rueda is third ahead of Frassineti, Mac and Di Amato. Borlenghi wins in Am ahead of Burke and Konrad.
PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 9 OF 14
Overall: 1. Mac, 78 points; 2. Saravia-Rueda, 72; 3. PierGuidi, 62; 4. Venturini-Mul, 60; 5. Cioci, Di Amato, 51; 6. Fioravanti, 46; etc
Pro-Am: 1. Ramos-Crestani, 55 points; 2. Pierburg-Onslow Cole, 48; 3. Hahn, 45; 4. Ellis-Wilkinson, 35; 5. Khodair, Rugolo-West, 33; etc.
GT-Am: 1. Lewandowski-Borlenghi, 55 points; 2. Konopka, 47; 3. Hrachowina-Konrad, 45; 4. Coimbra-Silva, 42; 5. Calko, 35; 6. Basso, 34; etc
Teams: 1. Luzich Racing, 71 points; 2. Imperiale Racing, 62; 3. BMW Team Teo Martín, 53 points; 4. RS Racing, 29; 5. Ombra Racing, 29; 6. VSR, 16; etc
