Audi Sport Italia’s pairing led Postiglione-Basz (Lamborghini Huracan) and Comandini-Koebolt (BMW M6 GT3) at the end of a hard-fought battle on the wet. Gai keeps the GT3 lead, 5 points clear of Baruch and 7 of Zampieri-Altoè.
Bar Baruch and Mattia Drudi won race-1 of the sixth round of the Italian GT Championship held at the Monza Eni Circuit on Audi R8 LMS. Audi Sport Italia’s color bearers proceeded the Lamborghini Huracan of Postiglione-Basz (Imperiale Racing) by 5”843s and the BMW M6 GT3 driven by Comandini-Koebolt (BMW Team Italia).
With three races still left to go, the GT3 classification is very short and Gai is leading the pack at 130 points. He is followed by Baruch (125) and Zampieri-Altoè (123). The victory in the other classes went to Magnoni-Marchetti (Audi R8 LMS Ultra-Nova Race), that were first in GT3 Light, Pietro Perolini (Lamborghini Huracan-Antonelli Motorsport) was on the top step of the podium in Super GT Cup and Davide Di Benedetto (Porsche 991-Island Motorsport) dominated GT Cup. Race-2 (48 minutes + 1 lap) will get underway tomorrow at 14 with live TV coverage on Raisport, on the Facebook page of the championship and on www.acisport.it/CIGT.
Race-1: A good win and the second place in the championship is Bar Baruch’s haul of the weekend so far. Audi Sport Italia’s driver from Israel shared driving duties on the R8 LMS with Mattia Drudi, that has been alongside him already in the two races held in Vallelunga. Baruch run an excellent first stint on a tricky and drying up track on rain tyres. The 22 years old from Israel recovered since the beginning from the starting P7 and installed himself in P2 during the fourth lap allowing later on co-equiper Drudi, who did not have to serve any handicap time during the pit stop, to get the lead of the race. The Italian did not have an easy walk, though.
Pushed by Postiglione, who took over from Basz, Drudi struggled due to the slick tyres fitted on his car before the rain started to fall again, but he managed to hold on to P1 all the way to the flag, securing the maiden win in Italian GT, which was the third victory of the season for Audi. Postiglione-Basz followed as the young Polish driver has been very good in closing in on the front-runners in the first stint, allowing Postiglione to get out of the pits in second place and end his effort in P2 ahead of Comandini-Koebolt. BMW Team Italia’s pairing made also the most of a penalty handed to Veglia-Spinelli (Lamborghini Huracan-Antonelli Motorsport), that crossed the finish line in P3, but were later on pushed down to the sixth due to an irregularity during the safety car period.
Gai-Fisichella (Ferrari 488) were at the feet of the podium, but Scuderia Baldini 27 drivers will not have any penalty to serve tomorrow in Race-2. Gai started from the pole but he handed the lead to Raffaele Giammaria early on. Imperiale Racing’s driver was later forced to a premature halt due to a problem with a tyre. Fisichella served the time handicap in the pits and then managed the race closing ahead of Zampieri-Altoè. Antonelli Motorsport’s lineup was the first to pit for slick tyres, byt the 25s time penalty voided the great strategy devised by the team.
Magnoni-Marchetti were seventh overall and first of GT3 Light. They led Matteo Davenia (Ferrari 458 Italia), who got an early lead. The young driver of Easy Race could not fend off Magnoni and Marchetti, who was at his maiden race on the Audi R8 LMS Ultra run by Nova Race. The third step of the GT3 Light podium went to Mann-Cressoni on the Ferrari 458 Italia run by AF Corse.
Category Super GT Cup is open to Lamborghini Huracan, and in this series the win went to Pietro Perolini, who has always held the lead. The Italian driver led Xu-Pavlovic (Bonaldi Motorsport) and teammates Cenedese-Galbiati, that were affected by electric problems.
Davide Di Benedetto secured another win in GT Cup, this time proceeding La Mazza-Linos (Porsche 991-Ebimotors). Pisani-Sauto (Porsche 997-Siliprandi Racing) went off in the first part of the race, and Linos – who took over from La Mazza, tried to attack the driver from Sicily, who is the favourite in the title hunt. Mancncinelli-Fontana (Ferrari 488-Easy Race) had to retire in consequence of a flawless incident, while the Brits Froggatt-Sawbridge (Ferrari 488-AF Corse), went off in the second stint at the end of a spectacular and not violent collision with the barriers.
