Tom Onslow-Cole and Valentin Pierburg signed an authoritative lights-to-flag win in Race 2 at Silverstone today. Taking advantage of the morning’s pole, the Brit and the German put an impeccable performance, obtaining their maiden overall win in the series (and the fifth in the Pro-Am class) and giving also their first success in the series to SPS Automotive Performance.
Again second (for the sixth time this season!), Giovanni Venturini and Jeroen Mul, with the Imperiale Racing Lamborghini, reduced the gap considerably in the overall standings, where they now lie only 14 points behind Mikkel Mac (today 4th with Pierguidi in their Luzich Racing Ferrari) and 5 behind Rueda-Saravia, the BMW Team Teo Martín pair that finished 6th today.
Ombra Racing completed the podium with its Huracan after a very solid race by Alex Frassineti-Damiano Fioravanti.
The Lambos of Ramos-Crestani (Lazarus) and Di Folco-Costantini (Target) took second and third in Pro-Am behind the winning Mercedes, while Giulio Borlenghi-Andrzej Lewandowski (Vincenzo Sospiri Racing Lambo) took a last-minute win, their fifth, in the Am class.
THE RACE – Onslow-Cole has perfect start from the pole ahead of Khodair, Crestani, Mul, Macleod, Agostini, Saravia and Frassineti. At the back, there is a contact between Liang and Wilkinson (who will receive a 10-second penalty later on for causing the incident).
The SPS Mercedes pulls away easily, at a one-second per lap pace, while Perel, Cioci and Frassineti have passed Saravia, now closing the top 10. Burke leads comfortably in Am and is 11th, followed by Cruz and Mac.
In the lead, Onslow-Cole has a 10-second advantage by lap 10 and beats the fastest lap. In lap 13, opens the driver change window, with Agostini, Saravia, Cioci and Mac stopping among the first ones. After all changes, Pierburg leads with 11 seconds over Hahn (who will receive later a 4-second penalty for not serving the entire handicap) and 23 over Venturini that leads a compact pack including Fioravanti, Pierguidi, Breukers, Ramos, Rueda, Loggie and Salikhov. Konopka keeps P1 in Am. In lap 20, there is a contact between Beirão and Keilwitz.
Situation at the top remains stable, with Pierburg keeping the advantage stable until the end, while drama strikes for Hahn as he retires in the penultimate lap with a puncture, while Lewandowski steals Am win in the last lap from Konopka, passed also by Chuklin, who has driven alone the Teo Martín BMW, as Basso fell ill during the night.
PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 10 OF 14
Overall: 1. Mac, 86 points; 2. Saravia-Rueda, 77; 3. Venturini-Mul, 72; 4. PierGuidi, 70; 5. Fioravanti, Di Amato, 55; etc
Pro-Am: 1. Ramos-Crestani, 63 points; 2. Pierburg-Onslow Cole, 58; 3. Hahn, 45; 4. Ellis-Wilkinson, 38; 5. Khodair; 6. Rugolo-West, 33; etc.
GT-Am: 1. Lewandowski-Borlenghi, 60 points; 2. Konopka, 50; 3. Hrachowina-Konrad, 45; 4. Coimbra-Silva, 42; 5. Calko, 35; 6. Basso, 34; etc
Teams: 1. Luzich Racing, 75 points; 2. Imperiale Racing, 73; 3. BMW Team Teo Martín, 55 points; 4. RS Racing, 29; 5. Ombra Racing, 28; 6. SPS Automotive Performance, 24; etc
NEXT ROUND: Monza, 22-23 September
