Second victory and two cars in the podium for GPC Sport• Montermini-Lambertini (340) win, Hernández-Bastos (360) third• Race for Championship still open• Castro-García (Porsche) win again in GTB
GPC Sport clinched their second success in the International GT Open by imposing their Ferrari 430 with Marco Lambertini and former F.1 driver Andrea Montermini, who were handed their trophies in the podium by the President of the FIA World Council, Marco Piccinini.
The pair crossed the line ahead of Saturday’s winners, Mediani-Pasini (Victory Ferrari 430) and the perfect day of GPC was completed by third place of their 360, in the hands of Bastos-Hernández. With the Playteam Ferrari of Vilander finishing fourth and the Mosler of Aicart ninth, the fight for the title is still open. Positions before the final event (a single 2-hour race awarding double points) in Barcelona (11-12 November) see the Guerrero-Aicart first (146 p.) ahead of Bartyan (128) and Ruberti (119). Class winners of yesterday obtained a brilliant bis: Santiago García and Antonio Castro (Porsche 996 Cup) in GTB and Stefano Zonca – Antonio Belicchi (Racing Box Viper) in GTS.
QUALIFYING 2: The grid for Race 2 saw some surprise, as young Spanish star Javier Díaz took the pole in the Escudería Roger Ferrari 430, ahead of the Victory Ferrari of Mediani (whose last, fastest lap was stopped by a red flag), the Mosler of Guerrero and the Playteam Ferrari of Gião. worth to note the good results of the Autorlando Porsche of Mowlem (7th) and the Sun Red Seat Cupra of Vinyes. Pedro Nevoa on the Marcos Mantis sat the fastest time in GTB.
HANDICAPS RACE 2:# 2 Guerrero – Aicart (Mosler Bengala GTA) – 45”# 27 Zonca – Belicchi (Racing Box Viper) – 45”# 29 Perazzini – Cioci (Racing Box Viper) – 45”# 34 Giao – Amorim (Playteam Ferrari 360) – 10”# 35 Arlotti – Gini (Giudici Ferrari 360 Ch) – 10”# 42 Villacieros – Robert (G. Camino Ferrari 430 ch) – 30”# 55 Ruberti – Gianmaria (Edil Cris Ferrari 430) – 25”# 58 Pasini – Mediani (Victory Ferrari 430) – 20”
RACE 2:The rolling start sees exciting fighting for first position at the braking of the first corner. It is yesterday’s winner, the Victory 430 of Mediani which takes the advantage, ahead of Guerrero (GTA Mosler), Díaz (Roger Ferrari 430), Gianmaria (Edil Cris Ferrari 430), Vinyes (Sun Red Seat Cupra), Malucelli (Edil Cris Ferrari 360) and Mowlem (Autorlando Porsche), while the RSV Ferrari of Domingo Romero is penalized with a drive-through for having jumped the start. The situation on the top gets stabilized in the first laps, with Guerrero losing momentarily the second position because of an incursion in the grass, and Díaz and Gião (Playteam Ferrari 360) going up to fourth position. In the meantime, Santos (Roger Ferrari 430 Ch.) has spun in lap 6 and Espiritu Santo (ASM Ferrari 430) went out of the race in lap 4. More importantly, shortly before the pit stop, the Edil Cris Ferrari of Gianmaria breaks a drive shaft in lap 12 and is forced to retirement.
Once the phase of mandatory driver changes is over, Puig is briefly in the lead in the pole-setting Escudería Roger Ferrari 430 but a contact with the 430 of Luis Pérez-Sala sends both men into the gravel for good. Almost at the same time a similar incident happens between the Mastercar Ferrari 360 of Rosa and the Camino Ferrari 430 Ch. of Villacieros, while also the two Marcos of Novoa and Nogueira are visiting the field beyond the kerbs.
Leading the race is Gianluca Roda on the Autorlando Porsche he shares with Johnny Mowlem, but the Italian is under pressure from Montermini and Pasini, who will pass him a little bit later. In the closing laps, also Hernández (on the GPC Ferrari 360) and Vilander (Playteam Ferrai 360) will overtake Roda. It’s retirement time, instead, for the Galp Porsche of the Bryner brothers, who had climbed until 7th position. Nothing changes in the lead, with Montermini winning with a mere 3” on Pasini.
In GTB, the race was again well fought. After the initial domination of the Marcos of Nogueira (later out of the track), Santiago García and Antonio Castro managed to clinch a second victory within the weekend with their Porsche 996 Cup, ahead of the Rodrigo brothers’ Ferrari 430 Challenge and the other Porsche of Portuguese Sande e Castro team, driven by Cruz-Guedes. In GTS, a new victory for Zonca-Belicchi on the Racing Box Viper.
QUOTESAndrea Montermini (1°): “It’s nice to win again. Today, everything was going well but I did not hope to win. When I started my stint, I did not have a very clear idea of what my position was, I thought I was further down, but then I passed Mediani and later Roda and all of a sudden I realized I was leading”.
Marco Lambertini (1°): “It was a perfect Sunday, especially for a real gentleman-driver like me, who has to be in the office working on Monday morning! More seriously, I am very happy, because the level of competition and the of driving in this event was really very high, and it is a big satisfaction to be ahead of all the professionals”.
The last event of the International GT Open 2006, the Catalunya GT Open, will take place in Montmelò (Barcelona) on 11-12 November.
