Light-to-(Red) Flag Win for Lietz-Camathias (Autorlando Porsche)• GT Open Race Shortened of 4 Laps Because of Oil in the Track• Bonetti-Peter (GPC Ferrari) Take Lead in Standings• Title Fight Re-Opens : 7 Driver Pairs in 9 Points !• New-comers Smurra-Stancheris (Latorre Viper) Win in GTS
Richard Lietz and Joël Camathias took a brilliant second seasonal win in the Oschersleben GT Open race. The Austrian-Swiss pair, driving their Porsche 997 RSR of Autorlando Sport, bent the opposition since the start, in a race packed with action and drama, which was red-flagged in lap 24 out of 28, as liquids on the track caused two accidents. Romero-Sundberg (RSV Ferrari) and Mowlem-Roda (GPC Ferrari) completed the podium.
By taking fifth place, Austrian-Italian pair Philipp Peter-Alessandro Bonetti (GPC Ferrari) take the lead in the provisional standings, one little point ahead of Lietz-Camathias. With 7 driver pairs within 9 points, the fight for the championship is more open than ever!
Gianni Giudici and Andrea Perlini (Ferrari) won in GTB while new-comera Emanuele Smurra and Davide Stancheris, driving one of the Viper Coupés of Scuderia Latorre, won in GTS.
QUALIFYING 2 – Qualifying session for Race 2, held on Saturday, was quieter but also a little bit slower that Qualifying1. Richard Lietz on the Autorlando Porsche took the pole ahead of a string of eight Ferraris 430, among which GPC’s Johnny Mowlem was the fastest driver. In GTS, Dutchman Cor Euser was the fastest in the the evergreen Marcos beating the Latorre Viper of Romagnoli and the Villois Aston of Romanini.
HANDICAPS GT OPEN RACE
Minimum driver change time (for all) : 50’’
#1 Montermini-Maceratesi (Playteam Ferrari) -20’’#10 Livio-Frigerio (AE Ferrari) -10’’#11 Camathias-Lietz (Autorlando Porsche) – 30”#18 Bobbi-Frezza (GPC Ferrari)- 10’’#19 Peter-Bonetti (GPC Ferrari) -15’’#23 Roda-Mowlem (GPC Ferrari) -10’’#31 Azzoli-Mocci (Racing Box Viper) -15”#33 Romagnoli-Marchetti (Latorre Viper) -10’’#38 Lancieri-Romanini (Villois Aston Martin) -20’’#39 Petrini-Wiser (Villois Aston Martin) -20’’#43 Giudici-Perlini (Ferrari) -20’’#44 Arlotti-Gini (Ferrari) -15’’#60 Ciocci-Geri (Racing Box Lamborghini) -15’’
RACE REPORT – Poleman Lietz keeps the advantage at the start and, as foreseeable, first passage at corner one gets pretty jammed, with many contacts, but everybody manages to go through in one piece. At the end of lap 1 it is Lietz leading in the Autorlando Porsche ahead oo the Ferraris of Maceratesi (Playteam), Mowlemw and Bonetti (GPC), while Euser is an excellent sixth in the Marcos. In lap 2 the Sun Red of Zapata spins and Aicart (GTA Mosler) cannot avoid colliding with it, losing the bonnet of his GTA Mosler in the venture, while Chiminelli is in the gravel in turn 1.
It’s all under control for Lietz in the lead, with the Austrian gaining one second a lap over Maceratesi. Mowlem and Bonetti are a little bit further, joined by team-mate Bobbi, who has passed Romero and Aguas. The nice race of the Marcos ends in lap 8, with a mute engine, leaving the leadership in GTS to the Villois Aston of Romanini, which is followed by the Latorre Viper of romagnoli and the Racing Box Lambo of Geri. In the meantime, Frigerio (Advanced Ferrari) spins. In lap 11, Maceratesi is forced to the box by a brutal puncture of his front right tyre.
After the driver changes and the handicap paying, the GPC Ferrari of Frezza and the Autorlando Porsche of Camathias get out of the pits together but the young Italian holds the lead for less than one lap, as the Swiss overtakes him and flies away. The GPC Ferrari of Roda is third, in front of the 430s of Sundberg (RSV), Peter (GPC), Busnelli (Playteam), the Mosler of Guerrero (still without a bonnet) and the Ae Ferrari of Pasini. In GTS, the handicap has costed the leadership to the Villois Aston of Lancieri, now fourth behind the Latorre Viper of Marchetti, the Racing Box Lambo of Cioci and the Racing Box Viper of Azzoli, who will have to stop soon after with an exhaust problem.
Two men in evidence in this second part of the race are Peter Sundberg and Max Busnelli, who charge up to second and third position. Final drama starts in lap 23 because of oil on the track in the last turn leading into the straight. Frezza touches Geri while lapping him sending the Lambo into a spin. Roda who follows closely can’t avoid a contact with the Lambo and breakes the radiator of his Ferrari. The cooling liquid overspills all over and will cause the accidents of the Vipers of Sangiuolo, first, and Argenti, few minutes later. Both Vipers spin and hit the wall hard, but luckily there are no major consequences for the drivers. The race is red-flagged with the result frozen on lap 22.
STANDINGS AFTER 7 ROUNDS: 1. Peter-Bonetti, 80 p.; 3. Lietz-Camathias, 79 p.; 5. Montermini-Maceratesi, Busnelli-Massironi, 75; 9. Aicart-Guerrero, Mowlem-Roda, 73 ; 13. Livio-Pasini, 71 ; 15. Romero-Sundberg, 61 ; 17. Giudici, 55 ; 18. Arlotti-Gini, Geri, 38, etc
