THE ROME-BASED RACER IS DETERMINED TO CONTINUE IN HIS RECORD-SETTING RUN

The third season in the history of the GTSPRINT INTERNATIONAL SERIES has already celebrated its champion. Thanks to the eight wins scored in 10-races, Rome-based Andrea Palma took an early crown and is now determined to end the 2012 season on the same note on his Black Team-prepared Ferrari 458.

It's been a spectacular year for him, as he also cruised to three straight poles (at Mugello, Budapest and Spa) and hit the podium in every single race held so far. While he had ended up in 2nd at Monza, only a drive-through penalty for jumping the start stopped him from going all the way at the most recent round held at Spa-Francorchamps.

It hasn't been an easy season - told Palma - although I know it seems so. The 2012 season was a new challenge for me with the new Ferrari 458 GTS2, and it's been tough to stayed focused. Michelotto - who developed the car - and the team put a massive effort into this season, and I just could not disappoint them.

And that's the way it ended up, with an impressive streak of great results: we got some difficult moments at the start because we didn't have the latest engine parts in Monza. Then I ran into two penalties for jumping the start at Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest. Definitely, it has not been a walk in the park. The support of the crowd has been key. A lot of people was cheering for us, corner after corner. And that's only been possible thanks to the great promotional initiatives created by FG GROUP to involve the fans in GTSPRINT.

Palma also proved incredibly grateful towards Ennio Bolsieri, Oscar Berselli and Gian Cristiano Cavalleri, the men behind Black Team. The Italian squad scored nine wins, including Race 1 at Monza with Raffaele Giammaria. I definitely want to go for more in the last four races. I'm a perfectionist and I want to keep pushing. I got eight wins, there's four more races, I'm going to target the 12-mark, although my rivals will be eager to try and stop me!.