Ibiza Racing Team kept their winning form in the second round of the 2013 Auto GP season in Marrakech. The team, that had already clinched a stunning debut win in Monza's Race 1, managed to repeat that dominating performance on the Moroccan city track taking another Race 1 success with Sergio Campana.A shortened timetable, with the Friday activities completely cancelled due to terrible weather, reduced the track time available for finding the right setup but that was no hindrance to the Italian team: after a fruitful Free Practice, Ibiza Racing led the way in qualifying, taking pole position thanks to Campana edging former F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan.
In similar fashion to what happened in Italy, Race 1 saw Campana boast a dominating performance: starting from pole position the former italian F3 champion led the pack into Turn 1 and then stretched his lead one lap after the other, disappearing into the distance. The only real thrill of his race came at the beginning of the final lap, when one of his car's exhausts broke sending shrapnels into the oil radiator. Sergio, who at that moment had a 5"6 gap on second placed De Jong, kept his head cold and nursed the car through the final lap, crossing the line with a 1" gap on the competition.
Giuseppe Cipriani drove a great race too: starting from P14 on the grid, a position that didn't reflect his true potential, Giuseppe made the most of his superior pace and recovered to finish in the points, in tenth place. His result could have been even better if rules were strictly respected but other drivers who passed cars under yellow flags received only mild penalties, something that caused complaints from the teams.
Reversed grid for Race 2 meant that Campana was to start from P8, while Cipriani kept his P10. Being in the middle of the pack can be dangerous on a tight track like Marrakech and the start proved that quickly: both Campana and Cipriani were very quick off the line and made-up some ground, but a multi-car contact sparked by Sato put an end to their race as early as Turn 1. This proved particularly harsh for Campana, who lost the championship lead he had earned with the Race 1 win.Now Sergio lies second in the Series standings, 4 points off the leader. Next round of the Auto GP championship will take place in Hungaroring on 4-5 May and will be again broadcasted live on Eurosport.
Modesto Benegiamo (Team Manager): "On one hand the whole team is amazed by the results we are clinching, because achieving two wins in two rounds is a stunning feat for a debuting team. We gave Sergio a great car and he made the most of it, also showing some clever driving when he had that technical glitch on the last lap. Giuseppe also did a great job, recovering isn't easy on a street track but he did that brilliantly.The bad note of the event is the way some situations were managed by the Stewards. Cipriani could have finished Race 1 in P8 if proper penalties were handed so starting from pole on the reversed grid. Instead each time they seem to find tailor-made solutions that don't make sense looking at the Sporting regulations. If a driver passes under yellow he should get a drive-through, and if it's not possible for him to serve the penalty during the race 25" should be added to his final time. Ghirelli was given a 2" penalty instead, and it's the second time it happens because in Monza it was the same. I will ask for explainations, because I don't really understand".
