GT Open: Montermini-Schiro win and take lead, winning debut for the Nissan

Race 2 report

The Villorba Corse pair takes brilliant first win of the season and are the new leaders in the championship standings

The Nova Race Nissan of Dolby-Bontempelli wins in GTS at debut

Podiums for Rugolo-Sdanewitsch (AF Ferrari) and Camathias-Beretta (Autorlando Porsche)

Scuderia Villorba Corse, with Andrea Montermini and Niccolò Schirò, took a well-deserved first win of the season, Sunday in race 2 at Jerez. The Italian pair drove a brilliant race, charging hard throughout the 33 laps, to take the chequered flag, ahead of the Nova Race Nissan GT-R of Lorenzo Bontempelli-Craig Dolby and the AF Corse Ferrari of Michele Rugolo-Claudio Sdanewitsch, who had led most of the race.

It was, of course, maiden win in GTS also for the Nova Race Nissan, which debuted here. Joel Camathias-Matteo Beretta repeated third spot in the class with the Autorlando Porsche.

With today’s success, Montermini and Schirò take the lead in the standings, thanks also to the grey weekend of the Corvettes, with the SRT car of Soulet-Tutumlu not even able to take the start today, following yesterday’s gearbox problem.

At the start, Rugolo keeps the advantage of the pole ahead of Aicart, Pastorelli, Schirò, Patel, Beretta and Mavlanov. There is quite some action with Roda running wide into the gravel. The young Italian is back on track but one later there is a slight contact with Constantini and Bontempelli and both Roda and Costantini hit the barriers. In the meantime, Schirò has taken third from Pastorelli and Mavlanov has passed Beretta for 6th.

As we approach the driver change window, Rugolo has an 8 seconds advantage on Aicart, now attacked by Schirò.

After all pit stops (lap 20), Sdanewitsch leads with 24 seconds over Maleev, then Dolby,

Hamilton and Montermini, who has passed Campaniço and Camathias in lively manner, and Zampieri. The interest is for the charge of Dolby, who passes Maleev for 2nd on lap 23, with

Montermini taking fourth from Hamilton soon after. Barba gets a stop and go for a refueling infringement.

The charge of Montermini brings the Italian to pass Dolby for second on lap 28, as the Nissan seems to have tire problems, and the Ferrari is now 8 seconds from the leader with 5 minutes to go. In great shape, Montermini will pass Sdanewitsch (winner of the Gentlemen’s Trophy) in the penultimate lap, clinching the win, with Dolby also passing the AF Corse Ferrari to take maiden GTS win.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER RACE 6 OF 16

Overall: 1. Montermini-Schirò, 96; 2. Pastorelli-Ramos, 83; 3. Zampieri-Mavlanov, 81; 4. Soulet, 72; 5. Camathias, 50; etc.

Drivers SuperGT: 1. Montermini-Schirò, 44; 2. Pastorelli-Ramos, Zampieri-Mavlanov, 40; 4. Soulet, 32; 5. Catsburg, Tutumlu, 16; etc.

GTS: 1. Roda, 30; 2. Aicart-Maleev, 25; 3. Sdanewitsch, 24; 4. Camathias, 21; 5. Rugolo, Sicart-Costantini, 18; etc

Teams SuperGT: 1. V8 Racing, 51; 2. Villorba Corse, 44; 3. SMP Racing, 40; 4. SRT, 32; 5. Drivex, 7; etc

Teams GTS: 1. AF Corse, 69; 2. Ombra Racing, 26; 3. SMP Racing, 25; 4. Autorlando Sport, 21; 5. Novadriver, 18; etc

Contructors Super GT: 1. Ferrari, 84 ; 2. Chevrolet, 80 ; 3. Porsche, 7.

Constructors GTS: 1. Ferrari, 95 ; Porsche, 21 ; 3. Audi, 18 ; 4. Nissan, 13; 5. Mercedes, 8; etc.

Gentlemen’s Trophy: 1. Sdanewitsch, 54; 2. Maleev, 44; 3.Cordoni, 31 ; 4. Silva-Coimbra ; 5. Pronk, 14 ; etc


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