Monza, Roda-Rovera (Ferrari 488) win race-2 at the 3rd round of the Italian GT Sprint Championship

The AF Corse pairing proceeded the Audi R8 LMS driven by Drudi-Agostini and the Ferrari 488 of Mann-Cressoni, that were the first of GT3 PRO-AM. Cassarà-De Giacomi (Porsche GT3R) won GT3 AM, while the BMW M4 GT4 of Guerra-Riccitelli ended on top in GT4 PRO-AM and Luca Magnoni (Mercedes AMG GT4) in GT4 AM. Greco-Chiesa (Ferrari 488 Challenge) claimed another win in GT Cup.
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Giorgio Roda and Alessio Rovera (Ferrari 488-AF Corse) won race-2 in Monza at the third round of the Italian GT Sprint Championship and proceeded the Audi R8 LMS of Drudi-Agostini (Audi Sport Italia) and the Ferrari 488 of Mann-Cressoni (AF Corse), that were the first of GT3 PRO-AM, while GT3 AM was won by Cassarà-De Giacomi (Porsche GT3R-Dinamic Motorsport).

The victory in GT4 went to Guerra-Riccitelli (BMW M4 GT4-BMW Team Italia), that of AM to Luca Magnoni (Mercedes AMG GT4-Nova Race) and GT Cup’s to Greco-Chiesa (Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo-Easy Race). The classifications are led by Agostini (GT3), Mann-Cressoni (GT3 PRO-AM), Cassarà-De Giacomi (GT3 AM), Segù-De Luca (GT4 PRO-AM), Vebster-Riva (GT4 AM) and Greco-Chiesa (GT Cup).

RACE-2 CLASSIFICATION

GT3: A hard-fought race, eventful and with two safety cars deployed, the second of which in the closing stages, which ended up with a red-hot closing lap. The Monza’s lottery was won by Gianluca Roda and Alessio Rovera, in the Ferrari 488 of AF Corse. They have been skilled securing the first win in the Sprint series, a result that keeps them in the fight for the 2020 title. In the first stint, that saw the first safety car being deployed when Galbiati went off, Rovera trailed the poleman Spinelli, eventually handing the car over to his co-equiper in second place. In the second stint, Roda kept himself behind Ferrari, who took over from Spinelli, but on lap 21 the driver from Lombardy had to concede his position to an unleashed Pulcini, who took the lead from Roda to Drudi in the melee of the restart in the closing lap that also saw Ferrari going off. Pucini crossed the finish line on top but was soon pushed down to P5 due to a penalty handed to his co-equiper Kroes due to the contact with Galbiati. The victory went therefore to Roda-Rovera, as the first put in a great restart at the last lap. They led Drudi-Agostini that, despite the time penalty for the great results in the previous rounds, closed the race in P” leading Tujula-Nemoto (Lamborghini Huracan). At the end of the race, the VSR pairing was handed a 5s time penalty following the contact by Tujula to Ferrari in the closing lap, which relegated the pairing to P7. The Vincenzo Sospiri drivers run an excellent race nevertheless, thanks to a great first stint by the Japanese driver that managed P3, and a wise second stint by Tujula despite the hiccup of the closing lap.

The third step of the podium was therefore inherited by Mann-Cressoni, that claimed their best result of the season winning PRO-AM after a good race by the young American who kept himself close to the pace setters and a super Cressoni securing the points needed to keep the lead of PRO-AM in the closing stages. Behind the AF Corse drivers, the two Ferraris 488 of Michelotto-Hudspeth and Di Amato Vezzoni (RS Racing) closed in the order, as the driver from Singapore of Easy Race managed to find his way past Di Amato in the closing lap. The eighth place went to Cassarà-De Giacomi (Porsche GT3R-Dinamic Motorsport), that were the first of AM despite a racing contact with the Mercedes of Pezzucchi, that led the sister car of Ebimotors driven by Venerosi-Baccani. Comandini-Zug (BMW M6 GT3) were awaited to another strong race after the victory in race-1, but an electrical problem in the second stint stripped BMW Team Italia of another good result. Marcucci-Frassineti (Lamborghini Huracan-LP Racing) were also hit by bad luck and had a problem to the front left rim. Stefano Pezzucchi (Mercedes AMG GT3-KMS) had to retire from the race on lap eight due to the contact with Cassarà. Galbiati-Venturini (Lamborghini Huracan-Imperiale Racing) had a similar fate following the contact with Kroes. Agostini is currently leading the classification at 83 points and is followed by Ferrari (57), Tujula-Nemoto (54) and Comandini-Zug (53). Mann-Cressoni lead GT3 PRO-AM with 86 points and are followed by Di Amato-Vezzoni (74) and Michelotto-Hudpseth (65), Cassarà-De Giacomi lead AM at 60 points as Venerosi-Baccani (60) are second.

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GT4: After the Mercedes being successful in race-1, the BMW M4 GT4 of Francesco Guerra and Simone Riccitelli had the upper hand in another tight and hard-fought race in GT4. The BMW Team Italia’s drivers kept the lead throughout, with the only exception of the initial stages when De Castro caught off Guerra leading the race for five laps. The BMW driver got the lead back on lap six handing the car over to his co-equiper Ricccitelli, who kept the lead in the closing lap fending off a great champion like Andrea Belicchi (Mercedes AMG GT4). The Villorba Corse driver – after the fourth place of Vullo in the first stint – recovered in the closing stages and crossed the finish line ahead of the sister car driven by Segù-De Luca, that secured a solitary lead in the provisional standings (85 points) with a 2 points margin on the Villorba Corse drivers and six on BMW Team Italia’s. The fourth-place went to Gnemmi-Pera (Porsche Cayman-Ebimotors) that led teammates Piccioli-De Castro and Luca Magnoni (Mercedes AMG GT4). The Nova Race driver won AM after a good duel with the BMW M4 GT4 of Paolo Meloni (W&D), while the third step of the podium went to Vebster Riva (Porsche Cayman-Centro Porsche Ticino) that kept the lead of the provisional classification (84 points).

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GT CUP: Matteo Greco and Riccardo Chiesa did not have rivals in race-2 either and secured the fifth win of the season in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo run by Easy Race. The victory was facilitated by the start from the pits of Alessandro Berton due to a problem to a sensor of the Ferrari 488 Challenge of SR&R. The initial stages of the second stint saw Demarchi – who took over from Berton – engaging in a good battle with Greco that took over from Chiesa, but Demarchi had to retire when six laps were still to go.

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