The fifth round of the Italian GT Championship in Vallelunga

Mapelli-Schoeffler (GT3) and Omar Galbiati (GT Cup) call to defend their classification lead. Two races scheduled, both live on TV.

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All is set at the circuit of Vallelunga ahead of the fifth round of the Italian GT Championship scheduled for this coming weekend. Only two weeks after the French exit at Paul Ricard, the Italian series will get on track this weekend at the circuit located near Rome with both classifications – i.e. GT3 and GT Cup – still open and with a lot of lineups challenging each other for the final win.

In GT3 Mapelli-Schoeffler (Audi R8LMS) are the men to be beaten. Audi Sport Italia's lineup, that will have team mates Capello-Zonzini on their side, are currently leading the charts by eight points on Casè-Giammaria (Ferrari 458 Italia-Scuderia Baldini 27) and by 25 on Donativi-Gagliardini (Porsche GT3R-Ebimotors).

The fight for the Italian title seems closed to these three lineups but math does not rule out the two Ferraris driven by Nicola Benucci (MP1 Corse), who won Paul Ricard's race-2 together with Alessandro Balzan, and Luigi Lucchini (BMS-Scuderia Italia), who will share the cockpit of his 458 Italia with the winner of the 2014 edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona, the American Jeff Segal in this occasion.

Carboni-Beretta (Porsche GT3R-Autorlando) are still in the title fight and in Vallelunga they will be sided by another line up brought on track by the team from Bergamo: Emanuele Romani and the Greek driver Dimitris Deverikos.

Two lineups that did not partake in the French round will make it to Vallelunga instead. Malucelli-Frassineti, on Ferrari 458 Italia run by Team Malucelli, and Roberto Benedetti together with 2013 German GT Champion Diego Alessi on Corvette Z06 run by RC Motorsport will also be on track this coming weekend.

Andrea Amici will be back on the Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to Imperiale Racing after being replaced by Mirko Bortolotti at Paul Ricard. He and Giacomo Barri will try to repeat the success obtained on the French track in race-1.

GT Cup will also be quite tight as Omar Galbiati (Porsche 997-Antonelli Motorsport) will get to Vallelunga as provisional classification leader. The Italian driver will share the wheel of his car with Luca Rangoni and will have to face the attacks moved by the Lamborghini Gallardos lined up by Bonaldi Motorsport for Tempesta-Iacone (Bonaldi Motorsport), that are second by just two points, for "El Pato"-Zanardini and Mancinelli-Goldstein (Eurotech Enigneering).

Galbiati will be helped by two further Porsche 997 brought on track by Antonelli Motorsport: one driven by Baccani-Venerosi and the other by Paul Ricard's race-2 winner Pierluigi Alessandri.

The entry list of GT Cup will be completed by Giuseppe Bodega (Porsche 997-Drive Technology Italia), who will be sided by the home driver Stefano Maestri.

The programme of the third last round of the season will feature two qualifying sessions on Friday (local 16,40 and 17,15), while the two 48 minutes + 1 lap long races will take place on Saturday from 15,10 and on Sunday from 14,50. Both races will go live on Dinamica Channel (race-1) and Raisport2 (race-2).

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