Italian GT, Monza – Race Two Report
Autorlando and Cruz Martins Champions
 
Despite the usual “Italian trash talk” about the first race, the GT2 title-race was still on. Cruz Martins-Maassen had only to finish the race in order to clinch the title, while Cioci-Perazzini had to win and hope.

As the qualifying told yesterday, we had the Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 of Bontempelli in the overall pole, followed by a bunch of GT2 cars; led by the almost-champion Porsche of Maassen. On this occasion, there would be no time penalty in the mandatory pit stop for either Maassen-Cruz or Cioci-Perazzini.

The sun was almost set, as the field took the green flag in the very late afternoon. Just before the start, however, Perazzini found himself with a total absence of information from his dashboard after an apparent electrical failure; not the way you want to start the final assault for the title

At the green flag Bontempelli flew away, while Maassen’s start was nowhere near as good; the Porsche arriving with a monster lock-up into the first braking point, cutting the chicane and bringing with it Aguas and Palma. So Bontempelli led by a distant margin, with Maassen second despite cutting the chicane; Aguas was third and Palma fourth.

At the end of the first lap Aguas tried a very optimistic move passing Maassen but cutting the first chicane (again) in a big way. Maassen also lost a place to Palma, but Aguas had to let Maassen and Palma regain position. He did it, but then made another big mistake the lap after at the Parabolica when he just punched the rear of the Porsche.

Both of them managed to stay on the track; the Porsche with a badly smoking right front tyre. Aguas was not so lucky; breaking the radiator and parking his car just meters after the scene of the incident.
 
In GT3 Bontempelli was miles away, not only from the other class cars, but also in the overall lead. Albuquerque was second and Borghi third.
 
The title now seemed certain to head in the direction of Stuttgart. Perazzini simply didn’t have the required pace, with no information coming from his car, and in his stint he lost almost half a lap to the Porsche.
 
Bontempelli was still first overall, then Palma, Maassen and Cerrai; the latter taking Linossi at the Ascari, but only after Linossi himself had a monster lockup and consequently a right front puncture. Albuquerque was fifth overall.

Cerrai was the first to stop in the pit-window, followed by Perazzini and Albuquerque. When all the driver changes had been completed, the standings saw, as the new leader, Mugelli-(Palma) from Cruz Martins-(Maassen); but the Portuguese outbraked himself at the Roggia and consequently punctured the right front tyre. Fortunately, however, the heir apparent managed to continue and reached the pitlane without incurring suspension damage, but after having lost a significant chunk of time.

So Mugelli till led, then Livio (first in GT3), from Cirò-(Cerrai), Capello and Cioci-(Perazzini). But the dramas weren’t yet over, and this time Mugelli would be the victim; his Ferrari suffering a right-rear puncture for the second time this weekend and having to do almost a full lap to get back to the pits. In all this “tyre mayhem” Livio became the new overall leader, on the most improbable track of the entire calendar, by some three seconds from Cirò.
 
The final laps, despite good pressure from Cirò, saw no further major dramas and the final round went, for the first time in Italian GT history, to a car not in the major class. Livio and Bontempelli not only clinched the GT3 title class in race one, but they also got the overall race win at the end of a dominant season.

Cerrai-Cirò finished second overall, while on the third step of the podium was another GT3 car, the Audi R8 of Albuquerque-Capello; finally on the pace after a very long development season (Watch out for the German car next year says Dindo). Fourth overall and second in GT2 were Perazzini-Cioci.

But finishing the race, albeit in only 12th place after the puncture, was indeed enough to give the GT2 title to Autorlando and Francisco Cruz Martins.

It was, as predicted, a very good final round of the series; and despite the close class of race 1, the title went to the most regular team and car - the Autorlando Porsche 997 of Cruz Martins and Maassen (not crowning Champ because he missed the penultimate race due to the Petit Le Mans clash). It is the first Italian title for the Bergamo team.
 
Well done Autorlando, well done Sascha Maassen, and especially well done Francisco Cruz Martins; a much improved driver since his debut last year in Italy.

A full review will follow in the next few days.

So long for this year from Italy and from the Italian GT series.

Race result – here
Final GT2 driver points – here
Final GT3 driver points – here

Gabriele Tosi