Italian GT, Monza – Race Two Report
Second Title In A Row For Autorlando The much predicted rain still hadn’t arrived, so the second race would be a dry one – at least at the start - but dusk had begun to set and so it would be a partially dark one for the big finale to the 2010 season. With the titles in GT2 and GT Cup decided, only the GT3 class could provide some fireworks; but only a major blow could deny a back to back title for the Autorlando troops. As in race one we split the report into three sections; one for each class. The time penalties for the GT3 class were 25 seconds for Lietz-Roda and 20 for Bonanomi-Albuquerque. Gattuso and Lavio were now out of the title chase. GT2 Moncini kept the lead at the start from Cirò, Perazzini, Palma and Garofano…who then made a big mistake into the first chicane; losing his braking point and punching the right side door of the 430 GT3 of Lavio. Garofano broke the steering and ended his race at the spot. After the safety car period, Moncini was still leading from Cirò, Perazzini and Palma. Upfront, lap after lap Moncini and Cirò were easing away from the pack…Palma, meanwhile, tried a very optimistic move at Lesmo 1 - not an ideal spot to overtake - with the result that he and Perazzini were stuck in the gravel trap, ending the race on the spot for both drivers. With no other 430 able to keep up the pace with Moncini and Cirò, the race pretty much finished before the half way. Montermini, after the pit-stop, kept the lead and won the last race from Cirò’s teammate Rugolo by six seconds. Third in class was the black Ferrari of Valentini-Dalle Stelle. GT CUP Stancheris kept the lead from pole, but some nasty moments in the first chicane dropped the Lambo down to the lower spots; so Ruberti, in the yellow wild-card Autorlando 997 Cup, grabbed the lead, from Castellaneta, Basov, Mapelli and the Stancheris Gallardo. One lap later, Nattoni appeared to lose his brakes and straight-lined the Roggia chicane. He then crashed hard into another 430, driven by Goldstein, with race-ending consequences for both drivers, and safety cars were deployed for two laps. Ruberti kept the lead, while behind him Stancheris begin to make all the positions he lost in the first chicane and was soon second. Baccani soon retired his Porsche with mechanical problems; ending a season with too many zero-scores for the preseason 997 Cup favourite for the title. Behind Ruberti and Stancheris there was finally a good place for the 2010 champion Mapelli - third, from Fornaroli and Castellaneta. After the halfway pitstop Broggian-(Ruberti) was still the leader, but was soon “smoked” by Sanna-(Stancheris), the other Gallardo 4wd of Berton-(Baso) - coming from the back of the pack, such was the pace of the Italian Supercar - Villa-(Fornaroli) and the Ferrari of Gay-(Rocca). The order didn’t change much until the end and it was a double-double for the Gallardo boys, with first and second places. Third - and not without surprise - was another wild card car of Gay-Rocca, and then Villa-Fornaroli. The 2010 Champions finished fifth in class. GT3 The Alien Lietz was on the overall pole and took no prisoners; establishing himself on top from Bonanomi and Giraudi in the Audis, and Caccia and Lavio in the Ferraris. Lavio soon, as reported, found his Ferrari to be very much in “second, maybe third hand conditions” with a huge hole in the passenger side; but it seemed still to be working. After the safety car period, Lietz kept the lead from the two Audis and the Ferrari of Lavio. All the highlights of the race came from the Kessel Racing 430 of Lavio - the right rear tyre blowing out (just at the entry to the Ascari) but the American driver keeping cool and, most importantly, keeping control of his toy; enabling him to reach the pit entry, change the tyre and rejoin the race. After the pitstops, Bontempelli-(Caccia) was the new leader from Roda-(Lietz), but both the Audis of Capello-(Giraudi) and Albuquerque-(Bonanomi) and the 430 of Ceccato-(Salucci) were breathing down the neck of the Autorlando driver. Roda, wisely, with the title on the line, didn’t fight with the Audi. Bontempelli won the race – not only in the class, but overall (like last year) – while Capello finished second and Ceccato, with a huge recovery stint, finished third. Albuquerque finished fourth, but the fifth place of Roda was more than enough to clinch the title; back-to-back for Autorlando (2009 GT2 with the Portuguese Cruz Martins) and the first for Gianluca Roda, who became one of the fastest “non-professional” drivers of the “Porsche world”, perhaps second only to Raymond Narac. At the end of a big weekend, full of races and not without dramas, all the title favourites clinched the crown - thankfully none employed dirty tactics - like in the previous years last races. Well done to all the 2010 Champions, but Richard Lietz’s hard work deserves a big mention; the Austrian not becoming co-champion with Roda only through missing the race at Magione, but deserving the title as much as Roda. Result – here Final Championship positions:
GT2 – here
GT3 – here
GT Cup – here Gabriele Tosi | 
