Italian GT, Imola - Race One Reports
A Black Day For Porsche

GT Cup

There was a scorching sun for the first race of the GT Cup at Imola, with the temperature very far from being “average”. 15 cars took the green flag, in an orderly fashion, unlike the GT Open race some weeks ago (still best of luck for the recovery of Marcel Tiemann).

But first the usual time penalty: Sanna-Stancheris 25 seconds, also for Mastronardi-FormilliFendi, 5 seconds instead for Caffi-Fratti.

At the start Mastronardi had the best getaway and took the lead from Amaduzzi, Mapelli, Caffi and Stancheris. Negroni decided to have a spin in the Villeneuve chicane and finished his race deep in the gravel trap.

The first laps saw the top four cars easing away rapidly from the group, with Mastronardi safe in the lead; while behind him Amaduzzi was pressed hard by Mapelli, perhaps knowing he had to gain time because his teammate Mancini was not as fast as him.

Stancheris in the 4wd Gallardo was a lonely fifth trying to save tyres and brakes for Sanna in the second part of the race.

We haven’t mentioned the all-girls black Ferrari yet, as they didn't have the best of qualifying (both of the session), and the race was not much better - Francesca Linossi got some places, but as Michela Cerruti got the wheel in the second part of the race a hard contact with another car ended their race prematurely.

Another retirement of the race with a right rear suspension failure was the Porsche of Bellini (another bad luck race for them).

The order of the four leaders was about to change when, at the Rivazza, Mapelli tried a dive-bomb move on Mastronardi and succeeded; the Porsche new-comer was taken a little bit by surprise and, most importantly, left the door open too and Amaduzzi needed no more invitation to join the party…the problem was that contact was just about inevitable and left the Porsche deep in the gravel trap and pretty much ended his good run. The new order just as the pit window opened saw Mapelli, from Caffi, from the “guilty” Amaduzzi.

Thanks to the top four's “demon-pace” the mandatory pit-stop, with the time penalty, didn’t change too much the overall standing which was now, Mancini-(Mapelli), Cerati-(Amaduzzi), Fratti-(Caffi), Trentin-(Merendino), Mamè-(Zanardini), Fornaroli-(Del Monte) and the big-time penalty (25 seconds from previous results) Sanna-(Stancheris).

The order seemed pretty much on ice, but perhaps ice was the thing the Autorlando Porsche of Fratti needed…at the end of the main straight a big cloud of white smoke was spotted by the TV cameras, and retirement followed for the ex-points standing leaders; and cast big doubt about their starting race two. Now Mancini had a huge lead from the slower Cerati (again in a Ferrari), while further back Sanna was very much on the move, taking seconds on every lap from the three cars in front of him…but his hard charging soon ended at the exit of the Tosa with big mechanical problems.

There were no more dramas in the final laps and Mancini-Mapelli brought the Ferrari back to the top of the podium, after the electrical gremlins ruined the two races at Magione last time. Cerati-Amaduzzi scored the best result for the La Na team of the season and the lower spot of the podium was grabbed by Trentin-Merendino. Fourth finished Del Monte-Fornaroli, then Bocellari-Goldstein and Mamè-Zanardini…for six out of six places occupied by Ferraris…(we are in Imola,  very near to Maranello…someone can suggest anything?)

With perhaps an engine failure for the Autorlando car, race two could be another walk-over podium for Ferrari…but don’t count out the men from Bergamo; they can rebuild anything in the blink of an eye.

GT2/3

As the dusk was about to set (with still 35°C) the lonely 14 cars in the GT2/GT3 class began the second half of their season. The time penalties were: Palma-Mugelli 30 seconds, CIoci-Perazzini and Garofano-Cadei 25, Montermini-Moncini 15. In GT3 a full 30 seconds for Roda-Lietz and Gattuso-Lavio, Albuquerque-Bonanomi 15, and Capello-Giraudi 5.

The start was a very “slow” one, with Lietz controlling the pace until the very last second before taking the green light and turning through the Tamburello chicane first.

He was followed by Cirò, Garofano, Gattuso (second in GT3), Moncini, and Palma. Soon the positions changed, with Gattuso losing places to the other GT2 Ferrari, while Lietz was still leading overall the pack…but this turned out to be the darkest Autorlando day we can remember for a long time, as two laps later the new 997 R begin to smoke in the right rear - and soon the smoke turned into fire; Lietz parking the car as soon as he noticed the “barbeque”, but the race was obviously over for him and Roda. As with the GT Cup car of Fratti-Caffi, we would have towait to find out if the GT3 points leader could restart the next day.

Cirò was the new leader, second was now Moncini, who got Garofano, and Palma was fourth for the GT2 class. Fifth overall was Gattuso, and the new leader in the GT3 class, Bontempelli, was second, then De Lorenzi in the lone remaining Porsche, followed by the Audi of Bonanomi and Capello.

We lost Perazzini in the white GT2 Ferrari with a right front puncture, while Dalle Stelle in the slowest GT2 Ferrari (very slow we have to say) decided to have some fun and spun in the Acque Minerali curve, but continued without any more drama.

Palma lost in rapid succession two places, to the two Kessel Racing GT3 cars behind him; Gattuso first and Bontempelli later got Palma quite easily. The top six cars were now very close to each other; Moncini was still leading from Garofano (very much on the pace this weekend), then the two GT3 Ferrari of Gattuso and Bontempelli, Palma and the lone Porsche of De Lorenzi. 

Gattuso parked his Ferrari with big mechanical dramas (losing oil), leaving the GT3 lead to Bontempelli.

Nothing changed until the mandatory pit-stop, but with such large time penalties, the new order after the window was pretty much turned upside down. The new leader was Rugolo-(Cirò), then Montermini-(Moncini), Cadei-(Garofano) in GT2. In GT3 Caccia-(Bontempelli) was leading from Borghi-(De Lorenzi) in the lone remaining “Stuttgart pride”, then the two R8 Audi Giraudi-(Capello) and Albuquerque-(Bonanomi).

While GT2 was pretty much set in its order, Borghi in the GT3 Porsche rapidly got on the tail of Caccia’s Ferrari, and in typical “Italian job” style the overtaking manoeuvre was with a strong touch, but this time the Porsche got the worst with a right rear puncture. The retirement was inevitable on perhaps the darkest day for Porsche for a long, long time in Italian GT.

Not only was Borghi out, also Caccia had some problems (thanks to the contact with Borghi?); infact, in the final minutes he would lose the lead in GT3 to both of the Audis (again bringing good luck from Le Mans?).

The final order was Rugolo-Cirò from Montermini-Moncini and Cadei-Garofano in GT2.

In GT3 Albuquerque-Bonanomi took the win for Audi, from Capello-Giraudi and Caccia-Bontempelli.

Lots had happened during the race - GT3 was now still open, with Porsche clearly the fastest car (but fragile) and with Audi taking every bit of luck it could get. In GT2, now an all Ferrari affair, it could be anyone to win, and luck could play a big part for race wins.

Race two would follow the next day, but with all the GT Cup cars also joining in, we could have big “traffic problems”.

GT Cup result - here 
GT 2/3 result - here 

Gabriele Tosi