BORTOLOTTI-MUL AND PASTORELLI-PASTORELLI ARE ITALIAN GT RACE-2 WINNERS AT MUGELLO

Two highly spectacular races ended the 4th round of the Italian GT Championship in Mugello. In Super GT3 the victory went to Bortolotti-Mul (Lamborghini Huracan-Imperiale Racing) that led the BMW M6 GT3 of Comandini-Cerqui (BMW Team Italia) and the Ferrari 488 GT3 of Venturi-Gai (Black Bull Swisse Racing). In class GT3 the top step of the podium went to Luca and Nicola Pastorelli (Posche GT3R-Krypton Motorsport), that crossed the line ahead of the Ferrari 458 Italia of Galassi-Tempesta (Team Malucelli) and that of Leo-Cheever (Scuderia Baldini 27). In Super GT Cup, the series reserved to the Lamborghini Huracans, Kasai-Desideri (Antonelli Motorsport) won from Costa-Krenzia (Vincenzo Sospiri Racing) to D’Amico-Zaugg (Raton Racing), while Carboni-Durante (Porsche 997-Drive Technology Italia) proceeded Prinoth-“Babalus” (Ferrari 458 Italia-MP Racing) and team mates Trentin-Palazzo in GT Cup. In GT4 the victory went to Cerati-Fondi (Porsche 997-Autorlando), while Riccardo Pera secured the fourth win of the season in the Cayman Trophy leading Mercatali-Cecotto (Dinamic Motorsport) and Bianco-De Castro (Krypton Motorsport). The championship classifications are currently led by Mapelli-Albuquerque (SGT3), Pastorelli-Pastorelli (GT3), Desideri (SGT Cup), Benvenuti-Demarchi (GT Cup), Giudice, Cerati and Fondi (GT4), Pera (Cayman Trophy).

SUPER GT3: A deserved victory, but strongly sought after following the bad luck in race-1 was eventually obtained by Bortolotti-Mul. Imperiale Racing took the lead with the driver from Trento during lap eight after a good move on Venturi that took an early lead from Bortolotti to Frassineti, Babini, Agostini, Albuquerque  and Comandini. The safety car at lap 5 due to Mugelli’s contact with Venturini neutralized the race and Bortolotti got past Venturi with a good maneuver at the restart . Behind them. Frassineti, Babini, Agostini, Albuquerque and Comandini followed in the order, while the pit lane opened for drivers change. Mul took over from Bortolotti and kept the first position for Imperiale Racing ahead of Gai, Cerqui, Pezzucchi, Geri, Busnelli and Linossi, but the 2”4s penalty handed to the Black Bull Swisse Racing pairing due to an irregular driver change and the drive through given to Pezzucchi for the contact with Mugelli partially changed the top places of the classification. Mul did not have any problems and continued his dominant run on top leading Cerqui, who was virtually second due to the penalty of Venturi-Gai, while Geri gained P4 proceeding Mancinelli, Gattuso, Busnelli and Linossi. The race inflamed at lap 17, when Geri was overtaken by Mancinelli, who was later on handed a 20s time penalty due to the contact with Linossi, Gattuso and Mapelli. Mul was firmly on top until the end of the race, when he crossed the finish line ahead of Cerqui, who was virtually second due to the penalty handed to Gai. The fourth place went to Gattuso who led Mapelli, Mancinelli, Linossi, Geri, whole Busnelli and Pezzucchi were involved in an incident at the final lap relegating them to the ninth and tenth place. Bad luck for race-1 winners Di Folco-Agostini, that had to retire at lap 13 due to the failure of an axle shaft.

GT3: The race has been very tight and awarded the most constant lineup: that made by the brothers Luca and Nicola Pastorelli, that are now on top of the provisional classification. At the start, Leo took the lead from Zonzini, to Gagliardini, Pastorelli, Galassi and Venerosi. Positions did not change until the drivers change due to the safety car deployment. After the pit stops, Postiglione – Gagliardini’s co-equiper – took the lead from Pastorelli, Baccani, Tempesta, Russo and Cheever. At lap 19 Pastorelli and Baccani engaged a battle for P2, but at the following lap Postiglione had to retire due to the failure of the rear wheel hub. Pastorelli took the lead defending his position afterwards from Baccani, who was followed by Tempesta, Russo and Cheever, all within a handful of seconds. The race got interesting again in the last lap when Russo got past Tempesta but the Argentine driver was involved in an incident with Baccani and a couple of Super GT Cup drivers. At the flag, Pastorelli was first, with Tempesta and Cheever completing the podium, while Baccani was fourth ahead of Russo.

SUPER GT CUP: The race reserved to the powerful Lamborghini Huracan SuperTrofeo cars has been spectacular. In this occasion the drivers lineup Takashi Kasai – Matteo Desideri was victorious. In the first stint Desideri kept Costa’s rhythm leading D’Amico and Liang, while Kasai in the second recovered on Krenzia. Antonelli Motorsport’s drivers run a perfect race that saw them winning ahead of Vincenzo Sospiri Racing’s color bearer and D’Amico-Zaugg, as the latter completed the podium.Liang-Baruch followed proceeding Tanca-Comi, Negra-Mantovani, Necchi-Spinelli, while Sartori-Galbiati had to retire from the race early on due to a technical problem.

GT CUP: Porsche counter charged in race-2 after Ferrari dominion in the opening race of the 4th round of the season. The Stuttgart’s cars ended first and third on the podium with Carboni-Durante and Trentin-Palazzo, that were split by Prinoth-“Babalus” on the 458 Italia run by race-1 winners of MP Racing. The victory secured by Drive Technology Italia’s pairing was truly deserved and came at the end of a race led with determination by Carboni, who was good to keep the pace up in the first stint behind “Babalus” and ahead of Palazzo, Curti, Thomas Gostner, Benvenuti,  Baccarelli and Corinna Gostner. Durante took the car over for the second stint on top and has been fending off the attacks moved by Prinoth who got quite close towards the end of the race. The positions at the feet of the podium were obtained by Thomas and David Gostner, that were followed by Lino and Carlo Curti, Baccarelli-Ferrara, Manuela and Corinna Gostner. Zanardini-Sauto had to retire at lap 17 due to mechanical problems, while Maino-Benucci could not make it to the start after the incident in race-1.

GT4 and Cayman Trophy: Dario Cerati and Maurizio Fondi (Porsche 997-Autorlando) claimed another victory in GT4, while the 16yrs old Riccardo Pera took the fourth win of the season in Cayman Trophy, result that confirmed his lead in the classification. Ebimotors’ driver run a stunning race, leading it from lights to flag and proceeding Mercatali-Cecotto and Bianco-De Castro at the flag. Krypton Motorsport ‘s pairing gave Piccioli P3 during lap 11, but De Castro recovered the lower step of the podium in the second stint, relegating Ebimotors’ driver to P5.

Source. Italian GT Championship/Photo. Riccardo Righetti R99photography.com