NEWS
ITALIAN GT ENDURANCE - MUGELLO RACE REPORT:
VSR RUNNERS UP OVERALL AND IN PRO-AM
Jul 14, 2024
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Italian GT Endurance, Round 2 – Mugello, Italy
VSR Overall and Pro-Am runners up at Mugello
The second round of the Italian GT Endurance Championship took place this weekend at a hot and sunny Mugello. The Pro car driver line-up was unchanged with Italians Cazzaniga, Di Folco and Liberati driving the 19 Lamborghini. The 63 Pro-Am Lamborghini was once more in the hands of Guidetti, Moulin and Tribaudini. Changes for the second Pro-Am car saw Michelotto join Stadsbader in the 66 whilst Costantini was a late replacement, subbing for Fabi unable to race due to illness.
The grid was set by the combined best times of the drivers from their individual qualifying sessions. The 19 missed out on a front row start by just two hundredths of a second and started from third on the grid. The 63 was sixth fastest in Pro-Am and after technical issues the 66 lined up at the back of the GT3 field.
Cazzaniga, Moulin and Michelotto took the start of the three-hour race. An outstanding opening lap from Michelotto saw him move up from twentieth to ninth. Moulin was pushed off and survived a trip through the gravel as Cazzaniga held on to third despite pressure from Aka and Fulgenzi behind him. On lap three Michelotto and Comandini, battling for seventh, came together and the Safety Car was called out whilst Comandini was pulled out of the gravel. Racing resumed ten minutes before the first pit window with Cazzaniga third and Moulin and Michelotto seventeenth and eighteenth. A drive through for Michelotto put the 66 down into the GT Cup field. On lap twelve Cazzaniga pitted the 19 and after discounting a success handicap from Vallelunga Liberati rejoined. Moulin came in next for Tribaudini and Michelotto, the fastest man on track, pitted just as the window closed for Costantini.
Liberati found himself in fourth, chasing down Galbiati’s Porsche and Tribaudini and Costantini ran tenth and sixteenth respectively. On lap eighteen the Safety Car came out so Sanporn could be recovered. Racing resumed eight minutes before the second pit window. At the restart Liberati was quick to take third from Bracalente as Costantini passed Magnoni and Ulrich and gained a further two places for an incident just ahead of him. The circuit was put under Full Course Yellow for the duration of the pit window. Costantini boxed first and Stadsbader took over the 66. Next in was Tribaudini for Guidetti and finally Liberati boxed the 19 for Di Folco. With the pit window closed and the incident cleared up the Safety Car was called out again and then racing resumed once more with Di Folco third and the Pro-Am cars eighth and eleventh overall. On lap thirty-three Di Folco took second from Fulgenzi as Guidetti continued to hold off Leclerc and Stadsbader, just a few car lengths further back, fought hard with Nilsson and Donno.
Di Folco was the first VSR Lambo to take advantage of the third pit window, boxing for Cazzaniga on lap thirty-nine. Guidetti and Stadsbader followed him in and Tribaudini and Costantini took over the close battle for a Pro-Am podium. In the stops the 19 slipped back to third but the Pro-Am cars made up places and Tribaudini ran seventh and Costantini ninth. At the penultimate pit-stop the two Pro-Am Lambo’s stopped together and Moulin and Michelotto got in for their final stint of the race. Cazzaniga, catching the leaders, stayed out for a further two laps before giving the 19 over to Liberati as the race headed into the final hour. The strategy paid off and Liberati once more held second having leap-frogged Galbiati’s Porsche. Michelotto was quick to reclaim the fastest lap of the race from the 50 Ferrari as he and Moulin scrapped over the final spot on the Pro-Am podium. On lap sixty-two Michelotto went ahead and the two began chasing down Bracalente, second in class. Michelotto passed the Ferrari two laps later and continued eating into the gaps to the cars ahead of him as the final driver change approached. Moulin, having passed Bracalente, was the first to pit and Guidetti took the wheel of the 63 for the run to the flag. Liberati was in next and Di Folco rejoined, holding onto second overall. Michelotto was the last to stop, having hauled the 66 up to fifth overall. Stadsbader jumped in for the final stint. The fastest man on track for most of the track Stadsbader caught the two Audi’s battling for third overall with three laps to go and passed Delli Guanti a lap later when a slowing Anapoli forced the Audi onto the grass. Di Folco duly to the chequered flag in second with Stadsbader fourth, second in Pro-Am and Guidetti sixth, third in Pro-Am.
The Italian GT Endurance continues in September with round three at the team’s home track of Imola. The 19 Pro car lies joint second in the Championship, just one point off the top and Stadsbader shares the lead of the Pro-Am classification.
