NEWS
ITALIAN GT SPRINT - MONZA RACE REPORT:
TRIBAUDINI AND ZANON TAKE GT CUP TITLE
GT3 PODIUMS FOR MICHELOTTO/STADSBADER AND CAZZANIGA/FRASSINETI
Oct 06, 2024
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Italian GT Sprint Championship, Round 4 – Monza, Italy
Tribaudini and Zanon seal GT Cup title
GT3 podiums for Michelotto/Stadsbader and Cazzaniga/Frassineti
The final of the Italian GT Sprint Championship was held at Monza this weekend. The only driver change was in the 63 Pro-Am car where Florian Scholze paired up with Baptiste Moulin. Heavy rain on Thursday night left the track wet for the first practice session but by the afternoon it had dried out and it was Frassineti who led the way, setting the quickest time in the 19 VSR Lamborghini. In the GT Cup session Tribaudini set the second fastest time in the team’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
Saturday’s qualifying sessions saw several red flag stoppages and for the first of the two GT3 races Frassineti lined up on the front row, beaten to the pole only by Klingmann. Michelotto started just behind him on row two and Scholze was fifth fastest in Pro-Am. At the start Michelotto jumped up to third and Scholz gained six places. A two lap Safety Car period briefly stopped the racing and at the restart Moncini pushed Scholze off the circuit, forcing him to run through the gravel and then retire the VSR Pro-Am machine. After another Safety Car period racing resumed with six minutes to go before the pit window. At the restart Frassineti and Michelotto swapped places. Michelotto, the fastest man on the track, kept the leading BMW honest until a Full Course Yellow just as the pit window opened. The whole field pitted with Stadsbader taking over the 66 from Michelotto and Cazzaniga getting behind the wheel of the 19 car. Due to the various success penalties from last time out at Mugello, Stadsbader took the lead of the race and Cazzaniga ran fourth. The Full Course Yellow became a Safety Car which was extended when Tarabini crashed and damaged the tyre wall. There were ten minutes left on the clock when the race restarted. Stadsbader held off the vastly more experienced Marciello for two laps before the BMW powered past. Cazzaniga in turn was fighting to keep Ebrahim’s BMW behind him and after thrilling side by side racing a clash left the VSR Lambo with tyre damage which forced the Italian to retire. Stadsbader took the chequered flag in second place.
In GT Cup qualifying Zanon parked his Super Trofeo on the front row, setting the second quickest time in the session. As the delays of the day accumulated the grid lined up as the sun was setting. Zanon held second until a restart after an early Safety Car when he slipped back to fourth. The race ran until just before the pit window but was ultimately red flagged as darkness fell and half points were awarded.
Cazzaniga started the final Sprint race of the season from the front row, once again alongside the BMW, this time with Marcello at the wheel. Moulin, second quickest in Pro-Am, lined up on the second row and Stadsbader started from row ten. At the start Stadsbader slipped down to twelfth before an immediate Safety Car to recuperate Scarpetta’s Ferrari froze the race for two laps. At the restart Alatalo pushed Cazzaniga wide and he fell back to fifth. The pit window opened on lap thirteen and Stadsbader was the first to pit, handing the 66 over to Michelotto who, after discounting a twelve second penalty, rejoined in sixteenth place. On lap fourteen Frassineti took over from Cazzaniga whilst Moulin stayed until the final seconds of the pit window. When Scholze took over the Pro-Am car he led the race from Klingmann but the newly crowned Champion was quickly back in front. Scholze and Frassineti then swapped places and Frassineti spent his whole stint chasing down Klingmann and was consistently one of the fastest men on track. As the race entered the final ten minutes Scholze hit trouble and a mechanical issue forced him to retire. Frassineti took the flag in second and Michelotto broke into the points, finishing ninth overall.
Tribaudini took the start of the second GT Cup race from row three and spent most of his stint scrapping over fifth with Messina and Forenzi. The pit window opened on lap twelve and Tribaudini headed straight in to give the 163 to Zanon. After passing Oliva, Zanon ran in fifth until a Safety Car paused the race. At the restart the field made it to the first corner before Oliva hit Zanon up the back triggering a nasty multi-car accident. The Safety Car came back out immediately but the race was quickly red-flagged. Points for ninth place in class were just enough to allow Tribaudini and Zanon to hang on to the lead in the Championship standings and take the GT Cup title.
The GT3 Sprint Championship ended with Michelotto and Stadsbader third overall, Cazzaniga fourth overall and Moulin third in Pro-Am. The VSR Lambos return to Monza in three weeks time for the final of the Italian GT Endurance Championship.
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