NEWS
FRASSINETI AND MICHELOTTO ON TOP IN SPAIN AS RANDAZZO AND TRIBAUDINI TAKE ANOTHER AM CLASS WIN
Oct 13, 2024
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European Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Round 5 – Barcelona, Spain
Frassineti and Michelotto victorious in Spain
Am win for Randazzo and Tribaudini
After a break of over two months the European Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship reached the penultimate round with a triple-header race weekend at Barcelona. With Ignazio Zanon recovering from a heavy crash in the Italian GT event at Monza last weekend Andrea Frassineti moved into the number 6 Pro car alongside Mattia Michelotto. Am Championship leaders Piero Randazzo and Stephane Tribaudini continued in the 66 Huracan.
Both cars set competitive times in Friday’s practice sessions and first out for Saturday’s qualifying were Michelotto and Tribaudini. Michelotto took a place on the front row for the start of the first race and Tribaudini qualified fifth overall, taking the Am pole by just under one second. The track was damp at the start of the race but all cars started on slicks. Michelotto, the only front runner not to run wide at the first corner, took the lead. Tribaudini held fifth until an out of control Gachet ran into him on lap three leaving the 66 car with a puncture. He limped back to the pits and rejoined the race but the time lost meant he and team-mate Randazzo could do no better than ninth in class. A Safety Car on lap five eradicated the four second gap Michelotto had built and racing resumed just as the pit window opened. Michelotto pitted for Frassineti on lap thirteen. The youngster exited the pits just ahead of Maloigne and Bonduel. Bonduel, with a pending twenty-second time penalty, passed them both whilst Frassineti concentrated on keeping first Maloigne and then Soderstorm behind him. He succeeded and took the win by just half a second.
Frassineti qualified second for race two whilst Randazzo’s session was marred by worsening rain and he started from close to the back of the field. At the start Frassineti held on to second and Randazzo made up enough places to run fourth in class by lap, three when a two lap Safety Car momentarily halted racing. On lap ten the pit window opened and Randazzo dived in to hand over to Tribaudini. A lap later Frassineti followed him in. Michelotto took over the 6 and continued the battle with Bonduel. On lap fifteen Tribaudini passed title rival Guerin to take the Am class lead and pulled away. Out front Michelotto was struggling and as the race entered the final five minutes it was a four-way fight for second. Orudzhev found his way past first but Michelotto held third until the final three corners of the race when both Ali and Eriksson moved ahead of the VSR car. Tribaudini took the flag first in Am but a time penalty for a track limits infringement at the start of the race moved the 66 down to fourth in the final classification.
Barcelona also held the replacement for the second race at Le Mans earlier this year. The race got underway late in the afternoon with Michelotto and Frassineti both driving alone. Michelotto made a great start moving up to fourth from seventh before a huge crash on the opening lap bought out the Safety Car. The race remained neutralised throughout the first stint and through the entire pit window. Both Michelotto and Frassineti had an additional three seconds at the pit-stop for driving alone and Frassineti a drive-through to discount. When the race resumed Michelotto was running fifth overall and Randazzo was leading the Am class. Frassineti fell back after his drive through but began a charge through the field which saw him move up to fourth in Pro-Am before the race was once again put under the Safety Car. The race finished under the Safety Car with Michelotto fourth overall, Frassineti fourth in Pro-Am and Randazzo and Tribaudini winners of the Am class.
The European Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship concludes in Jerez in one month’s time and will be followed by the World Finals.
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