Perfect race by the Helvetic team in GTA Pro-Am race in Valencia
Swiss Trottet Racing took a resounding win in the GTA Pro-Am race of the Valencia Street Circuit GT Open, after a perfect race by Marcel Fässler and Henri Moser, who replicated the success obtained in Spa early June and confirmed the excellent shape of the Swiss Ferrari F430 GTC.
It was an all-Ferrari podium, with Edil Cris Racing climbing another step to take second (its best result so far) with Marco Frezza and Ferdinando Monfardini, while Playteam's Portuguese pair, Manuel Gião and Pedro Couceiro, took another podium finish, although Couceiro, knocked down by the intense heat could not physically be on the rostrum. Championship leaders Montermini-Maceratesi were forced to retirement during the pit stop, because of an ignition problem.
The start is quite hot, with both Gião and Serra overtaking poleman Montermini in the straight but having to leave the Italian re-take the lead in first corner. The trio is followed at the end of lap 1 by Cressoni (soon punished with a drive-through for cutting straight the second corner), Aicart, Fässler, Frezza, Rugolo, Razia, Bobbi, Griffin and Pasini. The nice battle between Aicart and Fässler soon goes to the advantage of the Swiss, while Beltoise and Pasini collide in lap 5 with the Sofrev driver spinning his Ferrari.
In lap 8, Brazilian star Daniel Serra (the son of former F.1 Chico), who qualified in a brilliant second position, wins his duel with Gião for second and starts catching up on Montermini, who leads with a 4"5 gap, while in lap 12 the Portuguese has to let pass Fässler as well, and an impressive Matt Griffin takes sixth from Aicart.
The driver change stop will be fatal to the leaders, as the Playteam Ferrari refuses to start again once Maceratesi takes the wheel. This allows the Trottet Ferrari of Moser to take an easy lead, 14" ahead of the Edil Cris of Ferdinando Monfardini, who benefits from no handicap, with Couceiro third ahead of Bonetti, Casè, Ricci and Policand.
Moser is a strong leader and the young Swiss even increases slightly his advantage, while the final laps see Lietz in the Autorlando Porsche taking fourth ahead of the GPC Ferrari of Ricci and the Sofrev Ferrari of Policand, followed by the two F430 of Casè and Bonetti, who has slipped to eight after being hit by Ricci and getting tangled with Sundberg, in an incident that obliges the Swede to retire with a broken wheel.