Autorlando's pair take third seasonal win
Richard Lietz and Gianluca Roda have won with authority the GTA Valencia Street Circuit GT Open, after dominating the race from flag to flag in their Autorlando Porsche 997 RSR, which today was extremely competitive. The Austrian-Italian pair had no trouble in controlling the race, beating Giacomo Ricci-Matteo Bobbi, who confirmed the return to the top of GPC Sport, and the Portuguese pair of Playteam SaraFree, Gião-Couceiro, once again in the podium, the sixth this year. Today's win is the third this season and marks a good draw between Ferrari and Porsche in this historic first event in the impressive new Valencia Street Circuit.
With standings leaders Montermini-Maceratesi not scoring a single point during the week-end, the championship is now completely re-open and will get into an intense phase after the summer break: the Italian pair (107 points) has only a 5-point lead on their Portuguese team-mates (102), with Lietz-Roda third (101), ahead of Bonetti-Pasini (82) and Frezza-Monfardini (79).
No problems for poleman Richard Lietz at the start, as the Austrian flies away superbly, but behind him there is a little bit of panic in turn one, when Belicchi and Ricci collide and the Trottet Ferrari of Moser is sent into a spin. Only Ricci will be able to continue the race.
Behind Lietz, Policand runs second followed by Maceratesi, Gião, Monfardini, Ricci, Bonetti, Sundberg and Chacón. Policand has more and more trouble in resisting to the two Playteam Ferraris and in lap 3, the three cars find themselves breaking side by side, with the Frenchman eventually hitting the two blue Ferraris. The one of Maceratesi will suffer most damages as part of the under-body get loose, obliging the Italian to stop in the pits a few laps later to remove the entire piece. It's also intense fight between Sundberg, Bonetti and Monfardini for fifth, but the order does not change.
Lietz gets into the pit stop with a huge gap, almost 25", ahead of Gião, Ricci, Sundberg, Bonetti, Monfardini, Chacón, Merino and Casè. The final 15 minutes, though, will be relatively quiet as Roda is in full control of the race and even increasing the gap on the GPC Ferrari of Bobbi and Playteam's Couceiro, who lost second because of their 10" handicap. Pasini will emerge 4th in the AE Ferrari, ahead of RSV's Romero and Roldán Rodríguez, who shares Villaroel's Ferrari with Sáez Merino.