Eric Scalvini wins red-flagged season opener at flooded Adria
Eric Scalvini won the first race of TCR Italy at Adria on the rain-flooded Adria track. The Honda driver came home ahead of Jonathan Giacon’s Opel Astra, with Nicola Baldan completing the podium in the Pit Lane Competizioni SEAT.
The race started under safety car conditions, and the gree flag was waved after six minutes under neutralisation. At the first corner Davide Nardilli went wide in his Honda, but the biggest change happened at the second corner, where pole sitter Giacon went wide and left the lead of the race in the hands of Scalvini. Baldan was in third as he wasn’t close enough to exploit the Opel driver’s mistake.
Meanwhile Alessandro Thellung and Massimiliano Gagliano both retired, the former crashing into the barriers after trying an overtake and the Volkswagen driver stopping to preserve his car in conditions he deemed to be too risky. Plamen Kralev was black flagged due to having ignored a drive-through penalty.
Most of the action happened in the fight for fourth place, with Silvano Bolzoni, Max Mugelli and Andrea Argenti all fighting for position, as well as a TCT-class car driven by Raimondo Ricci. Mugelli pulled off a successful move on Andrea Argenti just one lap before the race was stopped due to the weather conditions.
Scalvini won ahead of Giacon and Baldan, with Bolzoni fourth in his Tecnodom SEAT. Mugelli came fifth in his Audi RS 3 LMS, having overtaken Argenti’s South Italy Racing Team SEAT. Davide Nardilli finished seventh ahead of Daniele Cappellari’s SEAT, with Montalbano and Nataloni completing the top ten.
“This win was unexpected”, commented Scalvini. “I took advantage of Giacon’s mistake at the second corner and for the rest of the race it was about keeping the car on track, there was no grip and the situation was a disaster.”
The second race is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 local time
