Photo: TCR Series

Roberto Colciago becomes the first double winner of the season at Monza

Roberto Colciago led a lights-to-flag race at Monza to take his second victory of the season at the wheel of his Honda Civic TCR from M1RA.

At the start, Colciago got ahead of Comtoyou’s Frédéric Vervisch to lead the pack into the first chicane, followed by team-mate Attila Tassi and the Belgian. The Audi tried to recover a position at Roggia, but ended up side by side with the Hungarian, with the Honda holding the position.

WestCoast’s Giacomo Altoè was the first casualty of the race, with the young Italian stuck in the gravel trap at Curva Grande. Action followed at the front, with Tassi trying a move on Colciago, whilst Oriola, Team WRT’s Vernay and Vervisch coming together at the first chicane, with the Audi spinning and falling to the back of the pack.

The scrap in the middle of the pack became more intense as the race progressed, with James Nash’s SEAT losing bits of bodywork as the Briton was at the centre of a five-car battle with DSG Sport’s Mat’o Homola, GE-Force’s Dusan Borkovic, WestCoast’s Gianni Morbidelli and Comtoyou’s Stefano Comini.

The pack went four-wide at the main straight with Nash being overtaken by Homola and surviving a collision between Morbidelli and Borkovic at the first chicane, after which both managed to continue, an incident investigated by the stewards. Comini took advantage to overtake them, climbing up to ninth position.

Both Pierre-Yves Corthals and Davit Kajaia retired at the end of lap seven with mechanical problems. At the front, Pepe Oriola (SEAT) was catching the leading Hondas, with the three within a second with three laps to go. However, Attila Tassi went wide at the second Lesmo, being overtaken by Pepe Oriola, who was second and closing into Colciago.

Drama ensued in the final lap, when Oriola had bodywork rubbing his rear left tyre, with the Spaniard losing speed and the position to Tassi at Lesmo.

At the chequered flag, Roberto Colciago took his second win of the season, followed by team-mate Attila Tassi. Jean-Karl Vernay closed into Oriola in the final stages, but the Spaniard managed to hold on to take the final step of the podium.

Zele Racing’s Ferenc Ficza was fifth, followed by Frédéric Vervisch. Craft Bamboo’s Hugo Valente was seventh, with Mat’o Homola taking the surviving Open Astra to the line in eighth position. Stefano Comini held off Dusan Borkovic to be ninth, with the Serbian taking the final point.

Roberto Colciago was relieved at the end of the race: “The race was very difficult because, with the slipstream, it was very difficult. But Attila was also fast to be second, so that’s good. I’ve had problems with my back all weekend, but I’m happy I managed to hold on to win the race.”

Race 2 is scheduled for 10:50 CET on Sunday morning.