Andrea Bertolini the first Superstar in Britain

Andrea Bertolini became the first winner of an International Superstars Series race in Britain, holding off home favourite Johnny Herbert to win. The win was Bertolini’s second Superstars victory of the season, having also taken a win at Valencia earlier in the season.

Bertolini and Herbert both jumped pole sitter Alberto Cerqui from second and third on the grid, with the BMW Italia driver coming home third to continue his run of podium finishes.

The Maserati driver pulled comfortably away on the opening tour, steadily building up a 3.5 second lead over Herbert’s Mercedes, which was initially threatened by Cerqui. The Briton’s local knowledge though came the fore and allowed him to ease clear of the BMW led chasing pack.

As the race neared its end, Herbert closed on Bertolini, narrowing the gap to 0.8, but while the former British Grand Prix winner closed on the National circuit, the Italian pulled away each time on the Grand Prix loop.

Thus Bertolini took his second win of 2011, ahead of Herbert who recorded his best result of the season, commenting, “It was a really important result because we were really unlucky in Portimao.

“The last three laps I was really in trouble with the car and Johnny coming back, in race two it will be even closer.”

Championship leader Thomas Biagi eventually came home seventh, having dropped down to ninth on the opening lap. The former FIA GT Champion fought back through the drivers ahead of him, including an entertaining mid-race battle with Francesco Sini’s ‘home’ Jaguar.

Catching Sini on lap ten, the BMW driver went past at the Melbourne Hairpin, only to brake late and slide wide at Goddards, allowing the Jaguar back past. Two laps later and Biagi was back past, but too late in the race to progress any higher, with Championship rival Luigi Ferrara finishing fourth.

Ferrara was another driver entertaining spectators at Donington, locking up while challenging Cerqui for a podium spot at Macleans to subsequently drop behind Christian Montanari. In his efforts to repass the Sammarinese driver Ferrara clipped the front of Alessandro Pier Guidi’s Maserati on the back straight, briefly putting the Swiss Team run car onto the grass at high-speed.

Behind Ferrara came Montanari in fifth, Pier Guidi in sixth before Biagi, Sini, Fabrizio Armetta and Max Pigoli rounded out the top ten.

The second International Superstars Series race of the day gets underway at 15.40 GMT