Nikolay Karamyshev wins second race at Monza

Nikolay Karamyshev won the reversed grid second race at Monza ahead of an all SEAT Supercopa top four, whilst race one winner Jordi Oriola crashed out on the third lap.

As with the first race, the race began behind the safety car with the green flag waved on lap two due to the wet conditions. Karamyshev, the reigning ETCC Super Production Trophy, champion started from third on the grid and was quick to pass Christian Fischer’s Liqui Moly Teamn Engstler BMW to take second place and close on race leader Anton Ladygin.

Mario Dablander in the Target Competition SEAT León Supercopa also passes Fischer at the Parabolica and the top three began to pull away.

At the start of the third lap, Jordi Oriola crashed out on the outside of Turn 1 after contact with Krenek Motorsport’s Petr Fulín. Oriola’s SEAT was unable to rejoin, whilst Fulín was able to continue and took the Super 2000 class victory with fifth place overall.

There was a nasty moment on lap four when “Romeo Luciano” rolled his Ford Fiesta at the Parabolica, but was reported as OK.

Anton Ladygin managed to hold off Karamyshev until lap five, but once past Karamyshev began to build up a lead. On the same lap Aurélien Comte was able to get ahead of Petr Fulín’s BMW for fourth to secure an all SEAT top four.

Ladygin was now forced to defend from Mario Dablander and managed to hold off the Austrian until the penultimate lap. Despite setting the fastest time on the final lap, Dablander had run out of time to catch Karamyshev, allowing the Russian his first overall victory in the ETCC.

Rounding out the top ten behind fifth placed Fulín was Ferenc Ficza in the Zengo Junior Team SEAT, Nicolas Hamilton in the Baporo Motorsport SEAT, Christian Fischer in the Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Dusan Borkovic in the Nis petrol Racing Team SEAT León TFSI and Mikhail Maleev in the second Russian Bears entry.

The next round of the European Touring Car Cup takes place at the Slovakiaring on the 29th April.