Photo: ACI Sport

Luigi Ferrara wins eventful Monza season finale

Luigi Ferrara won the second race of the weekend at Monza after a race full of contacts, retirements and penalties. The V-Action driver came home ahead of MM Motorsport’s Lorenzo Nicoli, with Matteo Greco completing the podium for SEAT Motorsport Italia in his DSG-equipped Cupra, which means he also won the DSG Trophy class. The race start has been delayed by 45 minutes due to fog hitting the Monza circuit.

At the start Greco looked like he could jump up into the lead by overtaking reversed-grid pole sitter Igor Stefanovski, but the two made contact and he stayed ahead. As early as the second lap, a contact between Federico Paolino and Edoardo Cappello at the first chicane triggered a safety car period.

At the restart newly-crowned champion Salvatore Tavano made contact with Eric Scalvini’s Hyundai i30 N TCR, which caused the latter to spin and triggered a drive-through penalty for the Cupra driver. Meanwhile Enrico Bettera had managed to jump into the lead in his Pit Lane Competizioni Audi RS 3 LMS, but former leader Stefanovski stayed in touch. The two made contact twice at the first chicane, which left Bettera livid as he had to retire, and Stefanovski was give a drive through penalty as well.

At this point Ferrara was in the lead with a comfortable margin over Nicoli and Greco. Massimiliano Gagliano finished in fourth in his DSG Cupra, giving SEAT Motorsport Italia a 1-2 in the DSG Trophy. An entertaining scrap for fifth between Alessandro Thellung, Edoardo Cappello and Andrea Larini resolved in the latter two overtaking the DSG-equipped BF Motorsport Cupra, with Cappello finishing ahead of Larini and Thellung.

Mauro Guastamacchia finished a lonely eighth in his MM Motorsport Honda Civic, ahead of Andrea Argenti in the South Italy Racing Opel Astra TCR. After his drive through penalty, Stefanovski overtook Francesco Savoia on the last lap at the last corner to take the final top ten spot, ahead of Tavano.