Michele Imberte controls Race 1 at Mugello to victory
Kombat Motorsport driver Michele Imberti controlled the first TCR Italy race of the weekend at Mugello to cross the finishing line more than three seconds ahead of rival Hyundai driver Alex Ley.
Imberti took the lead from the pole position spot at the start, mas Cosimo Barberini (Cupra) made slow start and was overtaken by the Hyundais of Ley and Gabriele Covini, as well as the Audis of Nicola Baldan, Nicolas Taylor and Filippo Barberi.
The safety car was shortly called into action as Matteo Poloni (Audi) crashed into the barriers after contact with Barberini who received a drive-through penalty for the incident.
The race went green again on lap four, with Imberti keeping the lead ahead of Ley, Baldan and Taylor.
Taylor fell behind the leading trio, coming under fire from Covini who attempted to overtake on lap five but remained behind.
The safety car came out for the second time on lap six as Francesco Cardone (Audi) crashed into the barriers.
The race was relaunched on lap eight and a man on the move was Pietro Alessi (Audi) who overtook several drivers, climbing up to fourth position behind Baldan.
Imberti scored the fastest lap on lap eight to open a 1.2-second gap over his followers.
Covini came side-by-side with Taylor at Turn 1 on lap 12, with the Canadian driver defending hard and managed to keep the position.
Imberti won the race at the chequered flag, with Ley and Baldan completing the podium and Alessi finishing in fourth place.
Taylor came home in fifth, just 40-thousandths of a second ahead of Covini, with Barbieri in seventh place ahead of Pelatti.
Marco Pellegrini was the best classified Honda in ninth place, with Damiano Reduzzi (Hyundai) completing the top ten.
“It was a really optimal race for us, we needed to keep ahead and it’s a great satisfaction for us in the team to win like this,” said Imberti.
After the first race of the weekend at Mugello, Baldan leads the championship on 335 points, with Taylor 13 points behind in second and Alessi 78 points adrift in third.
The TCR Italy field returns to action on Sunday morning at 09:40 CEST for Race 2.
