Mikhail Simonov scores race two win at Misano after dramatic final lap

Mikhail Simonov emerged victorious in the second TCR Italy race of the weekend at Misano to make it three wins in the last four races after late drama for Cosimo Barberini.

The race got underway with Paolo Rocca on pole ahead of Manuel Pellegrini, with Barberini and Simonov sharing the second row, with Rocca leading the field down to turn one at the start and Simonov jumping up into second.

Within half a lap, Simonov saw his chance to his the front as he nipped ahead of Rocca into the lead only to then run wide as the Audi driver reclaimed his advantage at the front, with Barberini also able to overhaul Simonov for second.

Race one winner Yuri Brigliadori had started from the fourth row of the grid and maintained eighth through the opening lap.

Rocca was able to gold the lead through the early stages of the race ahead of Barberini and Simonov, with Michele Imberti as best of the rest in fourth and Pellegrini having slipped back to fifth.

Denis Babuin held sixth, with Brigliadori moving up into seventh when he was able to get ahead of Sandro Pelatti’s Cupra.

Rocca’s hold on first spot was ended when Barberini slipped down in the inside at the final corner to hit the front, with Simonov quickly following him through to move into second, whilst behind, Brigliadori was continuing to make up places as he overhauled Babuin and Pellegrini to take fifth.

Barberini wasted little time in racing away from Simonov at the front, with Rocca in third being forced to defend hard to try and keep Imberti at bay – all of which was allowing Brigliadori to close in on the podium places.

The gap at the front had grown out to more than four seconds by the time Barberini started to deal with traffic as the clock hit zero, with a comfortable win seeming to be on the cards for the Cupra driver as the final lap got underway.

However there was to a sting in the tail when the leader suddenly slowed with less than half a lap to go having run out of fuel, forcing him to pull off the circuit and retire.

Instead, it was Simonov who emerged as a surprise victor as a distraught Barberini climbed from his car, with Brigliadori taking second spot having managed to clear both Imberti and then Rocca in the final laps.

Rocca would end up with third ahead of Imberti, who now holds a 15 point lead in the standings over Matteo Poloni, who could only finish back in eighth.

Just one round remains this season at Mugello at the end of October.