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Monza

Eurosport Super Racing Weekends

01/04/2001

Production And Touring

Race Reports

Super Production

“Races are never easy,” explained the victor, Peter Kox, “but I have to admit that this one was easier than usual. I won it at the start and then I took advantage by the fights behind me.”

Kox scored the win on behalf of Roberto Ravaglia´s team – in its first race. "I´m very happy, because Roberto is a very demanding chief and if I don´t win, I run the risk of being pushed off the car, to be replaced by him! Jokes apart, our team was excellent and gave me a perfect car. It´s a shame that Norman Simon was involved in a spin, otherwise we should have done a one-two!"

Duncan Huisman was second, eight seconds adrift in his Carly Motorsport M3. He overtook Gianni Morbidelli in the CiBiEmme BMW at Lesmo 1. "Honestly I didn´t expect my manoeuvre be successful. Gianni has a lot of experience and I saw that for many laps he forced me to put my wheels exactly were he wanted. I´ve learnt a lot by driving side by side with him".

Morbidelli wasn’t happy with third. “After I set the pole position I wanted to win. And if I didn´t it was because of my mistakes. I totally missed the start and that trapped me in the middle of the field".

Tommy Rustad in the RJN Motorsport Nissan Primera did split the leading BMWs for a while, but dropped from fourth to sixth – still ahead of two of them, but at least preventing a BMW first to seventh. The Edenbridge BMWs came home tenth and eleventh, but not that far off the pace so early in the season. Tom Ferrier and James Hanson can expect improvements to their cars in the coming weeks.

Super Touring – Race 1

Franco Tedeschi reports that the first STC race held the prospect of a quick escape for the Tarquini Honda Accord, which seemed unbeatable on the straights. But Tarquini admitted to a mistake on lap three that probably cost him the race.

"I did not realise that my rear right tyre was not warm enough and I entered Ascari too fast. I lost the back of the car and hit the wall.”

Before that action, Nilsson and Walfisch went off at the first chicane and rejoined. Larini attacked Tarquini’s Honda at the Goodyear Chicane at the start of the second lap and took the lead. It was when Tarquini tried to reply (too soon for his tyres) that he made his mistake. The JAS mechanics rebuilt Tarquini´s Honda in time for the second race.

After this the battle for the lead was restricted to Larini and Giovanardi, who took the lead for two laps before being eventually passed by Larini. They ended up passing and repassing many times before Larini finally took the win. Behind them Nilsson and Walfisch managed to gain positions, toward De Lorenzi, who was in fifth position. Walfisch eventually passed De Lorenzi, while Nilsson ended his race in the Lesmo gravel, also trying to pass the BMW. Roberto Colciago finished in a good third position in the Audi, not bad considering that his car wasn’t fast enough on the straights to fight Alfas and Hondas at Monza. Behind him, the winner among the AM pilots, Sandro Sardelli with the Scottish Pro Motorsport Primera, despite having 10 seconds added to his time for cutting a chicane. Sardelli gained such a position after passing Toccacelo, who later was stopped by an engine failure. As previously reported Walfisch took the finish in fifth position, ahead of Gianluca De lorenzi, with the BMW 320 of his own GDL team, and the Colciago AGS team mate Massimo Pigoli.

Tarquini owned up to the mistake which cost him the race. He said that it was better to wait one or more laps before attacking Larini, to have warmer tyres and brakes.

“It was time,” said Larini afterwards. “I´ve been without a win for almost two years.” Were there team orders? “No!” said Giovanardi. “The team left us free to make our race. We had a lot of fun and I´m happy for Nicola because in the past three seasons he has helped me to win three titles. I really tried to beat him, but he was much too determined.”

Super Touring – Race 2

The second race starts with the inverted grid and four pilots taking the start from the pit lane: Roda, Toccacelo, Tarquini and Nilsson. Nilsson was the “poleman” because in the first race, he was the last among the classified drivers, so starting from the pits, he lost such a good starting spot. Larini and Giovanardi were obviously in the last row, while in the first we encounter, behind the empty place for Nilsson, the Lucchetti Cigarini Audi A4.

Giovanardi started like a typhoon, overtaking a lot of cars straight from the start, while Larini made a slower start to avoid the chaos in the first chicane. The first race leader was Antonio Materia, but he quickly passed by Paolo Zadra. The Eric Cayrolle BMW did not survive the first chicane struggle and finished in the gravel while for De Lorenzi the end of the race comes a bit later round that lap, pushed out at Lesmo. Larini took only three laps to return to the top position, helped also by a little Colciago mistake. Behind them there was the furious Gabriele Tarquini, passing whoever was ahead of him in every point of the circuit, exploiting at the best the top speed and the excellent turn in of the Accord. His last victim, needless to say, was Larini.

Tarquini eventually won ahead of the Larini Alfa and the Colciago Audi. Only fifth was Giovanardi, ahead of the Walfisch Accord. One more time the best AM has been Sardelli, beating Lancelotti, who has quickly understood how to exploit a SuperTouring car.

“Close fights and overtaking manoeuvres are the very spirit of Touring Car competition and this system places particular emphasis on that,” said the Race 2 winner. “We proved today that our car is actually the best one. I hope it will be as competitive on the other tracks as it was in Monza, but I´m sure that Alfa will recover. After my crash the car was completely twisted and they (the JAS team) rebuilt it in less than two hours. They performed a miracle and this win belongs to them.”

In the Championship standing we find Larini on a strong 75 point, ahead of Giovanardi (65), Colciago (64) and the couple Sardelli – Walfisch (56). The best AM drivers behind Sardelli are Pigoli (47) and Lancelotti (46). In eighth place are Tarquini and Symanzick (40). Tenth is Zadra with 39 points.

Franco Tedeschi.