Ferrari double in GT Cup

The Italian GT Sprint Championship yielded two double wins for the Prancing Horse in the GT Cup over the weekend, with the double triumph of Riccardo Chiesa and Matteo Greco (Easy Race) in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo ahead of Gian Piero Cristoni and Luca De Marchi (SR&R). On a weekend of sun and rain that made the races trickier, Giorgio Roda and Alessio Rovera (AF Corse) had a mixed time in the GT3 class, while in the Pro-Am series the three Maranello cars claimed podium finishes.

GT3. Roda and Rovera (AF Corse) were more vulnerable than expected to the Mugello circuit and the weather in the first of the weekend’s two Sprint races. After Alessio Rovera had set the fourth-fastest time overall in qualifying, the AF Corse pair struggled in the changeable conditions and with the entry of the Safety Car, finishing in eighth overall. Race-2 saw partial payback. Alessio Rovera recovered towards the end of a convincing and improving performance to take the bottom step of the podium. The AF Corse team is still third overall in the overall standings, on a par with the other crews and looking good for the next rounds.

Pro-Am. The three Ferraris in the class recorded convincing podiums and performances in the two races at Mugello, remaining fully in the title battle just a few points off the leaders. In the first of the two Sprint races of the Tuscan weekend, Simon Mann and Matteo Cressoni (AF Corse) recovered from fourteenth on the grid to seventh overall and second in class. Mattia Michelotto and Sean Hudspeth (Easy Race) mounted the third step of the class podium, while Daniele Di Amato and Alessandro Vezzoni (RS Racing) finished tenth overall and fifth in class. In Race-2, Di Amato and Vezzoni (RS Racing) in car no. 25 won the internal Ferrari duel, crossing the line in eighth place overall and second class. Just behind them, Simon Mann and Matteo Cresson (AF Corse) completed the Pro-Am podium, while Mattia Michelotto and Sean Hudspeth (Easy Race) ended the day in eleventh overall and fifth in class.

GT Cup The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo dominated the one-make class, with one-twos in the weekend’s two races. Matteo Greco and Riccardo Chiesa (Easy Race) won both outings. After taking pole position in Race-1, they never relinquished the lead, finishing first in class with the best lap time. Behind them came Gian Piero Cristoni and Luca Demarchi (SR&R) who secured second place with an excellent recovery in the second half of the race. The same script played out in Race-2, with the Easy Race drivers repeating the victory to pull away in the overall standings. After an excellent first stint by Demarchi, who took pole on a wet track, in the second part of the race, Matteo Greco moved into first and held it to the chequered flag, ahead of the SR&R pair.

Next round. The Italian GT Sprint Championship will be back on track at the Monza circuit over the weekend of 16-18 October.