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    Schirò dominates. Delacour celebrates in the Am class

    Road America 2021, 488 Challenge EVO

    Spa-Francorchamps 12 settembre 2021

    After the morning fog, Race 2 of the Trofeo Pirelli in the fifth round of the Ferrari Challenge at Spa Francorchamps was held in the sunshine. The 30-minute race was dominated by Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) who edges ever closer to the top of the general standings, while Hugo Delacour (Scuderia Monte-Carlo) celebrated among the Am class drivers.

    Trofeo Pirelli. As the race got underway Niccolò Schirò was not going to allow anyone to spring any surprises and capitalized on his pole position to take the lead. John Wartique (FML-D2P), on the first lap, attempted to undermine the Italian driver who, nevertheless, resisted and began to break away, recording the fastest lap in the process. Behind, in third position, Luca Ludwig (Octane 126) kept a distance. Further back Frederik Paulsen (Formula Racing) who, after having overtaken team-mate Luka Nurmi (Formula Racing) at the start, was forced to fend off a comeback staged by the Finnish driver. The battle waged on throughout the entire 30 minutes of racing.

    At the finish-line Niccolò Schirò was celebrating having achieved a sixth win of the season. Second place went to Wartique and the bottom step of the podium to Ludwig. In the dispute between the two Formula Racing drivers, it was Paulsen who won out against Nurmi. The leader of the overall standings Michelle Gatting (Scuderia Niki - Iron Linx), after the morning's troubles in qualifying that had forced her to start from the final position, staged a fine comeback, pulling all the way back from twenty-first overall position to ninth. The display of strength was not enough, however, to make up the points in the class. Schirò took full advantage of this setback, keeping his hopes alive and currently lying 29 points shy of the Danish driver. The jury is still out with the title scheduled to be awarded at the Finali Mondiali weekend at Mugello from 16-22 November.

    Trofeo Pirelli Am. Thanks to a sensational start Hugo Delacour leapt from fourth to first position, leaving the field trailing behind and showing a pace that his Am class adversaries found difficult to match. In pursuit was François Lansard (Formula Racing), followed by a small pack made up of Sergio Paulet (Santogal Madrid - MST Team), Romain Ziemian (FML- D2P) and Ange Barde (SF Côte d'Azur Cannes - IB Fast) further behind. Christian Brunsborg (Formula Racing) slipped down the order to sixth. While Delacour edged away, the race between Lansard, Paulet and Barde livened up, with the latter meanwhile having overtaken and pulled away from Ziemian. On lap five, Barde snatched third spot but Paulet was quickly able to retake the podium position.

    Delacour took the chequered flag alone, ahead of his fellow-countryman Lansard. Third place went to Sergio Paulet ahead of Barde, avoiding a French podium lock-out. Fifth position in the class for Brunsborg who, by virtue of the results from the Spa weekend, hands the general standings leadership to Sergio Paulet, now leading on 134 points. The Dane is 13 points behind, with Delacour on 105 and Barde on 103. Once again, the title fight will go down to the wire in the final round at Mugello.