It was all too easy for Franz Engstler to round off a triumphal 2022. In fact, he added the world champion crown to the European Champion in the Shell Cup of the Ferrari Challenge, imposing himself with strength in the Imola World Final.
The German veteran, who has an almost ten-year curriculum in World Touring, relied on his experience to outclass the competition: starting very well from pole position, he immediately took off, trimming his opponents over 15 seconds in the space of just 18 laps. A real undisputed domain.
Today’s race followed the continental hierarchies somewhat, because European vice-champion Axel Sartingen was placed behind Engstler, who therefore also took the world championship podium without too many hesitations. Behind him, in fact, was the outgoing world champion Ernst Kirchmayr, who however could not represent a real threat.
The Austrian driver had to serve a 5 “penalty for an aggressive maneuver made at the start, when he squeezed Thomas Gostner towards the edge of the track, who in turn was forced to push his daughter Manuela towards the grass.
# 103 Franz Engstler, Scuderia GT
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
Unfortunately, the Italian girl’s race was very short, but not without emotions. After this thrill, at the braking of the Tamburello she was touched in the rear by Kanji Yagura, even if it was the Japanese who got the worst, ending up in a spin. In an attempt to recover, Gostner exaggerated in braking at Rivazza and ended up hitting and spinning veteran Font Scheltema, with a contact that ended his race.
Returning to scroll the rankings, under the checkered flag father Thomas Gostner was fourth, but then he retreated to fifth place for a penalty of 5 seconds remedied for non-compliance with the track limits. Omar Balkissoon took advantage of this and took the prize of best among the drivers of the Challenge North America in the race, thus stopping at the foot of the podium.
After the contact with Gostner, Scheltema reacted with pride and started from the back of the group to climb up to sixth position. In reality, the Dutch driver had finished seventh at the finish, but gained a position against Brian Kaminskey, because the American was penalized by 5 “for having spun the North American champion Michael Petramalo at the Gresini Curve in the final stages of the race. .
As for the Asian drivers, the best was Kazuyuki Yamagachi, seventh, but he too gaining a position against the penalized Kaminskey. In addition to Manuela Gostner, Claudio Schiavoni and Motohiro Isozaki also retired due to a contact in the early stages of the race. Corinna Gostner and Lance Cawley, on the other hand, have not even started.
#Ferrari #Coppa #Shell #Engstler #takes #European #World #Cup