The technical and fast circuit near Lisbon also saw Franz Engstler (Charles Pozzi GT Racing) return to victory in the Trofeo Pirelli Am and Josef Schumacher (Eberlein Automobile)’s first success in the Prancing Horse one-make series in the Coppa Shell Am.
Pirelli Trophy
The close confrontation between Eliseo Donno (Radicci Automobili) and Thomas Fleming, which already began in the qualifying session, with the Salentine on pole by just 27 thousandths, lived its decisive moment halfway through the thirty minutes of the race.
The Englishman, able to gradually reduce the gap from the leader, tries to overtake: the two cars come into contact and the young Italian is penalized by the marshals with a Drive Through which effectively excludes him from the podium.
Fleming, at the restart after a Safety Car phase following a contact between the drivers of the Am class, manages to fend off the repeated overtaking attempts of Szymon Ladniak (Gohm – Scuderia GT) until the end and to pass first under the flag at chess for his second success of the season.
In third place goes Max Mugelli (CDP – Eureka Competition) author of a consistent race, while Donno still records the best lap time of 1’39”253, the only one to go below the barrier of 1’40”, which worth the extra point.
Equally exciting was the test of the Trofeo Pirelli Am, characterized in the end by no less than thirty-one overtakings. Franz Engstler has the upper hand, who after a start complicated by a contact in the middle of the group, is able to come back, conquering the first position from Hanno Laskowski (Emil Frey Sportivo) in the final stages of the race, after the exit of the Safety Car called on the track following the contact between Nicolò Rosi (Kessel Racing) and Mohamed Hamdy (Ezz Elarab Automotive Company), with the Egyptian forced to retire after a positive performance.
Behind the German, increasingly leader in the general standings, the young British James Owen (Meridien Modena FF Corse) takes an excellent second place in his debut season in the Ferrari Challenge, ahead of Laskowski, third. Unlucky race for Marco Zanasi (CDP – Pinetti Motorsport), forced to abandon the fight for the podium due to going off the track in the final stages, but still author of the best lap in qualifying in 1’39″825 and the fastest time lap in the race in 1’40”728.
Start of Race 1
Photo by: Ferrari
Shell cup
Starting from the pole position conquered in qualifying thanks to a time of 1’40”228, Axel Sartingen authoritatively maintained the leadership of the race in the delicate phase of the start and obtained his fourth victory of the season.
Combined with the additional point for the fastest time in the race, the success allows him to further extend his lead in the standings over Manuela Gostner (CDP – MP Racing), who was forced to retire after a contact at the first corner with Christian Herdt-Wipper (Emil Frey Sportivo), with the entry of a first Safety Car.
Behind the German is Thomas Gostner (CDP – MP Racing), able to keep the position on an aggressive Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing), third, even in the tight final of the race, after the Safety Car, entered for the third time following some contacts without consequences for the pilots, he had compacted the group again.
In the Coppa Shell Am, after a comeback of eleven positions from the starting grid and a spectacular overtaking in the last minutes of the race on poleman Motohiko Isozaki (Cornes Motors Shiba), Josef Schumacher obtained his first victory in the Ferrari Challenge Europe, his fourth year of participation, preceding a positive Paolo Scudieri (Sa.Mo.Car.), also able to overtake the Japanese in the final.
Henrik Kamstrup (Formula Racing) stops at the foot of the podium and still gets the extra point for the best race lap time of 1’43”768.
Plan
The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos are back on track on Sunday for the second day of racing, with Coppa Shell qualifying at 9.00 and Coppa Shell Am at 9.30 and green light at 14.20. The qualifying session of the Trofeo Pirelli will start at 11.40 with the start of Race 2 at 15.30. All times shown are local.
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