The gold rush does not leave anyone indifferent. However, mining of the precious metal requires a lot of energy, and not everybody is able to find own bonanza... That is what happened in Misano.
“The gold rushes have begun in the middle of the XIX century and still continue in different parts of the globe. California (1849), Australia (1851), South Africa (1886), Klondike (1896) and Alaska (1898) Gold Rushes are considered the main periods.
Of course, we should add Misano Gold Rush (2020) noticed in Italy, especially among Porsche Carrera Cup Italia drivers, to this Wikipedia information.
Before the race we managed to run four-hour tests, set up the cars, and Tsunami RT drivers Gianmarco Quaresmini and Bashar Mardini were set themselves up for a run for gold. Free practices instilled confidence in our energies.
#32 Gianmarco Quaresmini: "It was very very good. I’m very happy another time for the setup and the balance of the car, because it is very very fast and very very easy to drive faster. At the end of the session I finished in p3 but on my second push lap there was a yellow flag. So I had to leave and go to the pit lane. So it was impossible to improve my lap time, but we know the potential of the car. The most important thing is we are ready for the qualifying of tomorrow".
#89 Bashar Mardini: "Free practice went very well, it was at night, so it was not so hot, it was nice to drive. Very very very happy with the car and the performance, we finished p9 overall and p1 Michelin. In free practice I did the fastest lap I’ve ever done in Misano with Tsunami. Extremely happy, it’s always positive to do such a lap. Tomorrow we are going to qualifying and I hope we maintain the same level, we’ll be going to q2 and be in the best position for the race".
“Usually it is not enough to just find a gold deposit to start a gold rush, such conditions as abundance of the precious metal and relatively simple mining techniques that do not require heavy dedicated equipment are necessary.”
We do not argue, the quantity of gold in Misano was considerable: two races, two gold podiums in each, for overall and Michelin Cupclassification. “Heavy dedicated equipment” was required, though, as we should not forget about our Porsches: you cannot reach Misano podium walking.
Both “equipment” and drivers were on their best behavior: the pole position of Gianmarco Quaresmini and the first place among the Michelin Cupcompetitors of Bashar Mardini!
#89 Bashar Mardini: "It was a very good qualifying, we got into Q2, and we are in top-10 again with very strong rivals, but we are competitive, have good lap times, we were fast, we did a good job and had a good car. Now we are going to the race and hope to be in top-10 and best in Michelin Cup. Let's see what happens!"
“News about golden findings attract attention of the society. Gold miners coming from different parts of the world are creating camp sites... Therewith, the infrastructure of the region is advancing, roads are being built...”
The camp site (Misano paddock) is melting under the golden sun of August. The roads are built: 4064 km with 16 turns, with low kerbsides (for motorcycle races). 28 minutes plus 1 lap are expecting for us at the evening start...
It was flawless! Gianmarco Quaresmini darted ahead on his perfect trajectory leaving his competitors no chance to gain the lead! Bashar Mardini is also rushing to top-10... but in less than four minutes after the start Aldo Festante pushes Risto Vukov and comes at Bashar Mardini using Risto’s car as a “heavy dedicated equipment”! Our driver has been turned, and he has to proceed to the pit lane, but the race continues, and Bashar is on the track again!.. Unfortunately, the Michelin Cup bonanza is unreachable for him already.
At the same time, Quarsemini, excellent and unattainable, is rushing to his gold not paying attention even at the epic fight for the second place by Alberto Cerchi, Simone Iaquinta and Stefano Monaco that deserves a separate story! Here we are at the finish, and the golden cup is in Tsunami RT driver’s hands!
#32 Gianmarco Quaresmini: «I'm so happy with this first win in the championship-2020. I'm very proud for all the team, because the car was amazing, and I hope that tomorrow I'll also be able to finish on the podium!»
#89 Bashar Mardini: «Today it was one of those things that happen in racing: first lap incident and it's neither my fault nor even Vukov's fault, he also got hit by another car. So it's still very upsetting, because we could have had a perfect result, but what to do... Tomorrow we will start from the back, and try to fight to return in front of the Michelin Cup».
The gold miners, we mean the drivers, are preparing themselves to the next round of the gold rush that will be more complicated than the previous one: Quarsemini starts from the sixth position as the winner of the first race; Mardini starts at the end of the peloton...
Start! Quarsemini enters the first turn on the firth position! He is the fourth in the third turn! The gold rush would have continued, but it took less than a minute for the safety car to enter the track as Davide Scanniccio having hit the fence.
Less than 23 minutes of the race are left when the safety car leaves the track. More than 19 minutes to the finish, when Gianmarco Quaresmini becomes the leader of the peloton having demonstrated three more astonishing overruns to the viewers! Simone Iaquinta, bewildered with such a pressure, is trying to oppose and boots out of the track Marzio Moretti who has approached on the inner radius not to the point... Luca Pastorelli is turned somewhere, but the cameras follow the leader, the Tsunami RT driver!..
Suddenly the picture changes. We look at the fence and clouds of dust. The dust clears away, and we see the car in our team colors with two wheels on the gravel and two wheels on the fence... This is Bashar Mardini!
A safety care is not enough, the gold rush of Sunday has been stopped, and the results will be calculated based on the sum of its two parts after it will be resumed. All gaps with the competitors turned into barren rock, of course. Meanwhile, Bashar complains of pain in the leg, and is being examined by a doctor. Fortunately, there are no fractures, our driver will be OK.
The finish was as splendid as a bonanza shine could be. Gianmarco Quaresmini is on the highest step of the prizing podium again! However, Misano has prepared one more unpleasant surprise for us. In the evening it revealed that Gianmarco's golden cup had been replaced by 25 penalty seconds for non-compliance with the rules of the start under the Safety Car procedure. This very disappointing absurdity costs us the second victory... This is motor sports – misfortunes stimulate us to compete!
The following round is in Imola at the end of August. Of course, it will be another gold rush!
Photo: Porsche Carrera Cup Italia