They were not the drivers, mechanics and teams to become the main characters of Porsche Carrera Cup Italia round in Mugello. These were numerous penalties lavished by the Stewards. Somebody was lucky, somebody was not... However, let us tell you this in sequence.
According to the qualification results, Enrico Fulgenzi got the fifth position in the overall classification, and Alex De Giacomi got the second result in Michelin Cup classification.
#17 Enrico Fulgenzi: "It was a double-faced qualifying session. On one side we are happy because we are close to our rivals, but on the other side we noticed that the rule on the imposed camber angle has generated great differences among all the drivers. Maybe it should be applied in another way, because even this qualifying has been quite anomalous. We are confident on our race pace, but we have to underline that today there were differences and gaps that are difficult to explain".
#67 Alex De Giacomi: "I've been a little bit unlucky today, because my two best laps were ruined by external factors. In one of them, in fact, I wasted time overtaking other drivers, while in the second one - that was even faster than the first - I had to slow down due to the Virtual Safety Car. It's a pity, because the car was working well today and I think that we would have been able to gain other positions on the starting grid".
The first race, and an excellent start of both Tsunami RT drivers. Alex De Giacomi goes up for three positions, Enrico Fulgenzi preserves his fifth place... The competition continues till the moment when both the peloton leader Alberto Cerqui and Michelin Cup classification leader Bashar Mardini fall out of the track simultaneously on the same lap! What a twist of the plot!
Now Enrico is the fourth, and Alex becomes the leader of Gentlemen Drivers classification. A safety car unassumingly appears on the track, and the Great battle for the bronze podium begins after it is gone. Starring: Enrico Fulgenzi, Jaden Conwright, Diego Bertonelli and Simone Iaquinta. After the series of exchanging pleasantries and positions Enrico passes fourth under the checkered flag. The finish of the race is not its end, though...
Alex De Giacomi has been already douched with the prizing champagne, but there are still investigations and clarifications in the overall classification. It becomes known only late in the evening that both the winner of the Saturday race Patrick Kujala, and the silver prize winner Tommaso Mosca get 25 seconds of penalty as a gift in exchange for prize cups that are appropriately passed to Iaquinta (as the winner), and Enrico Fulgenzi gets the second place!
#67 Alex De Giacomi: "What a race, I'm really happy for this victory! It was quite difficult avoiding contacts in the middle-field, but we were confident on our race pace and after a perfect start we knew that we could have reached the highest step on the podium. Our race has become easier after Mardini's mistake, but we struggled a little bit because my splitter went off, maybe after a heavy passage over a kerb. It's a win that we absolutely deserve, especially after a very difficult friday"
1st Race Results (overall):
On Sunday, according to the reverse start rules, Enrico Fulgenzi gets the fifth position. The sun is shining bright, the starting signal light is off, and 23 Porsches unitedly rush into the first turn. The peloton goes compactly, and Alex De Giacomi and Marco Cassara cannot fit in the track after the fourth turn. A touch, and Cassara performs a nice spin and lances to pursue the competitors, having thoughtfully looked after them.
However, our gazes are already anchored to the beginning of the peloton, where Enrico Fulgenzi is performing a series of overruns in an expert manner and becomes the leader of the race! Simone Iaquinta also tries to pretend to the victory, but Enrico just extends the gap having forged ahead! Alex De Giacomi holds the first position in the Michelin Cup classification!
All the Tsunami RT team is watching breathlessly how the two team drivers are ripping to the golden double. Although, the destiny considers that we do not need a podium today...
A couple of kilometers before the finish Enrico Fulgenzi gets a flat left rear tire and has to leave the track! However, it is seen already that the checkered flag is not the end of the race...
The fate of Michelin Cup classification is decided after the finish. It is decided not to the benefit of Alex De Giacomi: his penalty for the contact with Cassara kicks our driver out of the highest step of the prizing podium (by the way, it is the stubborn Marco Cassara who becomes the winner).
#17 Enrico Fulgenzi: "Unfortunately there's not much to say about this second race. The car was working really well since the very beginning, but suddenly my left rear tire failed and I was forced to retire when only a few kilometres were missing. It's a big pity, because I think that we could have easily won this race and that it would have been a well deserved victory".
#67 Alex De Giacomi: "It was a tough race. Unfortunately during the first lap we were really close in the middle field, and after doing 4 turns side by side I made contact whit Cassarà: the clash was unavoidable because there wasn't enough room for both of us, but the 25" penalty it's a pity because we lost the 1st place and moreover we fell down in the standing. The positive thing is that even today we showed a great , so we are looking forward to Vallelunga in order to be back on the podium again".
2nd Race Results (overall):
The most offensive fact in this story is that it will be possible to correct the mistakes and put things right only in Vallelunga, where the drivers will gather already after the August vacation. However, the three-week racing marathon in two series is waiting for us – in Italian Porsche Cup and in GT Cup Open Europe. It will be fascinating, podium-winning, cup-taking and triumphant! Just wait and you will see!