Spring, Monza, the beginning of the season are three components of happiness. In the first moment it is not important how the plot will evolve, excitement comes later. Approximately half an hour after the arrival...
Let us not to stay on a usual process of the racing weekend: scrutineering, free practices, qualifications... The main thing that both we and our fans have been waiting for half a year is happening on Saturday: 23 cars are lining up on the starting grid of the first race on the legendary track near Milan.
Enrico Fulgenzi competing with the technical support of Tsunami RT this year is on the pole position. The champion of Porsche Carrera Cup 2013 is really happy about it: "We had a wonderful qualifying! Tsunami did an excellent job from every point of view: they gave me a car that was perfect to fight for the Pole Position. We trained so hard during this months in order to reach these goals, and I really have to thank the whole team for it!"
A warm-up lap... The starting signal light is switched off... Here we go!
Just after the start we say goodbye to Luca Pastorelli, for whom the first race became very short and finished beyond the track. We are deeply sympathizing with him not knowing that the situation will drastically change for us too in a little while...
On the third lap Enrico Fulgenzi loses two positions having given the way to Diego Bertonelli and Jaden Conwright. Now fast and daring Tommaso Mosca is behind him. The situation is highly explosive! It is, unfortunately, very short-run, though: Mosca is attacking inside the turn, Fulgenzi is shielding himself, contact, fly-off, fall-out. Here is the ride...
Enrico Fulgenzi (#17): "Can we race again? Unfortunately at the beginning I struggled a little bit with the car, so as Bertonelli and Conwright overtook me I dropped down in third position with Mosca behind me. I decided not to waste too much energy in defensive moves and I just wanted to set my pace, but Mosca braked too deep where it is impossible to run side by side. We collided, and that was the end of my race".
Now all our attention is drawn to Alex De Giacomi and Thomas Nicolle who are competing for the podium in Michelin Cup classification. Alex De Giacomi opens the season with silver among gentlemen drivers!
However, Thomas Nicolle also turns out to be in the list of unlucky people. It is not so fatal, though: a collision on the last lap does not cause a fall-out. If the race had been one lap shorter, the Tsunami driver would have got bronze in Michelin Cup...
Alex De Giacomi (#67): "After the qualifying I told that we have improved our pace, and the race result shows it perfectly. It was a positive race, we gained two positions and we finished second. Our next goal will be the victory, and if we work in this way we will surely gain it".
Thomas Nicolle (#66): "I have fought during the whole race for the third position, so it was a tough one. Unfortunately I got hit from behind during the last lap, and that didn't allow me to catch the third place. It's a pity, because we have been improving during the whole weekend and we could really reach the podium".
Porsche Carrera Cup Italia 2019. Monza, round 1. Race 1.
1. Diego Bertonelli (Dinamic Motorsport) 17 laps
2. Jaden Conwright (Dinamic Motorsport) +0.632
3. Simone Jaquinta (Ghinzani Arco Motorsport) +1.280
...
10. Alex de Giacomi (Tsunami RT) +26.949
...
15. Thomas Nicolle (Tsunami RT) +50.038
...
18. Simone Sartori (Team Malucelli) +1 lap
Michelin Cup
1. Bashar Mardini (GDL Racing)
2. Alex de Giacomi (Tsunami RT)
3. Marco Cassara (Ombra Racing)
4. Thomas Nicolle (Tsunami RT)
...
7. Simone Sartori (Team Malucelli)
Sunday is less tense for us as for emotions because it saves us effort of not expecting the medal places in the overall classification after the fall-out of yesterday: Enrico Fulgenzi will start from the end of the peloton. We could not even imagine what a spectacular show would be presented to us by our competitors!
Simone Iaquinta is momentarily shooting ahead from the start, Patrick Kujala, Giovanni Berton and Jaden Conwright are tailing him after a short mess. Kujala is particularly good with his stylish maneuver that brings him on the second position.
Such a situation does not last long: the video replay proves conclusively that Berton has started the race from a false start, and the driver goes to Drive through.
Conwright is attacking Kujala. The attack is unsuccessful.
Till that moment Enrico Fulgenzi is the 15th already, having won 5 positions back.
Alex De Giacomi and Thomas Nicolle are fighting with the gloves off in the middle of the peloton, densely surrounded by competitors.
Iaquinta is rushing ahead. It should be easier for him, at least, it is enough for him just to defend, but Kujalais managing to continue his attacks.
Conwright is attacking Kujala. The attack is unsuccessful.
At this very moment one more contact is happening in the middle of the peloton – Enrico Fulgenzi collides with Francesco De Luca! Unfortunately, it is the end of the race for De Luca... Fulgenzi gets the penalty of driving through pit lane, and all his spectacular overruns go belly up.
Conwright is attacking Kujala. The attack is unsuccessful. The top-3 has the gaps of less than 0.7 second.
Here we are, a new restriction! Now Alex De Giacomi gets a drive through! What about this day?!... We would be more disappointed, but it is impossible to tear away from monitoring of the track, where...
Conwright is attacking Kujala. The latter makes a mistake, Jaden Conwright goes stride for stride with the competitor, but Patrick Kujala holds the second position in some crazy effort! What a show!
Keep breathing! We should be reminded of it, because our hearts are in our mouth after such a race.
The last lap. Enrico Fulgenzi finds the place between Thomas Nicolle and Alex De Giacomi, three Tsunami RT drivers are rushing to the finish unitedly.
Conwright is attacking Kujala. Conwright finally managed to perform his eye-catching maneuver in the chicane, and he becomes the second!.. Just to make a new mistake, though, and to lose his position again.
These two will dash stride for stride under the checkered flags. What a beautiful spectacle! After the results of Simone Iaquinta are canceled due to non-compliance of the vehicle with technical requirements, Patrick Kujala will receive the deserved gold in this race.
We remained in an unusual state, without prices, on Sunday. Thomas Nicolle is the 4th in Michelin Cup, Alex De Giacomi is the fifth because of the penalty...
Enrico Fulgenzi (#17): "It was a tough race since the very beginning, and we expected that due to our starting position. I had a very good start and after a few laps I could already score some points, but while I was duelling against Grosso I made contact with De Luca, and that contact costed me a Drive Through. I ruined De Luca's race and I feel really sorry about that, but unfortunately those kind of incidents can happen when you are fighting in the middle-field. Now we have to reset and to focus on our next race, Misano".
Thomas Nicolle (#66): "It was a difficult start, but although I struggled during the whole weekend even in Race 2 I finished 4th, so now I am 4th overall in the Cup. Now we have to focus on our next race in Misano, where we want to improve a little bit more: there we want to fight for the podium! "
Alex De Giacomi (#66): "It's a pity, because we had a really good pace and I was fighting for the first position of the Michelin Cup. Unfortunately the Drive Through send us behind in the ranking, but we have the potential to reach great results. Now we start thinking about Misano, where we have to confirm what we have showed here in Monza".
Porsche Carrera Cup Italia 2019. Monza, round 1. Race 2.
1. Patrick Kujala (Bonaldi Motorsport) 17 laps
2. Jaden Conwright (Dinamic Motorsport) +0.133
3. Diego Bertonelli (Dinamic Motorsport)+0.992
...
14. Thomas Nicolle (Tsunami RT) +40.511
15. Enrico Fulgenzi (Tsunami RT) +43.295
16. Alex de Giacomi (Tsunami RT) +53.228
...
18. Marco Calassi (Team Malucelli) +1:13.049
Michelin Cup
1. Bashar Mardini (GDL Racing)
2. Luca Pastorelli (Dinamic Motorsport)
3. Marco Cassara (Ombra Racing)
4. Thomas Nicolle (Tsunami RT)
5.Alex de Giacomi (Tsunami RT)
...
7. Marco Calassi (Team Malucelli)
While our drivers are dreaming about a revenge in Mizano, we begin to recall the words "Bonjour", "S'il vous plait" and "Paul Ricard". This place is waiting for us and Curti brothers on the first round of GT Cup Open Europe. Tres bien!