16.09.2019 – A trickier than expected round despite the great performance put in by drivers and staff has gone on stage in Vallelunga for Imperiale Racing during the penultimate round of the Italian GT Championship Endurance 2019.
The Italian team reached the racetrack named after Piero Taruffi to continue the fight for the top with both the Lamborghini Huracàn GT3 Evo: namely, the #63 driven by Vito Postiglione (ITA), Jeroen Mul (NL) and Alex Frassineti (ITA) in PRO and the #19 by Pietro Perolini (ITA), Ben Gersekowski (AUS) and Emanuele Zonzini (ITA) in Pro-Am. The lineups fielded by the Mirandola-based team confirmed their high value since free practice and put their name forward for a weekend on top.
In the spectacular qualifying, Frassineti ended the first session posting the second quickest time and Mul repeated the same result in Q2, while Postiglione went quickest in Q3, which placed the #63 car in pole position with an overall performance of 4’34.344s. An as positive session was run by the #19 in Pro-Am. Perolini was third quickest of the category Q1, Gersekowski was sixth in the second session, while Zonzini, was fifth in Q3, which resulted in the combined time 4’36.366s, that was the fifth fastest of the category and the tenth overall.
The management of the race of the #63 lineup has been excellent. Postiglione allowed the #15 BMW M6 GT3 of Johansson go through at the start, but then he got back the lead twenty laps later thanks to a great move at the Hairpin. At the driver change, Frassineti had to serve the first 15s time handicap following the victory in Misano and rejoined in P2 behind the #25 Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Vezzoni. Imperiale Racing’s driver soon afterwards got the lead back at the Cimini 1. Unfortunately, at the end of the second hour a technical issue forced the #63 car to pit and to retire.
The performance of the #19 car has been remarkable. An unleashed Zonzini recovered several places up to P6 posting very solid laps. In the mid part of the race Perolini engaged in several battles showing his grit and skills. The safety car at the end of the second hour voided all the gaps and Gersekowski took advantage of this putting in a very exciting finale fighting with the #33 Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Bulatov. The Australian driver crossed the finish line in fourth place, that was the second of Pro-Am, but a time penalty handed after the race for rejoining despite the red traffic light in the pit lane at the final driver change shaped up the classification differently. The #19 car was relegated to the seventh place, that was the fourth of Pro-Am.
Luca Del Grosso (Imperiale Racing, Team Manager):
“This is motorsport: even when you have a united team, are strong with both cars and the race pace is the best, as happened to us here in Vallelunga: the unexpected happens. Both lineups ran a strong weekend but we could not convert this into the deserved result. I do not like talking about bad luck, races are won at the chequered flag and this time things did not go as they should. Despite this unexpected epilogue, the team is calm and highly motivated. I believe we will get to Mugello aiming to fight for the overall and Pro-Am classifications”.
Imperiale Racing will get back on track for the closing round of the Italian GT Championship 2019 Endurance from October 4th to 6th at the International Circuit of Mugello.
Imperiale Racing | Race Calendar 2019
5-7 April | Monza | CIGTE
3-5 May | Vallelunga | CIGTS
17-19 May | Misano CIGTE
21-23 June | Imola | CIGTS
19-21 July | Mugello | CIGTS
13-15 September | Vallelunga | CIGTE
4-6 October | Mugello | CIGTE
18-20 October | Monza | CIGTS
Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Endurance | Drivers Classification
1. Comandini-Johansson pt. 41; 2. Frassineti-Mul-Postiglione pt. 25; 3. Cioci-Veglia pt. 23; 4. Fisichella-Gai-Villeneuve pt. 22; 5. Sims pt. 21
Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo Endurance | Pro-Am Drivers Classification
1. Linossi-Colombo pt. 45; 2. Ling pt. 40; 3. Perolini-Gersekowski pt. 39; 4. Palma pt. 30; 5. Tujula pt. 25