Porsche Cup Imola: Rewarded catch-up chases
WINNING FROM POSITION 23 At the third round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Suisse in Imola, the sprint in the premier class ended in triumph for Andreas Corradina. In the endurance class, champion Jean-Paul von Burg drove from position 23 on the grid to overall victory. For Andreas Corradina, the best time in practice for the GT3 Cup Challenge sprint seemed to be half the [...]
For Andreas Corradina, the best time in practice for the GT3 Cup Challenge sprint seemed to be half the battle. Starting from pole, he drove to his first win of the season in the almost half-hour race ahead of Josef Stengel, who started next to him. The latter turned the fastest race lap but was unable to get past Corradina.
Manuel Nicolaidis and Jean-Paul von Burg, on the other hand, were unable to hold on to their places on the second row of the grid. Nicolaidis finished fourth, von Burg only seventh after a mistake.
Third place went to Ernst Keller, who was second fastest in qualifying. Because he was using Joker tires due to a puncture, Corradina's Sportec teammate was demoted three grid positions, two of which he made up.
Winner from the 23rd starting position
The cards were reshuffled for the Endurance race. In the endurance race, the race is not started after the sprint finish, but a separate qualifying session is held together with the drivers from the Porsche Sports Cup. And this turned into a tire poker match.
Initially, everyone took to the track in the rain, which dried out completely again towards the end of qualifying. Not everyone caught the right moment for a fast lap.
This poker was best played by Manuel Nicolaidis, who secured pole position ahead of Thomas Winkler and the driver duo Andreas Corradina/Giuliano Longa.
The field was mixed up by several accidents and subsequent safety car phases. For Jean-Paul von Burg, the timing in qualifying was not right at all, so that last year's champion only started from seventh position in the GT3 Cup Challenge and 23rd of the entire field.
Nevertheless, the Geneva native crossed the finish line first after just over an hour. Benoît Bitschnau took second place in the GT3 Cup Challenge and Paul Kasper, supported this time by pro Klaus Bachler, third.
Arrigosi and Misbach win the Porsche Sports Cup
In the Porsche Sports Cup, the drivers dominated the action in their Cayman GT4 Clubsport cars, with Matteo Arrigosi leading the way. He, too, turned the best starting position into a class win in the sprint.
Thomas Brauch started the race in second place and turned the fastest lap, but still had to settle for third place behind Martin Koch. The latter made up no less than five places on his way to the podium.
In qualifying for the Endurance race, the Cayman of Baccani/Di Bona was at the front, but after the distance had elapsed it was Laurent Misbach, who had started from further back. Alberto Franceschetti and professional Manuel Metzger were rewarded for their race to catch up with second place. In addition, only the duo Riva/Arrigosi, who started third, was able to turn their good starting position into a podium finish.
In the Porsche Driver's Challenge, Peter Hagmann with his 991 GT2 RS was the most regular driver over ten laps in the regularity test. Peter Gafner and Peter Meister secured the places of honor with their 991 GT3s.
