The Imperiale Racing driver takes victory in Race 2 of the season alone; Pole and podium for Emil Frey Racing in the first ADAC GT Masters race

Sant’Agata Bolognese/Monza, April 24, 2022 – Lamborghini kicked off its Italian GT championship campaign with victory in the weekend’s second Sprint Cup race at Monza courtesy of Imperiale Racing’s Alberto di Folco, in a weekend full of emotions. Driving solo for Race 2, due to an incident with team-mate Stuart Middleton on Saturday’s opener, di Folco rode a superb race from second on the grid to claim victory following a late intervention. of the safety car.

The weekend started with a bang for the crew of the #6 Imperiale Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, with di Folco on pole position for Race 1 and Middleton setting the second fastest time for Race 2.

Di Folco took the lead from the flying start and controlled the opening segment of the race, until the mandatory pit stop for the driver change. Middleton was due to take over from di Folco but was cut off by another car as it entered the pit lane. The British driver suffered injuries to his arm and leg and was taken to the circuit’s medical center before being transferred to the local hospital nearby. Following the accidental incident, di Folco remained in the car and completed the second stint as a solo driver, incurring a one-minute time penalty and depriving the #6 car of its second-place finish. the road.

Middleton’s qualifying efforts for Race 2 were not to go unrewarded, however, as di Folco drove the entire second hour-long race. The experienced Roman had to overcome a five-second handicap penalty as a solo driver, but managed to come out of the pit stop phase in the lead. A late intervention from the safety car regrouped the field in the closing stages, but di Folco put on a strong restart to head home just over a second to the flag.

“[It’s] a great win that I want to dedicate to Stuart,” said di Folco after the race. “Now for me the most important thing is to bring him the trophy and hope he comes back in time for the next race. I was very motivated today, but it was not an easy race. BMW was very fast especially on the straights, our car was always perfect both in wet and dry conditions and for that I want to thank the Imperiale Racing team.

Pole and podium for Emil Frey Racing in the first ADAC GT Masters race

Emil Frey Racing had a promising start to their ADAC GT Masters adventure at Oschersleben as Lamborghini works driver Franck Perera and Lamborghini GT3 Junior driver Arthur Rougier claimed second place in the first of two hour-long races.

Perera had previously taken pole position in a hotly contested qualifying session, where traffic played a major role in determining the order. The Frenchman set a best time of 1m21.688 to go some two tenths of a second faster than the second car. He started from the start and maintained a nice margin until the pit stop before switching to Rougier for the second stint.

The #19 car then came under pressure from the Audi behind and Rougier made a slight error at the first corner, crossing the gravel and losing the lead. Despite this, Rougier brought the car home for a well-deserved podium on its debut, while Mick Wishofer and Konsta Lappalainen took the #14 Huracán to a podium finish in the Junior Trophy class.

Race 2 was another action-packed race, with the #63 car of Jack Aitken and factory Lamborghini driver Albert Costa Balboa finishing a solid fifth place.

The next round of the Italian GT Championship will take place on the weekend of May 14-15 at the iconic Enna Pergusa circuit, the season-opening round of the Endurance Cup, while the ADAC GT Masters will visit the Red Bull Ring in Austria a week later.