There was no lack of excitement or entertainment on the rain-soaked Monza circuit this morning for the second race of Coppa Shell this weekend. The winner turned out to be “Alex Fox” (Sf Grand Est Mulhouse), while Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) gave a repeat performance in AM class.
Although the rain had ceased, track conditions remained wet, with the race getting underway behind the Safety Car for safety and visibility reasons. "Alex Fox" led off from pole position after Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) had been penalized, in spite of being the fastest in the morning practice session. As the Safety Car withdrew, so the emotions ignited: a long stream of cars ran wide into turn one, leading James Weiland (Rossocorsa) to drop several positions, while granting a slight advantage to pacesetter “Alex Fox”. Following behind the Frenchman were Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo), Joakim Olander (Scuderia Autoropa), first in AM class, Christian Kinch (Formula Racing) and, behind Weiland, a fine Ernst Kirchmayr staging a comeback.
Meanwhile, in AM class, Giuseppe Ramelli had managed to seize second place thanks to an excellent overtaking manoeuvre to the detriment of Michael Simoncic (Baron Motorsport).
As "Alex Fox" attempted to break away, a very heated battle was breaking out behind involving James Weiland. The Race 1 winner managed to overhaul Kinch first, with a manoeuvre round the outside curve of turn one, then Olander, and finally Sartingen, at the first Lesmo bend, setting himself up to directly pursue the pacemaker.
However, with five minutes left on the clock, the leader of the AM class, Olander, collided with re-emerging Kirchmayr at turn one. The two drivers were forced to retire, triggering the entrance of the Safety Car that accompanied the competitors right up until the final chequered flag, freezing the current positions. “Alex Fox” was thus able to claim the first win of the season ahead of James Weiland and Axel Sartingen. Christian Kinch wrapped things up in fourth place, while fifth was Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing), producing the race’s fastest lap.
In AM class, Giuseppe Ramelli replicated the win of yesterday. The Italian driver, sixth overall, finished ahead of Willem Van der Vorm (Scuderia Monte-Carlo), while Tommy Lindroth (Baron Motorsport) rounded out the podium.