Fabrizio Crestani put in an authoritative performance at the wheel of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Rinaldi Racing, winning the virtual race before the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Fast start. The usual appetiser before the real event, the Esports GT Pro Series race also provided a spectacle at Spa-Francorchamps, a few hours after the Super Pole. After an excellent qualifying session, with the Iron Lynx Ferrari crewed by Nicklas Nielsen and the Rinaldi Racing one with Fabrizio Crestani close to the top five, the Maranello cars went on the attack at the start. Nielsen made up a few positions after setting off from tenth but suffered some technical problems at the steering wheel that worsened a few laps later. The Dane allowed his partner to pass him and move into sixth place, first in the Silver Cup. However, the Iron Lynx driver’s race ended after a few minutes when the problem with his device forced him to retire early.
Victory. However, Crestani continued his race in fourth position, with a large gap to the closest of the Silver Cup pursuers. The opening of the mandatory pit stops allowed for a change in strategy, and Crestani pitted his 2020 488 GT3 Evo in front of the Rinaldi Racing garage with twenty-five minutes remaining. The pit stop went smoothly with the Italian back on track leading his class and in fourth place overall, managing the pace until the chequered flag. Crestani's win gives Rinaldi Racing another three points in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS team standings. For the German outfit, the Italian's victory is the second consecutive triumph in the series after Nicolas Varrone's at the Paul Ricard and Benjamin Hites' third place at Monza.