The championship title will play out at Barcelona

The next to last outing of the GT Open championship finished with regrets for the team’s loss of first place in the standings meaning that the final outcome of the 2008 championship will be determined in Barcelona. The race today finished today with a 14th place for the duo Montermini and Macerates while the Giao and Couceiro took second position on the podium just behind Lietz and Roda.

The blue and silver of Scuderia Playteam SaraFree started the GT Open race today on the first line for Macerates and 3rd for Giao. The rolling start saw the drivers maintain their position but by the end of first lap everything had changed. Maceratesi unexpectedly found himself at the back of the group following a contact with Belicchi and ran off the track. Giao on the other hand carried out a strong attack on the head of the group maintaining the second place 6 seconds behind a nearly untouchable Lietz.

In the 12 lap trying to move up as many positions as possible Maceratesi handed over the driving duties to his team mate Montermini. Then barley 1 lap later Giao who had been constantly under attack by Serra turned his car over to Couceiro.

The second part of the race saw a very determined Montermini attempting everything to try to get back into a point winning position. Couceiro while trying to move in on a nearly untouchable Prosche successfully defended his second place from Chacon with a nearly 13 second lead over the 3rd place car.

The 27 lap race concluded with Couceiro in second position after having closed a lot of the gap behind Porche now driven by Roda. On the other hand Montermini experienced a light contact with Aguas’ car a few laps before the end finishing in 14th place. Thus at the end of this next to last championship outing the Suceria Playteam SaraFree will arrive in Barcelona in 2nd place.

In addition to the race itself the Autodromo Nationale di Monza provided the backdrop for the presentation of the new communication campaign "Romania, piacere di conoscerti" (Romania pleased to know you). This initiative was carried into the motor sport world by the Scuderia Playteam SaraFree on behalf of the Romanian government with the goal of creating a better image of the Romanian community in Italy thus reducing the use of national stereotypes.

"From one view point I am pleased with the second place but from another I am a bit disappointed. It is the second time this season that the first place has slipped through my fingers. I also feel for Michele exactly what we felt at Estoril. Belicchi did to Michele the same thing that he did to Manuel in the Portogallo race," according the Pedro Couceiro. "I only feel half way pleased. We are a team therefore we share successes and disappointments. The week end was not perfect. I cannot forget the disappointment from race 1 . Anyway all our hopes are on Barcelona

I am very displeased. It was not easy trying to drive the car all the way to end of the race. The incident that involved my co-driver affected the aerodynamics of the car," said Andrea Montermini. "Aguas then was not very sporting and finished the job. All will have to play out now at Barcelona.

Everything was very difficult to anticipate. There were many contacts between the cars and a lot of confusion. I was not able to profit from it. I found some space and managed to move from 6th into the 2nd position, stated Manuel Giao. I was looking to move up but Lietz was well ahead. When later I had moved in closer, I had to concentrate on defending my position from the continual attacks by Serra. I was able to hand the car off to Pedro well in second place. He performed really well and maintained it. Perhaps had another 2 laps been available to us we could have dislodged Roda."

"We all saw what occurred," stated Michele Maceratesi. "Belicchi’s Porsche suddenly pushed into me and for us everything finished there. I took a moment to restart and found myself in last place. The car was not same after that, but we tried and hoped that new, more serious problems would not crop up. We did finish but the outcome is not what we hoped for. We will see what happens in Barcelona.

"We are bitter and disappointed because we believe in sportsmanship but in reality it is not always so. There was behavior that was patently intentional and incorrect on the part of a competitor for this championship as well as well as for the Italian one," said an obviously displeased Giambattista Giannoccaro.

"In three consecutive races that this type of behavior has become apparent. One example is at Misano when one of their cars, not in the championship running, passed and cut off Busnelli. Now, a car not in the running for the title intentionally ran into the back of Maceratesi and damaged the car. This type of behavior is unsporting and dangerous. I hope that sporting officials and restore dignity not only to those who suffered damages but most of all to the sport.

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- Agnes Carlier -   photos Scuderia Playteam Sarafree