Ferrari F430 no. 3 Michele Maceratesi Andrea Montermini – 25" handicap
Ferrari F430 no. 4 Manuel Giao Pedro Couceiro 5" handicap
An excellent result was the outcome for the first race of the weekend at Spa for Scuderia Playteam Sarafree. Despite a 25" penalty the Ferrari F430 no. 3 of Montermini and Maceratesi finished the first race in second. Meanwhile Giao and Couceiro in Ferrari F430 no. 4 also scored points and finished in an excellent sixth place.
On the starting grid of the first race of the week end - the Pro Am Race, Montermini was on the front row while his Portuguese team mates started from 16th after having been given a ten place grid penalty for an incident which occurred in the second event of the season.
Montermini had a good start and kept second position. Couceiro however jumped to 5th place by the end of the first corner. The first part of the race was not easy to manage on the partly wet track. On lap 10, Pedro Couceiro handed the car back to Manuel Giao from 8th place and hardly 20 seconds later Montermini, continued to put the pressure on Marcel Fassler until lap 12.
That was when he handed over his Ferrari to team mate Maceratesi and despite a 25 second handicap he maintained second place until the chequered flag. Meanwhile, Giao scored useful points bringing the car to the finish in 6th place.
Montermini commented, "At the start the conditions on the track were really difficult. I did not want to risk anything so did not try to pass Fassler. I just did not want to take any risk. I was counting on the car. It was a perfect car. And I thought it would be best to be patient and wait. It was a good race, and I had fun despite our heavy, 25" handicap. The car was perfect for which I can only thank the boys in the team."
Maceratesi went on to state, "The car was very strong. It was key for the race strategy. With our handicap, it could not be much better at all. Andrea did a fantastic job maintaining our classification. I am really pleased with the way things went today."
Pedro Couceiro then commented, "It was really difficult in the first part of the race. We started from 16th place and I had to pass competitors and back markers that were really slow. To pass in these conditions is not easy. I wanted to make sure I turned the car over Manuel in good condition. It is a good result but I am only half happy. I realise that to start from 16th under these conditions and finish in the points is an excellent result so we cannot complain."
Giao stated, "It was both a strange and interesting race. Starting from 16th position after our Valencia penalty, add a handicap of 5 seconds and finish in sixth, is a real success. I followed the Porsche ahead of me and did not let them go. I did not know the track that well and to follow Lietz helped me a lot. Points are points. It is very important for the championship."
www.scuderiaplayteam.com
- Agnes Carlier - photo Scuderia Playteam Sarafree
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