TIGHT AT THE TOP, EXCITEMENT ON THE TRACK
03/06/2012.- The Trofeo kicked off again at Portimao with one thing certain: it will be a close run thing all the way. The Portuguese weekend again demonstrated just how tight things are at the top, something already clear from the last meet at Jarama. Here three different drivers came out on top in the weekend’s three events.
Cedric Sbirrazzuoli secured a commanding win in Race 1; Giorgio Sernagiotto got back to winning ways in Race 2 while Richard Kuppens made the first endurance event, Race 3, his own. Portimao was also marked by the fine form shown by Riccardo Romagnoli, as he climbed from twentieth to second in Race 2, and Joe Ghanem, who finished on the podium in all three races. Ten drivers are grouped within 13 points in the overall standings, showing how close things are. Excitement, adrenalin and thrills are in store next time out.
RACE RESULTS 1
TIME/DRIVER
01 30:40.758Cedric Sbirrazzuoli.
02+8.291Riccardo Ragazzi.
03+9.914Joe Ghanem.
04+13.463Fabio Venier.
05+32.392Renaud Kuppens.
06+37.873Stefano Garelli.
07+41.445Edo Varini.
08+42.644Owen Mildenhall.
09+51.062Ismail Sbai.
10+52.819Giuseppe Fascicolo.
…
RACE RESULTS 2
TIME/DRIVER
01 30:05.382Giorgio Sernagiotto.
02+1.166Riccardo Romagnoli.
03+5.122Joe Ghanem.
04+5.569Renaud Kuppens.
05+11.110Andrea Dromedari.
06+33.651Ismail Sbai.
07+36.448Andreas Segler.
08+36.530Owen Mildenhall.
09+36.822Alessandro Chionna.
10+39.309Richard Denny.
…
RACE RESULTS 3
TIME/DRIVER
01 51:17.878Renaud Kuppens.
02+2.091Joe Ghanem.
03+15.772Alan Simoni.
04+28.427Fabio Venier.
05+32.997Edo Varini.
06+35.851Giuseppe Fascicolo.
07+49.459Richard Denny.
08+50.960Andrea Dromedari.
09+1:10.977Youssaf El Marnissi.
10+1:12.219Owen Mildenhall.
…
STARTING GRID 1
TIME/DRIVER
01 1:53.255Joe Ghanem.
02+0.459Riccardo Ragazzi.
03+0.525Renaud Kuppens.
04+0.560Cedric Sbirrazzuoli.
05+1.255Fabio Venier.
06+1.366Owen Mildenhall.
07+1.701Youssaf El Marnissi.
08+1.858Stefano Garelli.
09+1.926Giuseppe Fascicolo.
10+2.563Richard Denny.
…
STARTING GRID 2
TIME/DRIVER
01 1:52.689Giorgio Sernagiotto.
02+0.513Alan Simoni.
03+0.813Andrea Gardelli.
04+0.967Renaud Kuppens.
05+1.029Joe Ghanem.
06+1.725Owen Mildenhall.
07+1.838Andrea Dromedari.
08+2.074Riccardo Romagnoli.
09+2.152Richard Denny.
10+2.161Tiziano Cappelletti
…
STARTING GRID 3
DRIVER
01.-Riccardo Ragazzi / Alan Simoni.
02.- Joe Ghanem.
03.- Renaud Kuppens.
04.- Giuseppe Fascicolo / Giorgio Sernagiotto.
05.- Fabio Venier / Andrea Gardelli.
06.- Cedric Sbirrazzuoli / Alessandro Chionna.
07.- Owen Mildenhall.
08.- Tiziano Cappelletti / Stefano Garelli.
09.- Youssaf El Marnissi.
10.- Richard Denny.
…
COMMENTS AFTER THE RACE 3
Giorgio Sernagiotto: “There was much more action in this race compared to Jarama. I didn’t get off to a good start and was overtaken by Simoni and Ghanem.»
«Then I lost my bonnet but made the most of Simoni dropping out to edge past Ghanem. I took the lead and held on to the end despite Romagnoli’s great comeback. I am pleased and think that the series is an exciting one that will go to the wire”.
Renaud Kuppens (Konvex Motorsport): “It was an enjoyable race but a long one because fifty minutes is a long time behind the wheel. I put in a great lap before the pit stop, left the pits first and kept the lead until the finish. Still, it wasn’t easy because there was a lot of traffic out there and I lost a bit of time but I got the win and am very happy”.
RACE 3 PRESS CONFERENCE
Renaud Kuppens – Konvex Motorsport (first): “It was an enjoyable race but a long one because fifty minutes is a long time behind the wheel.
«I put in a great lap before the pit stop, left the pits first and kept the lead until the finish. Still, it wasn’t easy because there was a lot of traffic out there and I lost a bit of time but I got the win and am very happy”.
Joe Ghanem (second): “I am very pleased. It was a difficult race, mainly because I was driving on my own. I started from second and held onto this spot after turn 1. I later found myself in first but Romagnoli overtook me just before the pit stops. I went back out in second and managed to stay there until the end. I am happy with how this weekend went”.
Riccardo Ragazzi-Alan Simoni (third) – Ragazzi: “One positive is that we are the leading crew because racing as a pair is much more complicated. We should also underline that we drove the back-up car after ours was damaged in Race 2 and we had to get used to it. I was in touch with the leaders early on but they were a little faster than me; Alan did the rest. I really like the three-race format”.
Simoni: “It went well. I didn’t have too much trouble getting to know the car. It was a shame about Race 2 where I manage.
RACE 2 PRESS CONFERENCE
Giorgio Sernagiotto (first): There was much more action in this race compared to Jarama.
«I made a little mistake at the start and dropped two places but kept my cool and tried to claw them back. Then, on lap one, I lost my bonnet and the car developed a lot of understeer. This was probably because the airflow broke up at the front end and this meant my speed fell in the straights. I waited to see what would happen between Simoni and Ghanem. In the end they clipped each other and Simoni had to pull out, which was a shame. I moved into second spot and then got past Ghanem. I then had a super-fast Romagnoli to deal with but I held him off, even with my car in dodgy shape.
The championship will come down to the wire. Racing alongside Beppe, who is slightly slower than me, we lose a bit of time in some sections compared to other crews. It is a great series and I hope that some of the drivers I have caught sight of here don’t always drive so fast».
Riccardo Romagnoli (second): “The weekend got off to a good start with free practice but I had a problem in qualifying and had to start from the back. I spent the race playing catch-up and I went for it without really thinking about tyre wear. I managed to cause Giorgio Sernagiotto some trouble towards the end but he defended his position well. I am satisfied because I didn’t think I would make that sort of comeback. In championship terms it is a great result. My partner did well yesterday and came seventh, even after starting down the pack, so we are in there fighting.
We line up in twelfth for Race 3. My startegy will be to hand over the car to my team mate as high up the field as possible. I hope that he can keep up the pace because he laps a tad slower than I do».
Joe Ghanem (third): «I got off to a superb start and managed to overtake a few drivers, unlike yesterday when Cedric Sbirrazzuoli surprised us all on the outside of turn 1. I tried to stick with Simoni and looked to overtake. We touched and I honestly don’t know if it was my fault. I pushed on until the end and am pleased with third. I was a bit nervy for my first race yesterday but feel more chilled today. The aim for Race 3 is to go on improving and come first, obviously…».
Text and Photographs: Maserati.
