The second round of XGT4 Italy provides a great show at the ACI Racing Weekend in Vallelunga

Two races full of emotions in the prestigious setting of the ‘Piero Taruffi’ racetrack give a double success to the Portuguese Tomas Guedes (Autorlando Sport), while Andrea Frizza and Maurizio Losi share the spoils in the XGTM

 

Two races full of emotions in the prestigious setting of the ‘Piero Taruffi’ racetrack give a double success to the Portuguese Tomas Guedes (Autorlando Sport), while Andrea Frizza and Maurizio Losi share the spoils in the XGTM

A hot weekend of emotions accompanied the second seasonal round of the A line-up full of prestigious brands accompanied the new challenge of the Italian series organized by FX Racing Weekend, giving the large audience present in the stands and paddock two hard-fought and uncertain races from the first to the last corner.

The Portuguese Tomas Guedes stood out in the overall ranking on both occasions and, aboard the Porsche Cayman GT4 of the Autorlando Sport team, preceded the young Finn Benjamin Sylvestersson, at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4 of Promodrive, at the end of a close battle. . Alternating on the third step of the podium were the Mercedes AMG GT4s of Manuel Lasagni (CZ Bassano Racing Team) in race 1 and that of the Slovenian Mark Kastelic (Lema Racing) in the second heat. Equally intense was the challenge that emerged in the ), while in the second test it was Losi himself who took back the scepter ahead of Frizza and the Macedonian Sashko Atanasovski (Pro.Motorsport).

QUALIFICATIONS. After the free practice sessions which inaugurated the on-track activity of the ACI Racing Weekend on the Capitoline circuit, the challenge came to life with the double challenge of qualifying, aimed at determining the starting grids of the two heats of the race. Guedes was the one to establish himself with the best time in both sessions, first managing to stand out with a time of 1:40.891 and then improving by another three tenths during the second session. The gap on the first of the pursuers was however reduced, with Sylvestersson preceding Kastelic, Lasagni and the very young rookie Dawid Zydlewski. In the Tucci stood out in the first qualifying with an excellent second time, while the Macedonian Atanasovski managed to obtain a fourth and a third time.

RACE-1. After an excellent starting point which allowed him to maintain the lead of the group, Guedes had to deal with the peremptory return of Sylvestersson behind him, whose threat was thwarted only following the double entry of the Safet Car: first due to the retirement of Lorenzo Semprini’s Porsche Cayman after about 7′ of the race, then at the end following the stop of Kastelic’s Mercedes, until then firmly in third position. The Portuguese was therefore able to maintain the leadership until the checkered flag, where he passed with a margin of only six tenths over Sylvestersson, while Lasagni did not miss the opportunity for the podium. Of note is a spin on the last lap by Gabriele Bini’s Audi R8 LMS GT4, while the Tuscan was trying to undermine Mariano Bellin’s position. In the ”6.

RACE-2. Guedes did not let himself be surprised when the lights went out, building a safety margin against Sylvestersson from the start in a race devoid of neutralizations. The third step of the podium on this occasion went to Kastelic, able to redeem himself after the bad luck suffered the previous day and precede the other Mercedes of Lasagni and Zydlewski. Danilo Arfini’s Cayman 718 (Centri Porsche Ticino) completes the ranking ahead of Bini and Semprini. Maurizio Losi imposed himself authoritatively in the XGTM division, having the better of Frizza and a spirited Atanasovski, with Tucci who on this occasion had to settle for fourth place in the final.

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