25 July 2010
Brand-new Porsche Panamera scores SUPERSTARS debut win at Mugello on race 1. Mercedes wins on race 2
The fifth round of the ITALIAN SUPERSTARS SERIES, held at Mugello, provided an historic moment for the championship, as N.Technology, an legendary name in motorsports, scored an incredible maiden win with the team's Porsche Panamera S. The German beast's great debut started on Saturday, with an stunning pole position that was just an anticipation of how things ended up on Race Day. On Race 1, it was multiple touringcar champion Fabrizio "Piedone" Giovanardi to lead the pack to checkered, topping the BMW M3 E92 of Gianni Morbidelli (Team BMW Italia) and the Mercedes C63 AMG of Luigi Ferrara (Caal Racing). Race 2 brought Mercedes on top, as Max Pigoli (Team Romeo Ferraris) beat Ferrara and Morbidelli.
As reported, the N.Technology Porsche Panamera S scored a sensational maiden win on its debut race. At the end of a short development phase, the team managed to line-up a competitive car since the the first time on-track, also thanks to the huge talent and experience skills showcased by Giovanardi. The racer from Sassuolo got past Ferrara's Mercedes at the end of a 5-lap long duel, thanks to a stunning move that propelled him up front. Shortly after, Ferrara was also passed by Morbidelli, while the BMW of Thomas Biagi and the Mercedes of Pigoli rounded out the top-5. The top-10 was completed by Stefano Gabellini (BMW M3 Coupé, Team BMW Italia), Kristian Ghedina (BMW M3 sedan, Movisport), Luca Cappellari (BMW M3 Coupé, Team BMW Italia), Roberto Del Castello (Cadillac CTS-V, Santucci Motorsport), and Michela Cerruti (Mercedes C63 AMG, Team Romeo Ferraris).
Mercedes led the way early on Race 2 too, as Pigoli pulled away thanks to a multi-car battle started behind him. In the end, six cars were covered by less than one second, while Stefano Gabellini provided even more action with an almost impossible move on Pigoli for the lead. Unfortunately for him, the BMW racer ended up wide, settling for fourth behind Ferrara and Morbidelli. Ghedina and Cappellari took 5th and 6th respectively, followed by Thomas Biagi (BMW), Matteo Malucelli (Chevrolet Lumina) and the Panamera S of Giovanardi. Sandro Bettini (Maserati Quattroporte) rounded out the top-10 for Swiss Team.
Biagi (BMW), was able not to relinquish his championship lead on the uphill track in Tuscany, but he can now count on just a single point of margin over Ferrara (Mercedes), 116 to 115. Pigoli closed in too, standing in third at 111. The Italian Superstars Championship still has a long road in front for 2010. The next round is scheduled at Varano de' Melegari on August 28-29, followed by the rounds at Paul Ricard (FRA), on September 18-19, and Vallelunga (ITA) on October 9-10.
Scarperia, July 25, 2010