Nakamura penalty hands victory to Powell in E4 race two

Photo: ACI Sport

Alex Powell was victorious in E4’s second race at Mugello after on-the-road winner Kean Nakamura Berta was handed a post-race penalty.

The pair shared the front row of the grid, and ran wheel-to-wheel into turn one. R-ace GP’s Powell had nosed ahead upon turn-in but Prema’s poleman Nakamura locked up on the inside to be just ahead exiting turn one.

Nakamura then went outside of track limits at turn two but was able to stay ahead, only for stewards to decide post-race to punish him with five seconds added to his race time.

The gap between the top two ebbed and flowed between 0.3 and one second, with Nakamura weaving down the pit straight in defence on several laps, and they traded the fastest lap at times. The gap was 0.938s at the finish after 18 laps, but the gap they had to the rest of the field meant Nakamura still finished second.

PHM Racing’s Reno Francot held third at the start, and US Racing’s Gabriel Gomez went across the pit exit to get up from seventh to fourth ahead of Prema’s Salim Hanna Hernandez and Sebastian Wheldon.

Gomez initially had a gap, but by mid-race he was under attack. Hanna attacked him into the final corner on lap 10, then nailed a pass around the outside at turn one next time by. By lap 13 he was on Francot’s gearbox, and he tried passing on the outside at the first and last corners.

Francot weaved in defence on lap 14, and Hanna was sent beyond the white lines when he looked to the outside at turn one again. He held him off expertly there again on the last lap to finish a distant third.

On lap two Andrija Kostic (US) went to pass Maximilian Popov (Van Amersfoort Racing) into turn one and both cleared Kabir Anurag (US) who was on the outside. Kostic was also alongside Wheldon at the apex, but had a wobble and went into him. Wheldon went out of track limits and they both lost four spots as Popov locked up but stayed ahead of Anurag.

Later in the lap a position was reclaimed by Anurag, with both behind VAR’s Dante Vinci and ahead of Prema’s Newman Chi.

Vinci’s mirrors were filled thereon by two cars, and on lap five he weaved his way to turn one where he locked up. He did the same on lap 12, but two laps later there was an error and Anurag was able to get past and three seconds up the road.

Popov was alongside Vinci as they began lap 15, and Kostic was involved too by turn one. Vinci stayed ahead, but Kostic passed Popov at turn two. They later traded positions again, and Popov overtook Vinci before the final lap. But he then lost two places, only regaining one after Kostic was penalised five seconds post-race.

Race results (18 laps)