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Ghirelli takes maiden Auto GP win

by Jonathan Wallcroft

Photo: Auto GP

Having been cruelly denied by a pit-stop error in race one at the Hungaroring,?Vittorio Ghirelli made no such mistakes as he cruised to victory and moved into third place in the Auto GP standings.

Having also taken fastest lap, Ghirelli took advantage of Meindert Van Buuren‘s early misfortune to move up the order. He took the lead on lap 8 having relentlessly pressurised reverse grid polesitter Narain Karthikeyan and never relinquished it.

Ghirelli’s countrymen, the 2011 and 2012 Italian F3 champions respectively, Sergio Campana and Riccardo Agostini made it an all-Italian podium.

The unfortunate Karthikeyan held on to fourth despite a firm challenge from local favourite Tamas Pal Kiss, while championship leader Kimiya Sato failed to score a podium for the first time this season down in sixth, barely ahead of Daniel De Jong who scored a second seventh place of the weekend.

Max Snegirev, Luciano Bacheta and Robert Visoiu completed the points.

Kimiya Sato leads the championship with 97 points, five ahead of Campana, 14 ahead of Ghirelli and 46 ahead of Agostini.

Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1 Vittorio Ghirelli Super Nova 19 laps in 31:11.327
2 Sergio?Campana Ibiza +7.994
3 Ricardo Agostini Manor MP +10.262
4 Narain Karthikeyan Zele +13.504
5 Tamas Pal Kiss MLR 71 +14.084
6 Kimiya Sato Euronova +19.001
7 Daniel?De Jong Manor?MP +19.342
8 Maxim Snegirev Virtuosi UK +25.356
9 Luciano Bacheta Zele +35.774
10 Robert Visoiu Ghinzani +36.736
11 Francesco Dracone Super Nova +53.189
12 Andrea Roda Virtuosi UK +1.07.487
Not classified
  Michele La Rosa MLR 71 15 laps
  Yoshitaka Kuroda Euronova 13 laps
  Giuseppe Cipriani Ibiza 11 laps
  Meindert Van Buuren Manor MP 2 laps