Giusti wins and Taponen spins Camara in FREC’s second Imola race

Photo: Dutch Photo Agency

ART Grand Prix’s Alessandro Giusti won a wet and dramatic second Formula Regional European Championship race at Imola.

Giusti started fourth behind Prema’s Rafael Camara, R-ace GP’s Tuukka Taponen and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Brando Badoer. The slippiness of the circuit was shown by Sainteloc Racing’s Edgar Pierre going off on the formation lap.

Some drivers wheelspun off the line, and ART GP’s Evan Giltaire had to take to the grass to get around slow cars ahead. Camara led into the first braking zone but as he turned in was sent spinning by contact with Taponen.

The pair fell to the back of the pack, and Camara was able to get going again while Taponen’s car was stuck in the gravel.

Giusti inherited the lead ahead of Race Performance Motorsport’s Noah Stromsted and R-ace’s Zachary David, and there was further drama at the Variante Alta as Sainteloc’s Matteo De Palo was spun around and his car set on fire. Marshals immediately extinguished the blaze, and the safety car was summoned.

Giltaire went from 11th to fifth, sandwiched between R-ace’s Enzo Deligny and Prema’s James Wharton, and on the lap three restart Giusti swept away lots of water on the pit straight before returning to racing speeds and sprinting away.

Deligny lost fourth to Giltaire at the first braking zone, and later in the lap Wharton almost hit him as his car slid when attempting a move. Lap four began with VAR’s Ivan Domingues losing his front wing in a clash, while Prema’s Ugo Ugochukwu passed Trident’s returning Roman Bilinski for ninth.

A problem then struck Giltaire and he slowed dramatically, eventually making it to the pits to retire as the safety car returned. Camara was already back up to 18th, which became 17th when Iron Dames’ Doriane Pin pitted from 11th place during the lengthy safety car period.

Giusti left it late to accelerate on the lap 10 restart, and Stromsted stuck with him. Just behind, Sainteloc’s Enzo Peugeot rearended Deligny at Tamburello, and G4 Racing’s Kanato Le spun at Variante Alta after being hit. Wharton took third from David at Rivazza 1, Ugochukwu and Bilinski continued to fight over what was now sixth and Camara was up to 11th.

The points leader passed Trident’s Ruiqi Liu to make it into the top 10 on the next lap, and Ugochukwu went around VAR’s Pedro Clerot for fifth but then got caught out and lost the place at Piratella. At Rivazza 1 he tried again, sending Clerot wide but getting the move done.

The safety car appeared again on lap 12, as R-P-M’s Giovanni Maschio crashed and Peugeot (who had just pitted) spun exiting turn three and got hit. MP Motorsport’s Nikita Bedrin and Sainteloc’s Theophile Nael took to the grass to avoid, which helped Camara then get past Bedrin for ninth. The race finished behind the safety car.

Race result (14 laps)