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Tamas Pal Kiss takes first Auto GP win at Paul Ricard

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
Photo: Auto GP

Photo: Auto GP

Zele Racing’s Tamas Pal Kiss took his first victory in the Auto GP series in the first race of the second round at Paul Ricard.

The Hungarian nailed pit strategy to win the fight for first place and subsequently cruised to victory, comfortably pulling away from his rivals.

Eurotech’s Kevin Giovesi lined up on pole for the race and had the front row all to himself, as second-placed Kimiya Sato struggled to get away from the grid on the formation lap and had to take the start in last place.

Giovesi kept the lead off the line, leading Markus Pommer and Kiss, while Sato made a lightning stop to recover to fourth place on the opening lap.

The four drivers ran in relative proximity during the first stages of the race, as Giovesi struggled to establish a significant gap to his rivals. As such, it was Sato who first attempted to break out of line, taking an early stop and putting in fastest sectors upon returning to the track.

Pommer followed suit shortly thereafter, which allowed Kiss to up the pace and close in on Giovesi. The Hungarian was the third frontrunner to go into the pits and, thanks to a quick stop by the Zele team, emerged ahead of the battling duo of Pommer and Sato.

Giovesi’s late stop strategy did not end up working out, as he exited the pits behind the leading trio and, with seeming car issues, he had to settle for a finish outside of the podium.

At the front, Kiss increased his advantage over Pommer by six seconds at the checkered flag, taking a dominant win. The German held off Sato, who rounded out the podium.

Giovesi finished fourth, keeping Andrea Roda and teammate Loris Spinelli at bay. Michela Cerruti, Yoshitaka Kuroda, Michele La Rosa and Giuseppe Cipriani rounded out the finishers.

Virtuosi’s Sam Dejonghe was forced into retirement early on due to car issues, while Niccolo Schiro simply couldn’t get going in his debut Auto GP race and wound up stranded on the grid.

Race results
Pos. Driver Team Time/Gap
1 Tamas Pal Kiss Zele Racing 25 laps in 33:30.924
2 Markus Pommer Super Nova International +6.214
3 Kimiya Sato Euronova Racing +6.733
4 Kevin Giovesi Eurotech Engineering +12.904
5 Andrea Roda Virtuosi UK +13.464
6 Loris Spinelli Eurotech Engineering +14.048
7 Michela Cerruti Super Nova International +22.726
8 Yoshitaka Kuroda Zele Racing +23.969
9 Michele La Rosa MLR71 by Euronova +43.171
10 Giuseppe Cipriani Ibiza Racing Team +56.752
Not classified
11 Sam Dejonghe Virtuosi UK +20 laps
12 Niccolo Schiro Ibiza Racing Team +25 laps
Championship standings
Pos. Driver Team Pts.
1 Kimiya Sato Euronova Racing 56
2 Markus Pommer Super Nova International 44
3 Tamas Pal Kiss Zele Racing 37
4 Michele La Rosa MLR71 by Euronova 26
5 Andrea Roda Virtuosi UK 26
6 Michela Cerruti Super Nova International 26
7 Giuseppe Cipriani Ibiza Racing Team 20
8 Kevin Giovesi Eurotech Engineering 16
9 Loris Spinelli Eurotech Engineering 16
10 Sam Dejonghe Virtuosi UK 13
11 Yoshitaka Kuroda Zele Racing 4
12 Francesco Dracone Ibiza Racing Team 4
13 Sergio Campana Zele Racing 1
14 Richard Gonda Virtuosi UK 0
15 Niccolo Schiro Ibiza Racing Team 0