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Vitaphone Racing Team won the night race at the Adria circuit this evening. The #1 Maserati MC12 of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini stayed out of trouble and kept all rivals behind. After two hours of racing in the dark the gap to the second placed Corvette was 10 seconds.
Saturday May 16th 2009 was a day to forget for the K plus K Motorsport team. After being stripped of their pole position earlier in the day Ryan Sharp took the Saleen back into the pit at the end of the formation lap. The #14 car was retired with a driveshaft failure. Team mate Mario Dominguez came into the pit at the end of lap one and handed over his car to Adam Lacko.
As the sun was starting to set the race got underway at 7:45 p.m. local time, both Vitaphone Maserati’s going into turn 1 side by side. Behind them Ferdinando Monfardini pushed his way through into fourth overall.
Seven laps into the race the #95 Pecom Racing Ferrari retired in the box. A weekend to forget for that team as well. Meanwhile Anthony Kumpen did whatever he could to pass the Full Speed Racing Saleen, but it took him quite some time and he only passed the Saleen on lap 14.
One lap later Monfardini got into the the pits. After it was refueled the bonnet of the car went off for some checks. It rejoined the race shortly after, only to return to the pit and pushed back into the box a couple of laps later. It would return once more, but then retired with overheating problems
The two Vitaphone Racing Maserati’s meanwhile kept their positions at the front, with three Corvettes chasing them. In GT2 the Porsches were still 1-2-3.
On lap 34 the #2 Maserati came into the pit for its first compulsory pit stop, many other teams followed the example of the Vitaphone team. Team mate Bertolini however stayed out for several other laps, before coming in on lap 43.
The GT2 Porsches came into the pit on lap 45, just at the end of the first hour. When all teams had made their pit stop Miguel Ramos was leading Michael Bartels in GT1, while Brixia Racing had taken back the GT2 lead, ahead of the AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Alvaro Barba.
On lap 54 the Vitaphone Racing Team #2 Maserati was given a stop and go penalty for starting the race on wrong tyres. For some reason the team did not start the race on the tyres used in qualifying, but a different set. Miguel Ramos came in to serve the penalty one lap later. In GT2 Alvaro Barba went by the Brixia Racing Porsche and took the lead of the race.
As a result of the stop and go Hezemans in the PK Corvette moved up into second place. In GT2 the Porsches got into difficulties with both the Brixia and Trackspeed cars spinning at turn 1, fortunately without any damage to the car.
Emmanuel Collard went after Barba and closed the gap to the Spanish driver quickly. A battle that went on for several laps started, with Collard all over the Ferrari all the time. Despite being caught up by the GT1 leaders Collard was back on the Ferrari soon after they had passed and on lap 67 there was contact between the #60 and #51.
Barba went into the pit for AF Corse’s final stop two laps later, handing the lead in GT2 back to a Porsche.
Front runners Bartels and Hezemans made their final stop on lap 74. As a result the Luc Alphand Corvette was leading, followed by Alex Müller in the #2 Maserati, who had taken over from Ramos some 10 laps earlier on.
Rather than returning in third place after its final pit stop the Alphand Corvette lost out to #2 Maserati and came back in fourth place. In GT2 Collard made his pit stop, with Gianmaria Bruni rapidly closing in. Fortunately for Richard Westbrook who took over the ProSpeed Competition Porsche the team was able to double stint the tyres and the Briton came back on the track a couple of seconds in front of the #50 AF Corse Ferrari.
At the front Bertolini had a gap of around nine seconds to the second placed Corvette of Anthony Kumpen. A gap that was never to be bridged by the Belgian driver.
On lap 88 Malucelli spun his BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F430 GT into the gravel at turn 6, bringing out the yellow flags.
Nothing changed position wise and after 96 laps the chequered flag came out. Bertolini crossed the line in first place, 10 seconds ahead of Kumpen and 20 seconds ahead of team mate Alex Müller.
Gianmaria Bruni was unable to close the gap to Richard Westbrook, who secured ProSpeed Competition’s second win of the season. Niki Cadei took third place behind team mate Gianmaria Bruni.
Bartels and Bertolini move into first place in the 2009 FIA GT1 Driver Championship, while Collard and Westbrook increase their lead in the GT2 Driver Championship.
Full race result can be found here.
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