+ French driver becomes first female winner alongside team boss Luca Pirri
+ MZR KTM victorious in Pro-Am as Aigner and Kofler prevail
+ Silver spin and win for Marcucci and Rosina in LP Racing Audi
PROVISIONAL RESULT: Misano, Race 1
LP Racing secured victory on home soil in this afternoon's GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli contest at Misano. Celia Martin and Luca Pirri combined to take a landmark result, the former becoming the first female winner in GT2 Europe history and doing so on her series debut.
The #119 MZR KTM finished as overall runner-up and earned Pro-Am honours, while the #88 LP Racing Audi recovered from a late spin to secure third overall and Silver glory, completing an overall podium that comprised all three class winners.
Antoine Potty took the start from pole but was immediately passed by Mikkel Njor, who muscled his CMR Ginetta into the lead at Turn 2. It was a brief spell at the front for the Dane, with Potty blasting back into P1 at the start of the second tour.
Martin also made a good getaway in the #18 Maserati. The Masters class pole-sitter climbed from fifth on the grid to P3 overall, then took second as she repeated Potty's pass on the Ginetta. The order at the front stabilised at this point, with Potty looking to have the legs on the chasing pack.
But his impressive run ended with a frightening accident. Coming through the fast turn 9, the Maserati wobbled and then speared straight into the gravel at unabated speed, ploughing through several rows of tyres before clearing the barrier. The Maserati was severely damaged, but miraculously Potty was able to exit his car unaided.
A red flag was the only option, with considerable work required to repair the barriers. The cars returned to the track 45 minutes later, an impressively fast turnaround given the severity of the impact.
Racing resumed just ahead of the pit window with Martin leading from Stefan Rosina (#88 LP Racing Maserati), remaining out front for two laps before ducking in to hand over to Pirri. Once the cycle of stops was complete the #18 Maserati still led from the sister #88 Audi, which was now driven by Lorenzo Marcucci.
Marcucci gradually closed on Pirri, eventually catching his team boss with a handful of laps to run. He made a pass on the penultimate tour, seemingly putting the wraps on both the overall and Silver wins. But, just moments after the overtake, Marcucci lost control of the Audi in a low-speed corner, spinning and dropping behind the #18 Maserati and MZR’s KTM.
This allowed Pirri to complete a very impressive performance from himself and Martin, giving the LP Racing duo an overall and Masters double. The #119 KTM of Marius Aigner and Reinhard Kofler was next across the line and took Pro-Am honours, a result that was secured by Kofler passing the #62 CMR Ginetta during the second stint.
Marcucci came home third overall and took the Silver win despite his late spin. Thereafter it was the #110 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG of Moritz Wiskirchen/Wilhelm Kühne (Pro-Am), Philippe Prette’s LP Racing Maserati (Masters), the #8 LP Racing Maserati shared by Thomas Yu Lee and Niccoló Pirri (Pro-Am) and Lawrence Tomlinson/Mike Simpson’s CMR Ginetta (Pro-Am).
Several penalties were handed out during the race. Among the most impactful, the #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG lost a likely Pro-Am podium after being handed a drive-through for a safety car restart infringement. This dropped the car to sixth in class, though David Thilenius and Jay Mo Härtling still lead the championship at the halfway mark.
The GT2 European Series will be back on track at 09:00 CEST for the second race of the weekend. Live coverage will be streamed around the globe on the GT World YouTube channel.