Tamburini and Fernández take maiden wins in TCR Italy

MM Motorsport’s Carlo Tamburini and RC2 Junior Team’s Rubén Fernández scored their maiden victories in TCR Italy at Imola at the end of two thrilling races. 

As far as the championship standings are concerned, Salvatore Tavano moved into the lead with a 12-point gap over Ruben Volt.

At the start of Race 1, Volt took the lead from the pole while Niels Langeveld stalled from P2; Denis Babuin, Tamburini and Jonathan Giacon followed the leader, with the latter trying to pass Tamburini for P3. However, in lap 3, Giacon jumped over the kerbs at the first chicane and ripped the rear suspension apart; his Fiat Tipo stopped onto the gravel and the safety car was deployed. Racing resumed two laps later, with Volt keeping Babuin and Tamburini at bay, behind them Tavano passed Michele Imberti for P4. 

In lap 8, Damiano Reduzzi hit the wall at the exit of Rivazza 2, and the safety car returned into action; the green flag was waved with only one lap to go, and Babuin made a desperate attempt to pass Volt at Rivazza 1, but hit the young Estonian’s Honda, pushing it wide. Tamburini seized the opportunity and won from Babuin and Tavano who pipped Volt by two thousandths of a second. Babuin was then given a ten-second penalty for the incident and dropped out of the points; a similar penalty deprived Imberti of his fourth place for clashing with Manuel Bissa.

Rubén Fernandez’s Audi sat on the pole of the reversed grid for Race 2, with Imberti’s Hyundai i30 N alongside. The Spaniard led the Italian at the start, and they were followed by Bissa, Tamburini, Volt and Langeveld. Nothing happened until lap 5, when Fernández made a small mistake and Imberti took the lead. Immediately afterwards, the safety car was deployed when the cars of Marco Butti, Steven Giacon and Mattias Vahtel stopped along the track.

When the race restarted in lap 10, Fernández retook the lead from Imberti, while Volt passed Tamburini for P4. One lap later, Babuin’s Audi rammed Antti Rammo’s Honda; both cars were stranded on the gravel and the safety car was called back into action. Racing resumed with two minutes left and Imberti went off onto the gravel with a flat front tyre; Volt benefited from the commotion to pass Bissa for second, but the race was red-flagged as Sylvain Pussier’s CUPRA stopped at the Piratella bend. 

Rubén Fernádez claimed his maiden win in the championship, and because the final results were those of the lap before the red flag, Imberti and Bissa were classified second and third.

The championship will resume in Misano, on 3/5 June.

Imola – Race 1
1. Carlo Tamburini (MM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R), 13 laps
2. Salvatore Tavano (Scuderia del Girasole, CUPRA Leon Competición), 0.967
3. Ruben Volt (ALM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R), 0.969

Imola – Race 2
1. Rubén Fernández (RC2 Junior Team, Audi RS 3 LMS II), 12 laps
2. Michele Imberti (CRM Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 0.459
3. Manuel Bissa (MM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R), 0.833

Championship points
1. S. Tavano 133 pts; 2. R. Volt 121; 3. C. Tamburini 108

Picture: ACI Sport