Ayari re-takes title lead after Giammaria/Ramos win Portimao opener

EdilCris pairing Raffaele Giammaria and Miguel Ramos scored the team’s first International GT Open win of the season at Portimao on Saturday only to see Soheil Ayari re-take the championship lead with victory in the weekend’s second race.

Race one on Saturday began in frantic fashion as pole-sitter Andrea Montermini lost out to both Giammaria and Philipp Peter, while at the first corner Stefano Bizzarri missed his braking point and almost ended up collecting Ayari.

As the front two stretched their legs, Montermini was still struggling to come to terms with his start and soon slipped to fourth behind Luca Rangoni. Alvaro Barba was also pressing and it wasn’t long before the pair made contact, the Porsche heading for the gravel as the Ferrari briefly spun.

Somehow Montermini rejoined ahead of Cochito Lopez, Ayari, Lorenzo Bontempelli, Talkanitsa and Gianluca Roda, and set off in pursuit of Rangoni who was dispatched on lap 13.

Back at the front, Ramos emerged from the Ferrari’s scheduled stop 13 seconds clear of Michal Broniszewski who himself had what appeared a comfortable 17 second advantage over Emanuele Moncini after he replaced Montermini. But as the laps ticked away so the Villorba-run 458 closed down the similar Kessel Racing entry and on lap 25 he was through.

That’s how it remained to the chequered flag as behind the Talkanitsas scored their best International GT Open finish to date in fourth, ahead of Alessandro Garofano and Joël Camathias.

Top GTS class runner Fabio Babini was next up in the Autorlando Porsche he shared with Roda as the pair saw off Mino Caccia/Massimo Mantovani and championship leaders Bontempelli/Stefano Gattuso.          

After finishing sixth on Saturday Ayari, along with co-driver Camathias, toppled Montermini and Moncini in the second race to move six points clear of Ramos, who finished fourth, in the championship standings.

Camathias made the perfect getaway from pole ahead of the fast-starting Babini, Marco Frezza, Rugolo, Moncini, Alex Mortimer and Gattuso.

The battle for third provided much of the excitement in the opening stint as Moncini eventually found a way past Frezza on lap seven, while behind Gattuso was also up two positions to fifth. 

The inclusion of time handicaps during the pit-stops allowed Lopez to emerge just ahead of Ayari, who had already relieved Camathias, before the JMB Ferrari used its better momentum to serge clear.

Lopez was also powerless to prevent a charging Montermini from taking second before the end with Giammaria and Peter similarly making headway in the second stint to complete the top five.     

Bizzarri picked up the GTS class victory ahead of Gattuso and Mortimer.

Catch live International GT Open coverage on Motors TV throughout 2011.


Tom Hornsby