Morbidelli delivers Superstars whitewash at soggy Spa

Three-time Superstars champion Gianni Morbidelli took both race wins on the series' visit to Spa-Francorchamps as the Belgian venue delivered its usual dose of inclement weather.

With rain falling throughout the weekend, Moribdelli made full use of his Audi Sport Italia RS5's four-wheel-drive to dominate proceedings, taking pole and the win in race one and then climbing from eighth to triumph in the second contest.

The opening encounter saw Morbidelli make a good start from pole position and thus enjoy the significant advantage of not battling through severe spray.

The Italian was followed by fellow Audi driver Johan Kristoffersson throughout the run, but the Swede never looked keen to launch an assault. The pair were separated by just over a second at the flag, though in truth a dice for victory never seemed likely.

Tonio Liuzzi completed the podium aboard his CAAL-Mercedes, beating team-mate Luigi Ferrara, series returnee Mika Salo (Swiss-Maserati) and Camilio Zurcher (Romeo-Mercedes). As such the top-six finished as they started, largely due to the intensity of the rain falling on the Belgian venue.

Starting race two eighth on the reversed grid, Morbidelli had surged to second by the conclusion of lap one and quickly made his way past Andrea Larini (Romeo-Mercedes) for the lead on the following tour. That was largely the extent of the Italian's work for the day as he pulled clear of the pack to win by a shade under 12s.

Behind him Liuzzi also made his way past Larini with a robust move on lap six. The erstwhile F1 man would not have an easy run to P2 though, with fellow grand prix veteran Salo harrying him to the flag. Liuzzi would hold the spot, finishing 1.6s clear of the Finn.

Fourth went to Tomas Biagi (Dinamic BMW) who endured his lowest-scoring weekend of the season in Belgium. The second Dinamic machine of Stefano Gabellini was fifth with MTM-Audi's Thomas Schoddler sixth.

Meanwhile title contender Kristoffersson exited proceedings following a lap one collision with Ferrara, handing Liuzzi the advantage atop the standings. The CAAL man now leads the Swede by 19 points with Biagi a further three in arrears. Meanwhile Moribdelli's double win puts him back in championship contention, the Audi racer closing to within 39 points of leader Liuzzi.

The series’ next event takes place at Autodromo di Pergusa on September 16. The Italian circuit is a late addition to the calendar following the cancellation of a scheduled trip to Portugal’s Algarve venue.

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James Weeks