KASPERSKY MOTORSPORT BACK IN GT OPEN ACTION WITH A PODIUM
A week ago, the Kaspersky Motorsport PRO driver line-up was at the wheel of our Ferrari 488 in the Paul Ricard 1000 Kms round of the Blancpain Endurance Series and this weekend, it’s the turn of the AM drivers, Davide Rizzo and Alex Moiseev to get behind the wheel for the GT Open races at the Hungaroring.
It’s been a busy schedule, particularly for the engineers and mechanics of the AF Corse crew that builds and runs the car: after Ricard, an engine change was required and then, yesterday, at the circuit on the outskirts of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, Moiseev went off the track during FP2, damaging the left rear suspension and some other components.
The car was ready in time for qualifying, by which time, rain from the previous night and the morning had given way to good weather. Moiseev was third fastest in the AM category, which put him 20th overall on the grid. The Kaspersky Motorsport car was having to contend not only with the other AM competitors, but also with a 15 second penalty, taken at the time of the driver switch pit stop, based on our wins at Paul Ricard earlier in this year.
By the time of the obligatory pit stop, the number 48 Kaspersky Motorsport Ferrari was fourth in the AM class and Davide Rizzo set off in determined mood. He managed to get up to third but in the closing stages, a coming together with the 99 Mercedes resulted in a drop back to fourth at the chequered flag, at the end of the 70 minute race. However, Mercedes driver Luis Silva was penalised for the move on Rizzo and so the Kaspersky Motorsport crew were officially classified third in the AM category.
Alex Moiseev: “That was a hard and, at times, frustrating race for the whole team. A big thanks to the mechanics who had to work to rectify the car and get it back out on track after the issue yesterday. The car was running very well and we were just taking things steady, looking set to finish on the podium and then came the collision, just after we had got back up to third place. So I feel the Stewards made the right decision and third place is a nice reward for the team for all their hard work. It has given us even more motivation to try and do even better in tomorrow’s race.”
Davide Rizzo: “It was very special to do my first race at the Hungaroring! I was feeling more and more comfortable all the way through and it went quite well. A big thanks to the team for a great job. I got in the car with 100% confidence and when you are confident, you are quick. Getting our third place back after the race was I believe the right and fair decision. So we have a strong basis to take into Race-2 tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, the action resumes at the twisty Hungarian track, with second qualifying in the morning and the second one hour race starting at 14h15 CET.
Source. Kaspersky Motorsport
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