A month after the 8 Hours of Portimão, where the Cetilar Racing team led the #47 Ferrari 488 GTE to a class win hitting the maiden victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Roberto Lacorte, Giorgi Sernagiotto and Antonio Fuoco are now ready to face what they consider to be the most important race of the whole season together with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This weekend (July 16th/18th) the Italian trio will start as leader of LMGTE Am in Monza, their home racetrack. For the all made in Italy outfit this is expected to be a very special 6 Hours, made even more magical by the presence of the public who will be finally admitted.
This race – the only Italian stage on the calendar – marks the tipping point of the championship as it’s the third out of six rounds, preceding by 34 days the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which Cetilar Racing will take part for the fifth time in a row. The FIA WEC 2021 calendar has been recently changed, following the cancellation of Fuji’s race, initially scheduled on September 26, and now replaced by a 6 Hours which will be disputed at the end of October in Bahrain, which will also be the scenario for the final round.
The last appearance of the Italian team in Monza dates back to the European Le Mans Series in 2019. From past to present, this is what’s been showed by a very positive start of the season for Lacorte, Sernagiotto and Fuoco, in their first year with the Ferrari 488 GTE managed by AF Corse. The debut in Spa-Francorchamps, at the beginning of May, and immediately the third class position. Then the race on the Algarve circuit last month (where Fuoco had never set foot on before), the third best quickest lap in qualifying set by Lacorte, a flawless race topped off with a perfect strategy and the overtaking of Sernagiotto, who definitively took command of the race around the sixth hour.
In the LMGTE Am standings, the Cetilar Racing team gets to his home racetrack with 53 points – 18 more than the trio of Giancarlo Fisichella, Francesco Castellacci and Thomas Flohr – and aims of course at maintaining the lead.
“This is a crucial stage for us, for many reasons“, Roberto Lacorte said.”The first one being that the World Endurance Championship comes back to Italy, and this is a source of great pride for an all-Italian team like ours. Then, for the first time after months of total closure to the public there will be spectators we will have a direct contact with, and we are really delighted by that. Moreover, we will start in Monza as leader and therefore with significant responsibilities and the will to keep up the good work. Finally, this race precedes the 24 Hours of Le Mans and is disputed on the most suitable racetrack for preparing us for the big event of the year.”
The 6 Hours of Monza will start on Friday with the first free practice session at 15.30. Two further sessions are scheduled on Saturday, at 9.30 and at 14, while the qualifying will start at 18. On Sunday at 12, green light for race: 360 minutes of pure adrenaline.
Source. Cetilar Racing/Photo. Fabio Taccola
Comments
