GREAT RACE 1 FOR SEVENHILLS IN THE RS CUP AT VALLELUNGA

After a very strong qualifying session, SevenHills put in an excellent Race 1 at the Autodromo di Vallelunga. Luca Franca made the most of his pole position and pulled away at the front, but Paolo Tartabini, who started from the second row, also got away well and sparked a hard fight for second place with Faro Racing’s Mattia Lancellotti and Fazioli. Manuel Stefani tucked in behind this group, while Andrea Bonifazi settled into ninth, keeping Ercole Cipolla firmly behind him in the battle for supremacy among the Over drivers. Meanwhile Massimo Massaro fought with Beltrami and Alunni for victory among the naturally aspirated cars. With eleven minutes to go, Tartabini and Lancellotti tried to break clear after a bumper-to-bumper fight, but Fazioli hit back and tried to attack the Marche driver at Soratte. The move failed and Tartabini stayed third. As the minutes ticked by, Tartabini closed in on Lancellotti while Fazioli came under attack from Stefani, in a crescendo of excitement. The battle flared up again with five minutes to go, and at the Tornantino Tartabini tried to pass Lancellotti. The move initially worked, but Mattia Lancellotti hit back and at the Esse forced Tartabini wide, dropping him behind Fazioli and Stefani as well. The Veneto driver then began to attack Fazioli for third, only to make a mistake of his own and fall back to fifth. The fight narrowed to third place, with the SevenHills drivers closing in on Fazioli. Unfortunately, a damaged bumper hampered Tartabini, who pushed for the bronze right up to the chequered flag but had to settle for fourth at the finish, ahead of Stefani. Bonifazi won the Over class, while Massaro, after a gutsy fight, was second among the naturally aspirated New Clios.