TCR World and life

18 ITALY The rain affected TCR Italy’s closing event at Monza, where Marco Pellegrini and Matteo Greco shared the victories. Greco’s win in the second race was crucial, because it granted the second place in the championship’s standings to the 21-year-old, behind his Scuderia del Girasole teammate Salvatore Tavano. Enrico Bettera was classified third, while Pellegrini slipped down to fourth. Tavano, who had secured his second consecutive TCR Italy title during the previous event at Vallelunga, had a nightmare weekend; a wrong tyre choice dropped him out of the points in Race 1, then he retired with a technical issue in Race 2. RACE 1 – PELLEGRINI WINS DESPITE A GRID PENALTY Despite losing the pole because of a grid penalty inherited from the previous event, Pellegrini emerged as the winner from a chaotic first race. On a wet track and under pouring rain, several drivers started with a mix of tyres: slicks at the front and wets at the rear. In the beginning those who had gone for four rains had the advantage, but eventually the choice of a mixed set paid off. At the start, the wet tyre-shod cars of Jacopo Guidetti, Sandro Pelatti and Nikola Miljkovi ć led the field until a crash between Massimiliano Mugelli and Pelatti prompted the safety car into action. During the neutralization, Guidetti and Miljkovi ć served drive- through penalties for jumping the start and for an incident with Lev Tolkachev respectively. Despite this, Guidetti retained the lead when racing resumed, ahead of Salvatore Tavano, Nicola Guida and Greco. Miljkovi ć quickly moved into second, but both he and Guidetti had to repeat their penalties, as they had been served during the safety car phase. Bettera then found himself in the lead, followed by Pellegrini and Guidetti. On lap 10, Pellegrini overtook Bettera; Guidetti too tried to pass Bettera for P2, but made a couple of mistakes and had to settle for third position ahead of Greco and Guida who won the DSG class. Grecowinsthelast race tobevice-champion ATMONZA, PELLEGRINI WAS VICTORIOUS IN A CHAOTIC RACE