Pescara, Italy – The 40 supercars of the Italian GT Championship are ready to hit the track again on the Vallelunga track after the long summer break. In its home race, Solaris Motorsport is strongly motivated to gain good results with the just rebuilt Aston Martin Vantage GT3 after the huge crash in Mugello. Francesco Sini and Max Mugelli have worked a lot to be ready for the round near Rome, thanks also a profitable test session last week.
“I was born in Abruzzo but I always considered Vallelunga as my home race, I like a lot this track, it has high-speed and tricky bends that could make the difference. Find the right lane in the Curvone bend, for example, can give you a big help to find the last tenths you need. Here in 2014 I have conquered with Solaris Motorsport the first victory with the Chevrolet Camaro, it should be great to give once again the same amazing feeling to the team.” commented Francesco Sini, who, together with his teammate Mugelli, conquered twice a step on the podium this year. “In the last test we did a lot of comparisons with different setup configurations finding the best performance possible. I strongly want to give to all my supporters two good races! The team did an incredible job in rebuilding the car, after the Mugello weekend it was very badly damaged. I want to thank all the guys, without them we could not stay here thinking to catch the podium!”
Mugelli also joins his teammate in thanking the team: “They made an outstanding job, we covered over 500 km without any problem! I’m rather confident about the race, we should have a good pace. Having the choise to make the test helped us to fill the knowledge gap of car-on-the-track mix that slowed us in Mugello. We tried different setup configurations and now we think we have a good base, but probably we must change something else in the free practices.” Max is ready and aims to catch the maximum results possible.”The level of the championship is very high, we are all very close, nothing is obvious. We will have to work hard for everything, but I want to climb on the last step of podium we miss. After a summer like this, we deserve it!”
“Last week we covered nearly 100 laps with a good continuity, we collected a lot of interesting data and we tried thoroughly some solutions. And, most important, we had the confirm we made a good job in the factory in rebuilding the car. It was a very important session for us because it allows us to arrive at the race weekend better prepared and with some data more. Max and Francesco feel better the car and this will help all of us to find quickly the right performaces.” commented Roberto Sini, who’s helped in managing the team by his sons Francesco and Laura. “I’d like to gain a good result here in Vallelunga, it is our home track and there will be a lot of our supporters. To share with them the happiness for a great result should be great, the best recognition for the hard work we did this summer.”
The fith round of the Italian GT Championship from Autodromo Vallelunga will kick-off on Friday, September 9th with the two session of free practice, scheduled at 9:45 AM and 2 PM. On Saturday morning the green light for the two qualifying sessions, one for each race, will turn on at 8:20 AM. Race 1 will start at 2:15 PM on Saturday, September 10th, while Race 2 is scheduled for Sunday, September 11st, at 10:50 AM. Both the races will be live streamed on the official website of the Italian GT Championship (www.acisportitalia.it/CIGT).
For further information you can visit the web site www.solarismotorsport.com or send an email to media [at] solarismotorsport.com
Follow the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Massimiliano Palumbo

Mugello, Italy – Solaris Motorsport suffered an unfortunate weekend at Mugello Circuit in the fourth round of the Italian GT Championship. The Italian team paid the price of a lack of notes on a new track and the situation got worse when the rain prevented the team from completing the usual setup routine, leading to a difficult qualifying session and two exciting comebacks from a disappointing starting position.
Two showers hit the track before and during the free practice sessions, making it hard to find the right setup and the right confidence with the track for Solaris Motorsport on a circuit, the Autodromo del Mugello, completely new for the Vantage. The setup was improved lap by lap during qualifying, which was held on a completely dry track. Francesco Sini took the fourth row on the Race 1 grid, while Max Mugelli brought home the seventh row for the Sunday Race.
Race 1 took place under a burning sun that raised a lot the track temperature. The Italian Vantage GT3 did a good first part of the race with Francesco Sini, recovering a lot of positions thanks also to a perfect strategy: after the mandatory pit stop and the drivers change, the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin was fourth. Max Mugelli, who took the wheel in the driver’s change, was able to keep the position until the checkered flag, defending from the comeback of Venturi’s Ferrari. At the end of the race, the English coupé was penalized due to a 2.7 second early exit from the pits during the mandatory pit stop and was moved back to P7, a result that does not change all the good things showed on track.
With the Race 1 experience and with some upgrades to the setup, the Sunday Race saw an awesome start by Max Mugelli, who was able to gain 5 positions in few corners and place his Vantage in P9. The local hero’s comeback ended on lap 4 due a contact caused by Venturini’s Lamborghini, which was sanctioned with a drive through by the Race Control, that sent the Vantage GT3 in the wall at the entry of the fast Biondetti’s chicane, forcing Mugelli to retire, after walking unhurt from the crash thanks the strength of the Aston chassis.
“It was probably the worse weekend we had this year. We suffered from the fact we didn’t have any reference here and the free practice sessions took place on the wet for sure didn’t help us, increasing the gap with the others. Despite not having a perfect car, we had a good Race 1, we found the way to gain positions and end up close to the podium.” said Francesco Sini. “The penalty was a pity, because we didn’t earn any position or, at least, we could lose just one. Dura lex, sed lex.”
“I’m twice disappointed because Mugello was my home race and I would have liked to make a good race for all my fans that came to the track. Unfortunately things went wrong and now we must look to the future and to the hard work needed to rebuild our Vantage. Not having participated to last week’s test session gave a huge advantage to our opponents and the weather made the rest. We went into qualifying making some experiments on the setup. We raced well the Saturday Race, we finished fourth on track without the penalty. Sunday I had a stunning start and I was waiting for the car to be ready to attack, in order to give Francesco the Aston in a good position and aim again at the Top5.” commented a disheartened Mugelli. “We weren’t at our best and we need to understand why during this summer break. We have all the time to recharge the batteries and to be ready for Vallelunga.”
“It was one of those weekend in which if something can go wrong, it does. We weren’t on top, we missed the right setup, especially compared to the teams had some more references on this track. But I saw the team work hard and react, Max and Francesco used their talent to fix a difficult situation.” commented Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal. “Luckily we have enough time before Vallelunga, our home race, to be ready and in the best shape we can. We will do some test days before in order to aim at the top step of the podium.”
The Italian GT Championship will come back after the summer break, on September 10th and 11th on the Vallelunga track, near Rome.
For further information you can visit the web site www.solarismotorsport.com or send an email to media [at] solarismotorsport.com
Follow the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Massimiliano Palumbo

Pescara, Italia – The Italian GT Championship is ready to turn on the engines of its 43 Grand Touring cars for the start of the fourth round at Mugello Circuit. After the third place finish grabbed in Imola and the second scored in Misano, Solaris Motorsport wants to keep the momentum that brought Sini and Mugelli up to the third place in the points standings.
“Third, second…now we must complete the sequence! I like so much the Mugello Circuit and I think it could be good for our Vantage. I have great memories here, in 2012 I won the first race in Superstars for me and for the team. A memorable day!” commented Francesco Sini. “We used the break after Misano to check the car in each part and prepare the Mugello race the best way we can. It is also Max’s home race and it is close to us too, we want to try to make it special.”
“I’m really happy to race in Mugello! It is my home track but it is also one of the most beautiful circuits in the world. I know very well each and every centimeter of the track, turn by turn, kerb by kerb. Unfortunately we could not test our Aston Martin there before, so we will have to wait the free practice sessions to discover where we will be.” said Mugelli. “Well, after the two podiums in Imola and Misano, I’d like to climb the last step we miss! This month the team spent a lot of time preparing the car, I am confident we will have a good race pace but I need to improve my qualifying lap with new tires. I invite all the fans to come to Mugello to enjoy a full racing weekend! I want to see all of you at the track!”
“Every weekend we know the secrets of our Aston Martin better and now we manage to consistently stay in top positions. After the good performances of the first part of the season, in Mugello we want to confirm ourselves as one of the best teams in the championship.” said Roberto Sini, who’s helped in managing the team by his sons Francesco and Laura. “We should have two dry races and there should be a not too hot weather, both these thing could help us being stronger. Mugello is a very technical track with a lot of fast corners where our chassis can make the difference, if we will be able to find a good setup quickly, we can aim to the top!”
The fourth round of the Italian GT championship will start on Friday, July 15th, with two free practice session scheduled for 10:25 AM and 1.55 PM, with qualifying at 6:15 PM and 6:45 PM. The first race of the weekend will start on Saturday, July 16th, at 12:45 while the green flag for Race 2 will wave on Sunday, July 17th, at 9:50 AM. Both the races will be streamed live on the Italian GT Championship web site (www.acisportitalia.it/CIGT)
For further information you can visit the web site www.solarismotorsport.com or send an email to media [at] solarismotorsport.com
Follow the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Massimiliano Palumbo

Misano, Italy – After the third place conquered in Imola, the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin brought home a solid P2 at the Misano World Circuit, once again in the Saturday Race. For the third time in a row, the Sunday Race was held under the rain and the Sini-Mugelli’s Vantage GT3 finished P7 under the checkered flag. At the end of the Misano weekend, Sini-Mugelli climb the point standings up to P4.
The Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin showed a great potential since free practice, in which the English coupè was third in FP1, while the team used FP2 to concentrate on the race pace. Good news also came from qualifying, in which Mugelli grabbed the fifth row for Race 1 and Francesco Sini was fourth in a very close Q2 session, with the Top4 grouped in just 2 tenths of a second.
Race 1 was held on a dry track and Mugelli was careful in taking care of tires and brakes in the first part of the race, giving Sini a very fresh car after the pit stop. The stop came on lap 14 and, thanks to a perfect strategy, the Aston went out of the pit lane gaining two positions. Sini’s incredible pace in the second part of the race allowed the Vantage GT3 to climb up to P3, also thanks to a couple of opponents retiring. After the race, due the disqualification of the Bortolotti-Mul Lamborghini, Sini-Mugelli were promoted to P2, their new best result of the season.
As usual this year, the rain fell for the Sunday Race, forcing Race Control to declare a wet race for the third time in three races this season. At the end of the formation lap, Venturi’s Ferrari went wide at the last corner before the start, slowing the entire pack. Sini, on his side, couldn’t pass him before the start\finish line and so the Aston lost one position at the first corner. The Vantage GT3 was fifth for all the first stint until the pit stop window opened. After the driver change, Mugelli did his best to gain as many points he could, but he had to surrender to the comeback of the Lamborghini. In the last laps, Mugelli closed the gap on Geri’s Ferrari, crossing the finish line in P7 just .7 second behind.
“It was a double face weekend. Race by race we are improving our performances and we know the car better. The results are starting to come with a certain continuity. Max was fantastic in his stint and gave me a perfect car in Race 1, I had an incredible pace and, thanks to a couple of retirements, we caught the first real podium of the year!” said Francesco Sini. “Race 2 was influenced once again by the rain, but I’m happy anyway because I improved my pace on the wet with the Aston Martin, staying permanently in the Top5. We go to the Mugello now after reaching two podiums and we want to win!”
“Third in Imola, second in Misano and fourth in the points standings after three rounds: if someone had told me before the season I’d sign for this without a doubt! I’m satisfied about Race 1, on the dry we showed a good pace and we can fight up front. The Aston Martin has good potential and the team did a great job as usual. My feeling with the car is improving race by race, but I know I can do better. The things change on the wet, where our car suffers a little for having a front engine. But I don’t want to find any excuse, I must improve my pace on the wet and know better the car. I tried not to risk too much and bring home the best possible result.” commented Max Mugelli, who is preparing for the next round, a very special one for him. “In a month we will be in Mugello and I hope we will have two dry races: it’s my home race and, after a third and a second, I want the highest step of the podium!”
“I‘m satisfied about what I saw on track: we scored our first real podium of the season and we brought home the second Top3 of the year, we conquered our best race result until now, we were very close to the pole in Q2 and now we are fourth in the championship! It was difficult to believe at the start of the season, due to the high level of the Italian championship. Francesco and Max are doing an outstanding job together with all the guys of the team and thanks to the support of Aston Martin. Each kilometer we do makes us stronger. We can be the outsiders in this championship, count us in at this point,” commented Roberto Sini, who leads the team with the support of his son and daughter, Francesco and Laura.
After the Misano round, Sini and Mugelli climbed up to the fourth position in the point standings, with a 31-point gap from the lead and 5,5 from the third place. The Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin will be back on track in a month, in the July 16th-17th weekend, with two exciting races in Mugello.
For further information you can visit the web site www.solarismotorsport.com or send an email to media [at] solarismotorsport.com
Follow the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Massimiliano Palumbo

Imola (BO), Italy – The Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 conquered in Imola, theater of the Italian GT Championship second round, the first podium of the season thanks to the third place in Race 1, putting the icing on the cake of a great weekend in which the English 600-hp coupè showed a very high potential. A red flag stopped a wet Race 2 when Sini-Mugelli were sixth and they were gaining positions, having the chance to aim the top of the standings.
The Solaris Motorsport Vantage GT3 showed a great potential since the two free practice sessions, in which it finished second and third to open the weekend in Imola. Good news came also from qualifying: Francesco Sini posted the third fastest time for Race 1, just .06 seconds from the first row, and Max Mugelli, slowed by traffic on track, was in fourth row for the start in Race 2.
The start of the first race saw Sini conquer the second position early on, just behind Bortolotti’s Lamborghini and the battle at the top for the first part of the race. After the the stop for the drivers change, Mugelli came back on track in third position and he was able to keep it until two laps to go when, slowed by a lapped car and with some brake issues, he was forced to leave the podium to Albuquerque’s Audi, finishing fourth under the checkered flag. After the race, following the disqualification of the #32 Lamborghini in P2 due a technical infraction, Sini-Mugelli stepped up to P3, giving Aston Martin the first podium of the season in the Italian GT Championship.
There were a lot of expectations for an interesting Race 2, but the heavy rain and some decisions taken by Race Direction didn’t allow the Solaris duo to express all their potential. The race started under safety car due to the prohibitive track conditions and was kept under yellow until the opening of the pit stop window. The Vantage GT3 was the first car to enter the pits, aiming at an aggressive race strategy, but the red flag came when not all the cars had pitted stopping the Sini-Mugelli comeback. The Solaris Vantage was among the fastest cars on track in sixth position when the race ended after 7 out of 11laps behind the Safety Car.


“I’m torn, the Francesco Sini Team Manager could consider this weekend substantially positive, but the Francesco Sini driver wouldn’t agree.” said after the races Francesco Sini “We conquered the first podium of the season, we are just at the second round and so we are happy about it. We also survived the crazy Sunday Race 2 without damages and we brought home some points. If I think about what happened in the Saturday post race, about the position lost in Race 1 due a lapped Porsche and the way the Race Direction managed Race 2, well, as a driver I’m a little bit disappointed.” continued Sini. “The positive thing is being aware that we have a very good car, which allows us to fight at the top on dry and on wet. I was competitive in qualifying and during the race. Now we are focused on Misano, where we want to keep our momentum, hoping in an honest and correct competition between all the drivers and the teams.”
“I’m satisfied about the podium gained in Race 1. It was a positive weekend for us and in Race 1 we demonstrated we can be as competitive as the best rivals. Maybe we expected to be faster in race conditions, but a brake failure slowed our pace. The team did a great job, Francesco is very competitive and he can take the maximum advantage of the characteristics of our Aston Martin and this makes me very confident about the next races” commented Max Mugelli, very disappointed about the way the Race Control managed the Sunday Race. “In Race 2 the only protagonist was the rain. When we were behind the safety car, it was very difficult to manage the car on track, you risked aquaplaning everywhere on the circuit. Probably there weren’t the right safety conditions to race and we should have postponed the start. Also the red flag was waved in a bad moment, with some drivers classified despite they were retired or didn’t pit yet.”
“It was a complicated weekend, difficult to decipher, but, by the way, we showed what we can do. The races were spoiled by extra race factors and I hope Imola was just a unfortunate and unlucky race weekend. When all of us race in the same conditions, we are able to give to the fans an incredible show. Anyway, I’m satisfied because performances are giving us reason, of course we need to improve and grow up more, but we are on the right way.” said Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal
The Italian GT Championship will come back on track in two weeks, in the 11th and 12th of June weekend with two exciting races at Misano World Circuit.
For further information you can visit the web site www.solarismotorsport.com or send an email to media [at] solarismotorsport.com
Follow the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Massimiliano Palumbo