Pescara, Italy – This weekend the Italian GT Championship resumes with the second round of the season, with two races scheduled on Imola’s historical Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. After the debut in Monza, where the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin showed a great potential and came really close to the podium in Race 1, the track on the Santerno river should favour the characteristics of the Italian Vantage GT3. The Italian GT series will field a record-breaking grid, with 41 cars expected on track.
“Imola, with its ups and downs and lots of turns, fits better our Aston Martin than the straights of Monza. – said Francesco Sini, driver – In the last test session we found new setup solutions and I think they could give us a big step forward here where the chassis can make the difference. I like Imola, when I was in Superstars on the wet with my Camaro I was able to challenge the AWD cars and last year we were very competitive with the Corvette and only bad luck took a good position away from us. This year we start from a better condition and we want to take what we lost 12 months ago.”
The race of the Italian GT Championship comes a short time after the Italian round of the GT3 Le Mans Cup, raced exactly in Imola, which saw another Aston Martin win the race. “We worked closely with our Aston brothers of TF Sport in the last weeks and we are very happy about their win. Obviously this is great news for us and makes us very confident, we have the chance to concretize the high potential we saw in Monza.” commented Max Mugelli, winner of the 2006 Aston Martin Racing Cup. “Imola is an old school track, it is very demanding for the cars and mostly for the brakes, but I know very well the track and I like it. Our Vantage has a good pace in race conditions, it is delicate with the tires and this can be an advantage at the end of the race. But we need to improve the qualifying, where probably we aren’t on top yet. On tracks like this, where it is very hard find the way to overtake, having a good position on the grid becomes very important. But I’m confident for the race because I know the team is working in the best way e and my team mate Francesco is a very fast guy. I feel good: we have everything to fight the top positions!”
“Everything was new for us in Monza, there were a lot of things to fix and we discovered an Italian GT Championship with a very high level of competition. Despite that, we showed great performances but we could not concretize our potential.” declared Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal. “Now we know better the car and its secrets, we had a good test session and both Max and Francesco have now more confidence with the Vantage. The win of our Aston Martin brothers from TF Sport makes us more confident but, in the meantime, gives us also more responsibility, we must find the way to concretize the potential we know we have.”
The second rount of the Italian GT Championship from Imola will start on Friday, May 27th with the two session of free practice, scheduled at 10:35 AM and 2:30 PM. On Saturday morning the green light for the two qualifying sessions, one for each race, will turn on at 8:55 AM and 9:15 AM. Race 1 will start at 3 PM on Saturday, May 28th, while Race 2 is scheduled for Sunday, May 29st, at 12:40 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

Monza (MB), Italy – The Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 had a positive debut in the Italian GT Championship last week in Monza. In a series that revealed a very high level, with lap times lower than the BES ones clocked one week before, the Vantage GT3 driven by Francesco Sini and Max Mugelli showed great performances on the dry track, ending very close to the P4, and some difficulties on the wet, inevitable reckoning of any new challenge.
After having ended the Friday’s FP2 in the Top5, the Solaris Motorsport Vantage GT3 catched in the Saturday qualifying session the fifth row for the Race 1 with Max Mugelli and the third row for the Sunday Race with Francesco Sini. The Pescara-native driver took advantage of two sets of new tyres and he closed his lap in 1’47:696. A chrono that could have allowed the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin to start in the top rows of the BES and impressed the Aston Martin Racing crew in the box, because the time was some tenths faster compared to the one signed a week before by the Vantage in the BES.
The Race 1, which opened the 2016 Italian GT Championship season, saw the Solaris Motorsport Aston Martin protagonist of an huge comeback from the tenth spot on the grid until the sixth position under the checkered flag, thanks to a solid race by Sini and Mugelli. The result could have been better, potentially a fourth place, without a problem during the pit stop who slowed the English coupè. On the dry track, the Vantage GT3 showed performances and pace similar to the cars on the top in the charts.
The result of the Saturday Race boded an interesting Race 2, but the rain copiously fall before and during the race changed the plans of the Solaris Motorsport guys. Without data on the Italian tracks in wet conditions and so without a reference setup, the English coupè struggled to find the right pace under the rain, bringing home the maximum result catchable in a difficult situation, with a P7 on the finish line, bagging good points for the championship.
Happy in half Francesco Sini, divided between the awareness to have a great car and the inevitable difficulties of any new project: “I want to see the positive side of this weekend. In qualifying I clocked a time faster than the Aston driver in the BES and in the race, on the dry, we showed a great potential. And this is good. Unfortunately, in the second race we paid the price of the novitiate, that’s it. Furthermore, Monza is probably the worst track for us, the Vantange prefers more the bends than the straights, so these results are even more confortable by this point of view.” Said Sini, who is confident for the rest of the season: “Next races could be most in favour to our Aston Martin, if we will make a good work, we can race stably on the top of the charts.”
“The first sensation is positive.” commented Max Mugelli “We leave Monza knowing we are very competitive on the dry, where we risked to catch a P4, but also well knowing we have to work on wet conditions setup. Unfortunately we were the only Aston Martin on the track and we not had landmarks to follow, but anyway we gained usefull experience. The level of the Italian GT Championship is very high and it was very important to not have done mistakes and to have brought points at home. Now we are going to Imola for a test session in order to find a better feeling with the car and we will see the behaviour of the car on a track like this.” said the Ronta-native driver, who added “I found a good feeling with all the Solaris guys and I appreciated a lot the support of Prodrive and Aston Martin Racing during this weekend!”
“If we take a look to the lap times we can be satisfied, with these chronos we could have been protagonist in the BES and, above all, we are on the same level of the other Aston Martin teams with more experience.” said Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal, who leads the team with the support of his sons Francesco and Laura. “It is a good start, but the Italian GT Championship revealed a very hight level. Max and Francesco are improving their feeling with the car km by km and next rounds should bring us tracks more in favour. This week we have planned a test session in Imola in order to prepare the race in the end of May. If you want to stay on top in a championship like this, you need to be always competitive.” said Sini, who added: “For sure I want to thank Aston Martin Racing and Prodrive for the moral and material support they gave us this weekend. We are all part of a big family and if we keep to work close all together we could reach great results!”
Next round of the Italian GT Championship is scheduled on the Imola track at the end of May, on 28th and 29th, always live streamed on the web site of the Italian series.
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 – Solaris Motorsport and Aston Martin Racing announced today the beginning of a new partnership that will allow the Italian team to race in the Italian GT Championship with an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The agreement between the historical English brand and the Italian team includes a close and mutual cooperation and indicates Solaris Motorsport as the reference point in Italy for Aston Martin Racing.
“It is a great agreement that makes everyone of us proud of what we have done until now.” commented Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport team owner. “It is a huge honour to join the Prodrive family and to represent a brand like Aston Martin in Italy. The challenge is very hard and we don’t want to leave anything to the case. For these reasons, we upgraded our factory, which is now bigger and equipped with everything we need to race everywhere at the highest level.” announced Roberto Sini.
“It is amazing how happy I’m feeling now! It is an indescribable emotion to have the chance to bring back an historical and successful brand like Aston Martin in the Italian GT Championship. After a lot of wins with Chevrolet, this is a new exciting challenge for me and my career.” said Francesco Sini, one of the two drivers of the Vantage GT3 run by Solaris Motorsport.
“It is wonderful to have one of our Aston Martin Vantage racing cars competing in the Italian GT Championship for the first time,” said Aston Martin Racing chairman, David Richards. “Solaris has extensive experience of competing in the series and I am sure it will not be long before our new partnership sees Aston Martin on the podium.”
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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vU1dKlCSiA​ 

Monza, Italy – The Solaris Motorsport comeback on the International GT Open European scene ended with two solid performances of the Corvette Z06R. Francesco Sini and Marcello Puglisi conquered in Italy a sixth and a seventh place in the two races, showing a great race pace and the fastest pit stops of the entire racing weekend, a great recognition of the hard work made by the Solaris guys at home.
Competitive and fast in the two free practice session, characterized by an unstable weather that mixed rain and sun, the Solaris Motorsport Corvette signed a good tenth best time in Q1 with Marcello Puglisi, that started in the 70-minutes Race 1. The American coupè, back for the occasion to the #12, after a good start surprised all the GT Open circus with the fastest pit stop of the race. Spectacular and intense the battle with Balfe Ferrari, ended with the sixth place under the checkered flag. Q2 saw Francesco Sini signing the seventh time on a semi-wet track after the huge rain of the night. The Corvette was again protagonist in the Race 2, fighting a lot for the top positions, with a eventful battle for the Top 5 with the Ramos-Parente McLaren and the Rugolo-Lathouras Ferrari. Thanks to another very fast pit stop, the Italian Corvette finished the race in P7, after coming under a controversial overtake in the last laps of the race.
“It was a whole good weekend, the Corvette showed itself competitive also in an European contest as the GT Open. We expected to be in favour on the straights, but with this balance we had everyone the same top speed. The rain came in these days mixed all the cards, but we can say to be satisfied of what we showed.” said Francesco Sini, who wants to underline the amazing job of his crew. “I want to congratulate with all my guys for the outstanding job during the pit stops, the first one was the fastest of the entire weekend..simply the best! The race were tuff, we fought a lot on track with many rivals, things didn’t go on the way we should want always, but the most important thing is that we never give up and probably we enjoyed all the fans!”
“We may reach a result a little bit better with a pinch of more luck, but we can say to be decisively satisfied. The guys were simply amazing during the pit stops both on Sunday and Saturday and helped us to fight on the top positions. – said Marcello Puglisi – The BOP probably took a little advantage to the other cars than our Corvette, otherwise we have could point to fight for the podium. The most important thing is to have showed our continuous improvement, the team, with the right newcomers, is growing up a lot during these months and the results on track told us we are on the right way. The races were very hard, sometimes on the limit, but we were always protagonists and it counts.”
“Monza was a good test of all of us, to oil better our team and understand where and how operate in 2016.” commented Solaris Motorsport Team Principal Roberto Sini – “This year we did a lot experiments and we learned a lot, growing up all together, drivers and technicians, race by race. Francesco a Marcello were very determined during the races, we never made a mistakes despite of the tricky battle and the track conditions. Furthermore, our crew did an outstanding job during the stops! We are already working on the next season, we want to race with a new and more competitive car in order to comeback to fight for the victory!”
Massimiliano Palumbo

Misano Adriatico, Italy – In Misano World Circuit the Solaris Motorsport Corvette Z06R ended the Race 1 in points, one more time after the Vallelunga round, and closed a tricky Race 2 in P13, recovering some positions from the starting grid. No break for the Italian team, that it’s already on the way to Monza for the International GT Open round, once again with the Corvette and the Francesco Sini and Marcello Puglisi talent.

In Misano the Solaris Motorsport Z06R used the two free practice sessions trying different solutions of setups on a track with no landmarks for the Corvette and with very variable grip conditions due to the unstable weather conditions that characterized the sixth round of the Italian GT Championship. Thanks to a good progression session by session, Sini almost entered the Top 10, far just 0.06 seconds, in the Q1 while Puglisi conquered the 8th row in the Q2.

The first race of the weekend was definitely eventful, after a good start Sini fought hard with Berton’s Ferrari and Biagi’s Porsche all the stint long, taking advantage of the safety car period to move up the driver’s change stop. When the race resumed Puglisi was able to pass quickly all the lapped drivers and to defend the position from the Camathias 997 attacks in the final laps,conquering the ninth place under the checkered flag. In the Sunday Race, the Trescore Balneario native driver made a great start, gaining 5 positions in the first laps. At the end of a tricky race due to some setup problems, the Corvette passed under the finish line in P13. A not satisfying result, but the Solaris Motorsport guys can console with a weekend without technical problem that permits them to look positive to Monza round.

“They were two difficult races but the result in Race 1 tells us we are on the right way. It’s a tricky season, we still have to work, but something of good begins to come.” commented Francesco Sini, ready to rejoin the GT Open, where he debuted in April with the Corvette: “I’m really happy to be back in the GT Open! I’m excited to race in Monza, in the Italian round in May we gained the second step of the podium and we arrived so close to the victory. Now we come back knowing better the car, but it will not easy to repeat the same results, the level of the championship is very high. Furthermore, accord to the weather forecast it may rain and all can become harder.”

“With all these slow corners, Misano maybe is one of worst track for our Corvette, but despite this we were able to score some points once again. It’s a good signal. Obviously we cannot be satisfied about it, but we are working in the right way.” said Marcello Puglisi, and about Monza he adds: “The Autodromo Nazionale is always a special race for me, I was born not too far from here, it’s my home race. Track should be in favour to our car, after a lot difficult races we can reach some positive result and score an important goal for our season. I’d like to give to the Solaris guys a great result to thank them for their efforts. I raced in the GT Open in the last years, it’s a tuff championship and I know the the battle for the top position will be very hard.”

Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal: “Misano was a tricky weekend but it brought a lot of good news. But we have to be already focus on Monza. It’s a last minute opportunity and we take it immediately. To be back in an european championship and to fight with new opponents is always very exciting. We worked hard all the season on the car and we are more ready respect the race in May. But this year we learned we can take nothing for granted. And the weather can be a further variable.”

The International GT Open weekend in Monza will start with two free practices session on Friday, October 2nd, scheduled at 12:40 and 4:30 PM. The green light for the Q1 is on Saturday morning at 11:05 AM and the 70 minutes ‘endurance’ race will start at 4PM. Same scheme on Sunday, with the qualifying session at 9:40 AM and the green light for the 60 minutes ‘sprint’ race at 2 PM. Both the races will be live streamed on the International GT Open website: www.gtopen.net

Massimiliano Palumbo

Vallelunga, Italy – The fifth round of the Italian GT Championship was strange for Solaris Motorsport. The team was very competitive in Vallelunga, showing great performances but, once again, also really unlucky. Blocked by a gearbox problem in qualifying, Francesco Sini and Marcello Puglisi capitalized the great potential of their Corvette Z06R, staging two huge comebacks from the back of grid, a sign that the work made by Solaris guys at home led to the right results. Before the Misano round, Solaris Motorsport will be at the International Abruzzo Circuit in Ortona for an open door weekend dedicated to all the racing fans.

Solaris Motorsport’s Vallelunga round started well in the practices, thanks to an impressive fifth time during the FP2, a performances that gave good hopes for a positive weekend for the #22 Corvette. Unfortunately the good news ended soon, when an unexpected gearbox problem forced Sini and Puglisi to skip qualifying and relegated the Italian duo to the last spot on grid in both races in order to let the Solaris Motorsport technicians solve the problem and get the car ready.

All the good things seen in practice came back strongly in the two races, in which Sini and Puglisi were protagonists of two amazing comeback, delighting the fans with bold overtakes and a race pace that could have brought them in the Top 5, with the chance to aim at the podium, if the Corvette could start from a better position on the grid. Puglisi started well in Race 1, beginning the recovery that brought the Corvette to a final seventh place at the end of the race with Sini, who took the wheel during the pit stop. Unfortunately, the Italian driver was forced to stop the due a problem at the rear left tyre during the last lap, failing to take an important and deserved checkered flag. Shook off the disappointment, the Sunday race saw another huge recover for the black #22 Corvette, that ended this time in P9.

“It was a difficult weekend, not having the chance to do the qualifying avoided us all the possibilities to stay on top of the standings. As we demonstrated during the races, the Corvette was pretty competitive,” commented Francesco Sini. “This year we don’t have luck, that’s racing, it means it’s all experience for the following seasons. Next year we want to be ready and race with a competitive car and a winning couple of drivers. In this track we could be on top, at least we delighted all the fans with our overtakes! We put on a good show!”


“We can’t do anything against bad luck. We had the right pace to stay easily in the Top 5 and with a bit of luck we could have fought for the podium. It’s the sad part of our sport. The most important thing is to have lapped consistently fast and have been competitive in both races. We did a lot of kms and experience for the future.” said Marcello Puglisi. “Wanting to be optimistic, I can say I enjoyed my self recovering positions, even if it’s disappointing not to have the chance to fight for better positions as we deserved.”

Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal, tried to be positive after the Vallelunga round: “We were competitive, the car posted good lap times and, excluding the problem to the gearbox, which came in the worst moment, the car lapped with continuity. Marcello and Francesco did their best, they never gave up and did what you expect from a race driver: full gas flag to flag! It’s a difficult season, maybe unfair because with a bit of more luck we could reach different results, but it’s definitely important to gain experience for 2016.”

Solaris Motorsport will welcome all its fans on September 19th at the International Abruzzo Circuit in Ortona, for an open day with all its cars and the chance to take some awesome laps on the track with the 2014 Euro V8 Series Champion Francesco Sini.

Massimiliano Palumbo

Fai clic qui per effettuare modifiche.

Mugello, Italy – The fourth round of the Italian GT Championship in Mugello could have been the turning point of the 2015 Solaris Motorsport season, that in Tuscany showed a great potential, improving its performances session by session. Unfortunately, once again, two race facts ruined the #22 Corvette weekend, very close to the podium in Race 1 and not started in the Sunday race due to a technical failure.

In a season where is fundamental take advantage of each km to gain experience, the Solaris Motorsport guys used the two free practice sessions in order to try different setup settings, especially for the race. Marcello Puglisi, on his second race with the #22 Corvette, was forced to jump the FP1 due a red flag, that stopped the session in the middle when the Italian driver was just exited from the pits. So, Puglisi had to take confidence with the tricky track – he didn’t race in Tuscany by 9 years – only during the FP2. The red flag was again protagonist during the Q1, stopped two times. Unfortunately, the stop is arrived twice when Sini was on his qualifying lap, so Ringhio lost the choice to set his best time with new tires and he was only P14 at he end. In Q2, Puglisi tried a new setup and he gained the 16th on the grid with times very close to his team mate.

The things seemed going better in the first race of the weekend. At the start, taking advantage from his powerful Corvette engine, Sini was able to conquer four positions and he turned at the San Donato bend in P10. Lap by lap, the black Corvette kept to gain positions, until the P6 before the pit stop. When the pit stop window opened, with a perfect strategy the team took advantage to the safety car period – entered to permit to the marshalls to clean the track by the debris – to do the mandatory stop and permit to Puglisi to jump in P2. At the restart on lap 13, the Italian driver tried to attack the leader of the race at the first turn, but unfortunately, his dreams of glory ended just few bends after, when the Mapelli’s Audi tried badly to overtake him. The German car pushed out the Corvette and was penalized, the American coupè was forced to comeback from the rear and at the end was just P12 under the checkered flag. It was a pity, because the Corvette showed during the race the same pace of the drivers on top of the charts and, without the thirty seconds lost in the contact, Puglisi could have been at least in the podium-fighting group.



TThe good fate wasn’t with the Italian team neither in Race 2, where an unexpected technical failure has stopped Puglisi yet in the formation lap, ending a disappointing weekend for the Notaresco-based team. “It’s unbelievable, this year the bad seems to be our official supporter! During the qualifying session I was stopped twice by the red flag during my fast laps, on Saturday we could reach the podium but we were get out in the back. On Sunday, once again, I was not able to enter in the car.” commented Francesco Sini, sad about the race but satisfied for the performance in his Race 1 stint: “Until the contact with Mapelli it was the perfect race! Started from P14, we were P2 behind the safety car. We showed our potential with great lap times, then it’s gone how is gone. We are very disappointed, now we have to transform this bad emotions in the right power to arrive in Vallelunga in the best shape we can.” ended Sini, that in March test session signed lap times very close to the track record with the the Corvette.

“Really, I don’t what telling, it’s incredible. In Race 1 the car was very competitive, I had all the race long the pace of the best drivers and I could climb on the podium. I’d have liked to thanks my team and their work with a good results, we were so close to it!” commented Puglisi. “It’s a pity don’t be able to concretize the big potential of the car. As the same as Imola, also in Mugello we had the pace to reach the podium!” The next round of the Italian GT Championship is scheduled in Vallelunga on September, the 12th and 13th. “It’s a track in which we could point to a good result, the pre season in it test gave us good feeling and I keep to be confident.”

The Team Principal Roberto Sini analyzed the difficult moment of the team: “We are all disappointed, we expected much more from this race and we come back home with another zero in the standings. The Saturday performance, however, had showed we can be competitive and we can fight for the top positions. But, to do that, we must have weekend without this kind of troubles. Francesco and the team made an amazing job on Saturday, Marcello showed a great race pace but twice his race was ruined by events unrelated to him. We will use the summer break to prepare the Vallelunga race in the best way, hoping to have a weekend…trouble-free!”

Massimiliano Palumbo

Pescara, Italy – The fourth round of the Italian GT Championship is on the way for this weekend in Mugello, again with the impressive 39 cars grid. After the good performances and the bad luck shown in Imola, the Solaris Motorsport is ready to come back on top and in the Scarperia-based track the minimum goal of the team is the podium. Marcello Puglisi, debuted in Imola with the black #22 Corvette and now he wants to put on practice the experience gained 15 days ago: “In Imola I could lap a lot, I could take confidence with the car and now I can push harder. I removed the rust, in Mugello I know I have all I need to point on top of the charts!”

Francesco Sini, on his first GT full-season after winning the 2014 EuroV8 Series and the great experience in the Le Mans Series and in Radical Trophy, was protagonist in a upward year until now. Although he suffered some unforeseen during the first part of the season, he scored anyway a great Top5 in Imola qualifying and catched the podium in Monza.

Francesco, what do you think about your season’s start?
“It was quite complicated, but it was predictable. The GT world was an universe totally new for us and so we have needed of a bit time of apprenticeship at the beginning. With the right experience, in Monza and in Imola we found the way of competitivity and now we have the choice to battle for the podium in each race. We knew it was not going to be easy to fight on top and the high level of the Italian GT Championship made the things harder.”

After this first roll out, what is the main goal of the season?
“For sure I want to win a race with the Corvette before the end of the season. In Monza we were second on the finish line and we were very close to the winner, and also in Imola it wasn’t a so impossible goal. The guys at home are making an incredible work to give to me and Marcello a car always competitive.”

In the last years you raced ‘alone’, what does it change now in sharing the cockpit with your teammate?
“Racing with another driver is challenging because you have to work on your setup ideas to the ones of your teammate. It’s a very different way to setup the work, you must start thinking you have to share. It’s the same on track, you can not to push as you want because your teammates needs of the same car. You have to learn the right system, in the middle between what you want and that one your team mate wants. It’s tricky, but it’s nice and exciting comparing and to finding the right feeling with another driver. It’s a bigger teamplay.”

It isn’t your debut in the endurance, some years ago you raced and won with the sports car, how much of that experience is useful now with the GT?
“They were important years for me and my career, they learned me how to manage the car in long races like the Italian GT Championship’s. That experience granted me a great smattering, even if the driving style is completely different. On this point of view, the sports car are opposed to the GT.”



A 40 cars grid is a big show for the fans, but what does it mean for the drivers?
“It’s an amazing show…if you are on the grandstands! The main problem for the drivers is the traffic, especially during the qualifying it’s difficult to find a clean lap. In the races you have to find the right way with the many lapped cars as quickly as you can. A so big starting grid means trickier but more spectacular comebacks and the possibility to have many good drivers on track.”

The next round will be in Mugello, what do you expect?
“I want and I desire the podium. It will not be easy, our rivals are very strong but we showed we can stay with the fastest. Marcello gained the right experience in Imola and in Mugello he will be a fiery opponent for all. The track should be in favour with the Corvette, if we will have a perfect weekend, we will have the results we want!”

The weekend in Mugello of the Solaris Motorsport #22 Corvette will start on Friday on 11:25 AM with the FP1, the FP2 scheduled at 2.45 PM. Saturday will host the two qualifyng sessions on morning, at 10:20 and 11:25. The green flag for the Race 1 will be waved on Saturday at 5:50 PM, while the start of the Sunday race is scheduled at 11:05 AM. All the races will be live streamed on the Italian GT Championship web site.

Massimiliano Palumbo

Imola, Italy – Double face weekend for Solaris Motorsport in Imola, theater for the third round of the Italian GT Championship. The Italian Corvette showed a very competitive pace in any sessions with Marcello Puglisi and Francesco Sini who was able to set a great 5th place in the second round of qualifying. Such a great potential, unfortunately, wasn’t enough to defeat the bad luck: a guiltless Puglisi was forced to retire in Race 1 after a huge contact, while Sini suffered a puncture on Sunday Race when he was fifth and focused to catch the podium.

The good weekend of the #22 Solaris Motorsport Corvette started from the FP1, where the american coupè signed the fifth time, just 4 tenths far from the top. After an useful FP2 in which the team tested the car in some long runs, the intermediates of the qualifying put Puglisi easily in the Top 8, but twice the red flag stopped the Italian driver during his fast lap. So, at the end of the session with worn tyres, the #22 Corvette was only 11th for the Saturday Race grid. Francesco Sini has brought back the smiles into the team during the second qualifying session, where he was able to catch a great 5th time for the Sunday race.

Puglisi had a good start in the Saturday race, he was fighting for a good position in the Top 10 improving his pace lap by lap. His comeback dream was stopped on lap 5, when in Tamburello chicane the back of the Corvette was hit strongly by the Mercedes of Aidan Wright, arrived too fast at the brake point. Puglisi was forced to pass in the gravel and to retire some turns after, when a blown tyre – damaged in the contact – stopped the Z06R outside of the Acque Minerali bend.

Race 2 saw another great start for the Solaris Motorsport Corvette and Sini was able to keep in fifth position, trying to catch the podium. Unfortunately, once again a tyre puncture – probably due to a debris on track – stopped the dreams of glory of the Italian team. In a weird fate, again on lap 5 a blown tyre slowed the Corvette, forcing Sini to recover in the pits on the three wheels and change the damaged tyre. The American coupè came back on track lapped in 36th position and with a race totally to rebuild. Sini and Puglisi, entered during the mandatory pit stop, didn’t give up and they started a huge comeback, that brought the Corvette in the 22th position under the checkered flag.

“We had all the bad luck we could have this weekend, we hope to be par with the faith now! The expected results didn’t arrive, but the Corvette showed a great potential also in a curvy track like Imola.” commented Francesco Sini. He try to be optimistic: “I’m happy about Marcello, he found a great with feeling with the team and he was competitive early. He was the good surprise of the weekend!” Sini had also a though for his team, forced to work until Sunday late night to repair the Corvette damaged during Race 1: “The guys showed again their big hearth, working on the car with great professionality. I’d have liked to thank them with a good race result, but it wasn’t properly our weekend!”

On his debut on the Corvette GT3, also Marcello Puglisi had to split his thoughts between the satisfaction for the the good performances and the disappointment for the race events that slowed the Solaris Motorsport Z06R: “I’m definitely happy about the team, all my previous impressions were confirmed! It’s a great team and the showed it on Saturday night when they worked a lot on the car to give to me and Francesco again a competitive car! Amazing! – said the Trescore Balneario native driver – Unfortunately, we suffered bad luck all weekend long: I had two red flags during my both fast laps in qualifying…what i could do? During the race, I was hit without guilt. In qualifying session I could set a lap very close to the Francesco’s one and gain a position in the Top 8, but I had to sign my fastest lap with worn tyres and I lost the fourth row for few tenths. When we were out of trouble, anyway, we showed we can be competitive and so I’m confident for the next race. In Imola we gained experience and kilometers, now I want to put all in practice in Mugello!”

Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal, is optimistic: “As English people are used to say, that’s racing! The most important thing is to have shown we can be competitive also in curvy track like this. Marcello was really good, he took few time to bring confidence with the Corvette and we has able to set good times early. He had quickly a good feeling with the team, the Corvette and…Francesco! On his side, Francesco gave the maximum, we could point on the podium in Race 2 but we suffered a puncture. By the way, this weekend gave us the awareness to be back on top and in Mugello we want to try to reach great results.”

Next round of the Italian GT Championship is scheduled in Mugello on July, the 11th and 12th, It’s an high speed track and he could be a circuit in favour to the American Coupè of the Solaris Motorsport.

Massimiliano Palumbo