Scarperia (Fi), Italy – The 2016 season of the Italian GT Championship ended this Sunday at Mugello circuit. The Italian track saw probably the best Aston Martin of the season, the Vantage GT3, in fact, was very competitive in every sessions, sign that the Solaris technicians were able to take the maximum advantage from the data of the race in July. The Sporting Director Laura Sini ‘celebrated’ one more time the recent marriage with her husband Orges, coming on the Race 2 starting grid with her wedding dress.
After having posted the best time during the free practice, the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin missed the its high performance in the Saturday’s morning qualifying, where, on a track that was drying itself after the huge rain fallen during the night, Max Mugelli and Francesco Sini brought home just the 8th and 6th row on the starting grid with a car that lacked of grip.
The two races gave back to the Italian Vantage the right competitiveness, with the Aston Martin able to lap with the same race pace of the top contenders. IIn both the races, the English coupè was one of the fastest car on track, but it couldn’t concretize its high potential because of the start on the back of the field. The huge comeback of Race 1 of Sini and Mugelli, that enjoyed the fans on the grandstands and at home thanks to a lots of overtakes, ended with the 8th position. The placement could have been also better, but the safety car, entered in the last laps, stopped the Aston Martin fielded by Solaris Motorsport.
The last race of the season offered a very particular starting grid. Laura Sini, Sporting Director of the team, wanted to ‘re-celebrate’ her recent marriage with her husband Orges, coming on the starting grid with the wedding dress, consecrating her union to the motorsport world. The newly married DS, then, attended the race by the usual spot on the pit wall, giving radio informations to the drivers with the usual headphones and the ‘white dress’. Also Race 2 saw the English coupè recovering positions by positions, but the comeback stopped at Lap 10, when a contact between Sini and the Frassinetti’s Lamborghini forced both the drivers to a retire.
“Really I don’t know what to think. For sure I’m disappointed because we gathered very little, an eight place and a retirement for sure don’t satisfy me. However, we were among the fastest on track and with better qualifying we could fight for the win.” commented Francesco Sini. “I’m sorry for the contact in Race 2, it wasn’t my purpose to ruin the race mine and Alex’s, but it’s something can happen in motorsport when you are fighting for a position. We were a lot faster, the Lamborghini was good to close all the doors, when I saw a little space I tried to overtake, but it didn’t go as I expected. It was a pity, really.” Anyway, Ringhio is confident for the future: “Now we have the certainty to have a very competitive car! We can reach important goals: this Aston Martin is a rocket!”
“The Mugello circuit clearly is not in favour with us. As the same in July, also this time we weren’t to able to end Race 2, but today the car was very fast. I’d have liked to conquer a good result here in my home-race, but the qualifying has frustrated all our hopes. We had a very competitive car on the dry track, but we suffered on the damp and with low temperature during the qualifying on Saturday morning.” said Max Mugelli. “I want to thank all my sponsors, all my supporters and the team for this year so incredible and intense. We brought home two second and a third place in a so much competitive championship. We lacked the victory, but to be arrived many time so close is a sign of our good job.”
“The results of the Mugello’s weekend are unsatisfying and not not in line with our expectations, but anyway I’m very happy about what I saw on track. In comparison to the round in July, our Vantage seemed completely another car, we worked well at home and now we are competitive also here. The qualifyings are the bigger regret of the entire weekend, on the damp track we didn’t find the right performance and we lost an important part of a weekend that could see us as big protagonists, as Max and Francesco showed during the races.” commented Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal. “I want to thank all the people worked with us in this first, important and challenging year under the Aston Martin logo: sponsors, supporters, technicians, drivers. All together we wrote this first incredible chapter of a new story.” Sini added also: “Last race of the Italian GT Championship gave us two stunning races and a level of cars and drivers very very high. We would like to repeat this series next season, if there will be the right conditions and if the Federation will find the way to solve the issues that have come to light in this year.”
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
After having posted the best time during the free practice, the Solaris Motorsport’s Aston Martin missed the its high performance in the Saturday’s morning qualifying, where, on a track that was drying itself after the huge rain fallen during the night, Max Mugelli and Francesco Sini brought home just the 8th and 6th row on the starting grid with a car that lacked of grip.
The two races gave back to the Italian Vantage the right competitiveness, with the Aston Martin able to lap with the same race pace of the top contenders. IIn both the races, the English coupè was one of the fastest car on track, but it couldn’t concretize its high potential because of the start on the back of the field. The huge comeback of Race 1 of Sini and Mugelli, that enjoyed the fans on the grandstands and at home thanks to a lots of overtakes, ended with the 8th position. The placement could have been also better, but the safety car, entered in the last laps, stopped the Aston Martin fielded by Solaris Motorsport.
The last race of the season offered a very particular starting grid. Laura Sini, Sporting Director of the team, wanted to ‘re-celebrate’ her recent marriage with her husband Orges, coming on the starting grid with the wedding dress, consecrating her union to the motorsport world. The newly married DS, then, attended the race by the usual spot on the pit wall, giving radio informations to the drivers with the usual headphones and the ‘white dress’. Also Race 2 saw the English coupè recovering positions by positions, but the comeback stopped at Lap 10, when a contact between Sini and the Frassinetti’s Lamborghini forced both the drivers to a retire.
“Really I don’t know what to think. For sure I’m disappointed because we gathered very little, an eight place and a retirement for sure don’t satisfy me. However, we were among the fastest on track and with better qualifying we could fight for the win.” commented Francesco Sini. “I’m sorry for the contact in Race 2, it wasn’t my purpose to ruin the race mine and Alex’s, but it’s something can happen in motorsport when you are fighting for a position. We were a lot faster, the Lamborghini was good to close all the doors, when I saw a little space I tried to overtake, but it didn’t go as I expected. It was a pity, really.” Anyway, Ringhio is confident for the future: “Now we have the certainty to have a very competitive car! We can reach important goals: this Aston Martin is a rocket!”
“The Mugello circuit clearly is not in favour with us. As the same in July, also this time we weren’t to able to end Race 2, but today the car was very fast. I’d have liked to conquer a good result here in my home-race, but the qualifying has frustrated all our hopes. We had a very competitive car on the dry track, but we suffered on the damp and with low temperature during the qualifying on Saturday morning.” said Max Mugelli. “I want to thank all my sponsors, all my supporters and the team for this year so incredible and intense. We brought home two second and a third place in a so much competitive championship. We lacked the victory, but to be arrived many time so close is a sign of our good job.”
“The results of the Mugello’s weekend are unsatisfying and not not in line with our expectations, but anyway I’m very happy about what I saw on track. In comparison to the round in July, our Vantage seemed completely another car, we worked well at home and now we are competitive also here. The qualifyings are the bigger regret of the entire weekend, on the damp track we didn’t find the right performance and we lost an important part of a weekend that could see us as big protagonists, as Max and Francesco showed during the races.” commented Roberto Sini, Solaris Motorsport Team Principal. “I want to thank all the people worked with us in this first, important and challenging year under the Aston Martin logo: sponsors, supporters, technicians, drivers. All together we wrote this first incredible chapter of a new story.” Sini added also: “Last race of the Italian GT Championship gave us two stunning races and a level of cars and drivers very very high. We would like to repeat this series next season, if there will be the right conditions and if the Federation will find the way to solve the issues that have come to light in this year.”
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