Formula Regional: Minì breaks the spell in Imola

There seemed to be a curse preventing Gabriele Minì from winning the first success in the Formula Regional European. The ART Grand Prix driver, unlucky in the first round of Monza, saw any chance of winning in Race 1 at Imola vanish following a penalty of 10 ” for early start, but he made up for it with interests in Race 2 succeeding finally to get on the top step of the podium.

Minì was the absolute protagonist of both qualifying sessions, winning pole for both the Saturday and Sunday races.

In Race 1 the Palermitan started flawlessly from pole while keeping teammate Mari Boya at bay, but the Sicilian’s escape was stopped shortly after when the race direction displayed the red flag due to the violent accident that saw the protagonist. Sami Meguetounif.

The medical staff intervened to rescue the MP Motorsport driver and take him to the medical center, but fortunately the consequences of the accident were minor.

When the cars were stationary in the pit lane waiting to leave, the communication of the investigation for Minì arrived, confirmed shortly after when the operations resumed.

The ART Grand Prix driver, aware of the 10 ” penalty, tried to perform a miracle by trying to stretch on Dino Beganovic, who had risen to second position after overtaking Boya. Minì’s strategy, however, was compromised by the numerous neutralizations with the safety car.

As many as 3, in fact, it was the interventions of the safety car that ruined the Sicilian’s Saturday making him relegate to the bottom of the standings at the end of the race.

A Beganovic was thus the absolute protagonist at the start of the season. Fast, concrete, good at taking advantage of every circumstance, the PREMA Swede won his second success of the year in Race 1.

The first race of the weekend was interrupted early, with a second red flag, due to the accident that saw Barrichello and Gnos as protagonists.

Mari Boya went to the second step of the podium, while the third place went to Ralf Aron. For the PREMA team, the day was completed in the best possible way with the fourth place signed by Sebastian Montoya, while behind the Colombian once again Kas Haverkort finished in the top 5 confirming a total consistency.

In Race 2 Minì’s awaited redemption arrived. The start took place behind the safety car due to the rain falling just before the start, but when the green flag was waved the Sicilian immediately took the lead, running away from Tim Tramnitz.

The Trident rookie tried to resist the pressure of Beganovic, but the PREMA Swede took little time to overtake him with a nice maneuver at the Tamburello and thus throw himself in pursuit of Minì.

The gap between the two was never less than 8 tenths, but the expected battle between the ART Grand Prix rider and the PREMA rider was interrupted with a red flag when Sebastian Montoya took off in Delli Gloves’ car.

The Italian driver touched Aron’s front right with his rear left, turning around and then was hit by the son of art who was unable to avoid Delli Gloves’ car. Montoya, after having overwhelmed the Italian’s car, literally took off and then stopped on the gravel with a destroyed car. Fortunately, neither of them suffered any consequences despite a chilling dynamic.

Right at the moment of the accident, the rain returned to fall violently on the Imola track and the drivers took advantage of the interruption to mount wet tires. The choice, however, was not obvious because in the first sector the asphalt was completely dry, while from the Tamburello to the Rivazza it was wet.

After 4 laps behind the safety car, operations resumed and Minì immediately took off, leaving Beganovic at a safe distance.

The intervention at the end of a new safety car prevented the drivers from racing the last lap under the green flag, but at the finish line Minì was finally able to celebrate the first victory in the category at the end of a weekend of the highest level.

Beganovic took home a second place which consolidates his lead in the overall standings, while the third step of the podium was conquered by a superb Kas Haverkort on the first podium in the series.

The Dutch driver put on a show in the tough duel with Belov. The driver of the MP Motorsport team, in crisis with the wet tires, tried in every way to resist the assault of the rival Van Amersfoort Racing even going beyond the limit, but then had to raise the white flag letting a wild Haverkort pass.

Subsequently Belov lost other positions being overtaken by both Gabriel Bortoleto and Hadrien David, while the top 10 was completed with Ralf Aron in seventh place in front of a Tramnitz best rookie but not very comfortable in mixed asphalt conditions, Leonardo Fornaroli and Maceo Capietto.