Costantini cruises to home glory at Monza
Apex Racing League Prototype Championship
Alex Salmon and Michele Costantini sped to victory in their respective classes in the Apex Racing League Prototype Championship curtain raiser. Mastering the high-speed Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in their exotic, purpose-built machines, Salmon and Costantini couldn’t be matched. Could they be caught at the second round of the championship at Monza?
In qualifying, Lennart Rahrt hooked up his Porsche 919 Hybrid to claim overall pole position by two tenths of a second. Only 1.2 seconds off the ultimate pace of Rahrt, Mateusz Drozda edged out Lochie Brown for P1 AM class pole.
In qualifying, Lennart Rahrt hooked up his Porsche 919 Hybrid to claim overall pole position by two tenths of a second. Only 1.2 seconds off the ultimate pace of Rahrt, Mateusz Drozda edged out Lochie Brown for P1 AM class pole.
Championship leader, Michele Costantini, led the raft of Dallara P2 machines by nearly three tenths of a second. Tim Perry eclipsed Liam Rance by a mere five hundredths of a second in the P2 AM class.
The Race
For many of the swarming beehive of Dallara P2 machines, the sixty-minute race was over on lap one. A cataclysmic pile up on the exit of the second Lesmo snared numerous cars, creating a blockage on circuit. By the time those involved in the roadblock could wriggle free, the faster P1 cars were already on the scene. Lennart Rahrt, Lewis Woods, and Alex Salmon managed to sneak through. However, Ismail Yakubu wasn’t so fortunate.
Once the P1 leaders encountered the first bout of traffic, Lewis Woods pressed into the lead in his Audi R18 e-tron TDI. Minutes later, Alex Salmon sped past Lennart Rahrt to establish an Audi 1-2. Rahrt’s Porsche simply couldn’t match the pace of the Ingolstadt built machines.
Scots ace, Lewis Woods, accumulated a four second advantage over Alex Salmon prior to the pit stops. Woods’ stereotypical Scottish frugality yielded a few extra vital seconds over Salmon in the pits. However, an off-track excursion eroded Woods’ advantage and suddenly, Salmon was climbing over the back of his fellow Audi pilot.
Keen to seize his chance, Salmon deployed the hybrid boost and surged past Woods into Parabolica with twenty minutes left on the clock. Once into the lead, Salmon pushed ahead while Woods limped home with floor damage from his earlier incident. Salmon’s win ensures his 100% record in ARL Prototype competition remains intact. Mateusz Drozda delivered a clean run to P1 AM class victory and a highly commendable overall podium.
In the P2 PRO class, once again no one could dream of matching Costantini’s exceptional pace. From lights to flag, the Italian ace controlled the P2 lead with apparent ease. Kabort Motorsports Tim Perry took advantage of a strong grid position to dominant the AM division of P2. Runner up in the P2 AM class, was Commentatori Squadra Corse ace, Alessandro Dalledonne.
Post race driver quotes
Alex Salmon: “It was really unlucky for Lewis. I think he had damage from P2. He had the legs on me. We just went super conservative and focused on the points.”
Michele Costantini: “I pulled through with not too many issues, so I’m quite happy with that.”
Tim Perry: “It was crazy on the first lap. Coming into the second chicane I got rear ended, but after that it was much easier and was my bit of luck for the race!”
Alessandro Dalledonne: “I’m really happy and glad to be here! I survived at the worst track possible, Monza! Big kudos to the guys at Commentatori Squadra Corse!”
Round three of the Apex Racing League Prototype championship will be held at Road America on the 19th of February. Catch all the live action on Apex Racing TV at 8pm GMT.