Zhincong Li and Titus Sherlock eventually emerged as the winners of the second race of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia. The Racegraph duo completed an impressive comeback from sixth on the grid- despite picking up a 5-second time penalty, incurred for an unsafe re-entry onto the track after running wide at the Roggia chicane.
But it was William Tregurtha, who was sharing the Batmobile Racing Huracán with Jonathan Cecotto, who finished second and secured the championship title. The British driver crossed the line ahead of their championship rivals from VSR – in the hands of Sceats and Wisniewski - following an exhilarating battle.
The race began behind the safety car due to heavy rain that had fallen on the Italian circuit earlier in the afternoon; the safety car pulled in after four laps, allowing racing to commence.
The first part of the race was dominated by Van der Drift, who started from pole position for Team VSR. The New Zealander led the opening stint, successfully fending off a determined challenge from Cecotto.
Cecotto then handed over to his teammate, Tregurtha, who rejoined in second place. The Batmobile Racing driver found himself under pressure from their VSR championship rivals, who had managed to close the gap by several seconds thanks to a well-executed undercut.
At this stage, Sherlock took over the wheel from his teammate and began climbing through the field. He eventually moved into the lead following a fierce scrap with Tregurtha and Andre Couto - the latter’s race ending in the barriers at Lesmo 2 following a collision.
Van der Drift’s strong initial effort was ultimately undone by his teammate, Kingsford, who dropped several positions to finish in sixth place.
The race intensified in the closing laps, with various errors occurring due to the challenging track conditions as the asphalt remained extremely wet, particularly through the first two chicanes. At that point, the battle for the championship became compelling, with Wisniewski making several attempts to overtake Tregurtha - a move that would have secured him the top spot in the series standings. The two crossed the finish line in a close sprint, trailing Sherlock by nine seconds; this gap was reduced to four seconds following a five-second penalty.
Finishing just off the podium was Weeraborwornpong (Siamgas Corse), who claimed victory in the LC category. Fifth place went to Buncharoen (True Vision Motorsport), the AM category champion. In the PRO-AM class, Van der Drift and Kingsford (VSR) were crowned champions, despite a lacklustre performance from the latter, who finished sixth.
The action continues tomorrow with the finals, featuring the various racing categories.