Home win in Race 2 puts Eastalent and Reicher-Haase back in the lead

It was an almost dry Race 2 at the Red Bull Ring today and it ended with the much-expected home win for Eastalent Racing, the fourth of the season. Christopher Haase, in the first stint, and Simon Reicher mastered the events, always on the heels of the racing one Ferrari of Giacomo Atoè, who started from the pole, in the first part before taking the lead in the pit stop.

“It’s the first time I will hear the Austrian anthem at the Red Bull Ring” admitted an elated Simon Reicher. He and Haase are back in the lead of the standings, conceded briefly yesterday, three points clear from Alessio Deledda, only ninth today together with Jordan Pepper in the Oregon Lambo.

The Spirit of Race Ferrari of Nicola Marinangeli-Vincent Abril finished second ahead of the debuting Greystone McLaren of James Kell-Dean Macdonald.

In Pro-Am, Marco Pulcini and Eddie Cheever reunited with the class win, the fifth this year, extending their lead in the standings, after beating Morten Stromsted-Thomas Ikin (Motopark Mercedes) and Dexter Müller-Yannick Mettler (SPS Mercedes).

Giuseppe Cipriani (Barone Rampante Lambo) also extended his lead in the Am class, with a third success, beating Heiko Neumann-Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes) and Kiki San Nana-Adam Osieka (GetSpeed Mercedes).

THE RACE – From the pole, conquered on the wet, Giacomo Altoè keeps the advantage at the start (given on a dry track), while Haase passes Siebert in turn 3, Pulcini is fourth ahead of Abril, Macdonald, Cheever, Cheever, Mettler and Ikin.

The GetSpeed of Bartone, damaged in a shunt against the barriers in qualifying, and the ISR Racing Audi, damaged in Race 1, couldn’t make it to the grid.

In the initial laps, while Altoè and Haase pull away, Siebert and Pulcini battle for P3 but positions do not change, while there is a big battle for eight between Arrow, Fontana and Ikin, with the Dutchman having to let his rivals pass.

By lap 10, the gap between Altoè and Haase is down to 0.5 seconds, but the German is still not in a position to attack the leader. Sernagiotto and Stanley get in contact at turn 3 in lap 13. Cipriani has been in the lead in Am since the start. In the meantime, Abril and L.Pulcini receive a penalty (5 and 15 seconds respectively) for jumping the start.

After all the changes, Reicher leads with 4 seconds on Ineichen and Marinangeli in full fight, then Hash, Kirchmayr, M.Pulcini, kell, Müller, Petrov and Stromsted. In the following laps, Ineichen closes the gap on Reicher to 2 seconds, with Marinangeli right behind, while Kell is now fourth ahead of Dunner, Menzel, M.Pulcini (first in Pro-Am), Pepper and Hash. There is a contact between Stromsted and Müller, while Cipriani is solidly leading in Am.

Eventually, when penalties are applied after the race, Marinangeli is second ahead of Kell, Ineichen, Dunner and Petrov, while M.Pulcini wins in Pro-Am ahead of Stromsted and Müller.

Results are HERE