After setting the pace in the first collective test, Felice Jelmini was at the sharp end of the order in an intense qualifying session marked by traffic and a red flag. The Italian lined up ahead of title contenders Marc Guillot (Milan Compétition) and David Pouget while Nicolas Milan started from P8.

A fine drizzle made the conditions particularly tricky at the start and David Pouget moved ahead in the opening meters. However, the French driver’s lead was short-lived as several drivers, including Felice Jelmini, went straight on at the Rettifilo chicane.

Back in the lead, Felice Jelmini tried to increase the gap while David Pouget and Marc Guillot battled for second place under the watchful eye of Nicolas Milan. In the field, there was contact left and right until the first intervention of the safety car on lap three after the incident of Andrea Argenti (SI Racing Team) at the exit of the Variante della Roggia.

The race was back on track at the beginning of lap five. Felice Jelmini pulled away from Marc Guillot and David Pouget, now threatened by Anthony Jurado (Milan Compétition) and Nicolas Milan. On an increasingly slippery track, Anthony Jurado managed to control what should have been a spin, but his issue reshuffled the order in the chase group. In the fight among the leaders, Marc Guillot went through the gravel at Curva Grande while Nicolas Milan got the upper hand on David Pouget before he answered back. The duel even saw the two rivals for the title make contact without consequence.

At the same time, Anthony Jurado crashed at the Ascari Variant, leading to another neutralisation. With the race time over, it finished behind the safety car. Felice Jelmini was the first to receive the chequered flag, but the Italian was penalised post-race for having gained an advantage at the start.

Nicolas Milan thus inherited the victory ahead of David Pouget and Felice Jelmini. Gustavo Sandrucci (Progetto E20 Motorsport), who was 15th at the start of the race, avoided the pitfalls to finish fourth, followed by Gabriele Torelli (Faro Racing) and Challengers Cup winner Alexandre Albouy. Marc Guillot finished seventh, ahead of Mathieu Lannepoudenx (Milan Compétition), Guillaume Maio (GM Sport) and Tomas Pekar (Carpek Services), who made a fantastic comeback from 37th place on the grid. In his first appearance of the season, Pietro Bacchi won the Gentlemen Drivers Cup ahead of Quinto Stefana (Oregon Team) and Lionel Viguier (TB2S).

Winner for the ninth time this year, Nicolas Milan continues to pull away from David Pouget in the general classification. The gap between the two is now 20 points when taking into account the 20 best results of the season. Third in points, Marc Guillot is now 100 points behind the leader. In the Challengers Cup, Alexandre Albouy consolidates his second place behind Kévin Jimenez thanks to his victory whilst Lionel Viguier closed the gap to Horn (GPA Racing) at the top of the Gentlemen Drivers Cup.

Group A

Despite being penalised, Felice Jelmini won ahead of Gustavo Sandrucci and Gabriele Torelli in Group A while Marc Guillot scored enough points to take the title. After a lively race, Filippo Berto (Oregon Team) also secured his title in the Challengers Cup by winning ahead of Lorenzo Nicoli (Progetto E20 Motorsport) and Yeraly Ospanov (Carpek Services). In the Gentlemen Drivers category, Pietro Bacchi’s victory allowed Alessandro Sebasti Scalera (Milan Competition) to clinch the title despite retiring on lap one, as his rival Quinto Stefana had to win to keep his chances alive.

Group C

After a hectic race, Marc Guillot resisted the incredible comeback of Tomas Pekar to win and secure the last title at stake in Group C. The podium was completed by newcomer Nikola Miljkovic (Tempo Racing Team), victorious in the Challengers Cup ahead of Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing) and Paul Cocaign (TB2S), whilst Lionel Viguier won in the Gentlemen Drivers category.

Group D

In Group D, Nicolas Milan won his duel with David Pouget to extend his lead. Third, Alexandre Albouy beat Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Guillaume Maio to take control of the Challengers Cup. Lastly, Rene Steenmetz (Chefo Sport) took top honours ahead of Horn and Joaquin Rodrigo (Vearsa Sport) in a Gentlemen Drivers Cup that is now tighter than ever and still led by Stephan Polderman (Chefo Sport) !

The competitors will be back at it on Sunday for race two of the weekend at 9.10am. Felice Jelmini won the pole on Friday evening. The Renault Sport Series Facebook page and Renault Sport YouTube channel will provide live coverage of all the action from Monza.

Collective tests 1 - Collective tests 2 - Qualifying - Starting grid - Race 1
Clio Cup Europe standings - Group A - Group C - Group D