The Clio Cup Series competitors took to the track on Friday for a busy day. On home soil, Italy’s Gabriele Torelli set the pace with the fastest time of the morning before David Pouget took over during a second session interrupted by two red flags caused by Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (Essecorse) and Donato Barnaba (Progetto E20 Motorsport).

RACE 1 : POUGET INHERITS VICTORY, FRANCA CROWNED IN ITALY

The start of qualifying on Friday afternoon was interrupted by a red flag caused by Gianalberto Coldani (MC Motortecnica). When the session resumed, Gabriele Torelli set the best time before another interruption caused by Donato Barnaba. Although the classification changed in the final five-minute sprint, the benchmark time remained unchallenged, and Gabriele Torelli won the pole ahead of Luca Franca, Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing), David Pouget and Alex Lancellotti (Faro Racing). The top five were followed by the two top-ranked Challengers, Giacomo Trebbi (MC Motortecnica) and Mattia Lancellotti, whose times were identical.

Race one, initially scheduled for Saturday evening, was postponed due to the delay accumulated by the other categories in action at Imola. After a day’s wait, the drivers finally took to the track on Sunday morning. Gabriele Torelli was surprised by Luca Franca, but the poleman regained the lead at the first chicane. At the exit of the same sequence, Leonardo Arduini (MC Motortecnica) spun, while Francesco Pagano (Scuderia Costa Ovest) and Gianalberto Coldani (MC Motortecnica) were unable to avoid a collision.

During the safety car period, Gabriele Torelli was given a ten-second penalty for false start. Despite the slipstream, Gabriele Torelli kept the lead ahead of Luca Franca and David Pouget on the restart on lap four. The Italian gradually pulled out a gap, but David Pouget took control of the chase pack when he overtook Luca Franca on lap six. The Frenchman quickly came back to within a second of his rival before having to deal with Luca Franca’s counter-attacks.

Gabriele Torelli resisted until the finish, but his penalty relegated him to eighth place. David Pouget inherited the win ahead of Racer Luca Franca, who claimed the Clio Cup Italia title. Jerzy Spinkiewicz completed the podium, followed by Anthony Jurado (Milan Compétition), who climbed from eighth on the grid. Sixth-placed Giacomo Trebbi was the best-placed Challenger, ahead of Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) and Gabriele Torelli. Mattia Lancellotti and Adrian Schimpf (AST Competition) completed the top ten after a thrilling duel.

RACE 2 : TORELLI BOUNCES BACK, A TITLE FOR LANCELLOTTI

Less than three hours after race one, the drivers returned to their Clio Cups for the second qualifying session. Gabriele Torelli once again proved to be the quickest at the end of a session marked by several track limit infringements. With a time of 2:04.676s, the Italian started from pole position ahead of Jerzy Spinkiewicz, David Pouget, Adrian Schimpf and Nicolas Milan.

Gabriele Torelli maintained his lead after the lights went out, while Jerzy Spinkiewicz lost several positions before contact with Anthony Jurado. David Pouget emerged in second place before Adrian Schimpf and Nicolas Milan came between the two contenders for the European crown. Eighth on the grid, Giacomo Trebbi saw his hopes of the Clio Cup Italia Challengers Cup title suffer a setback with a trip into the gravel trap at the first chicane.

Alex Lancellotti’s spin on lap two led to a safety car period. At the restart, Gabriele Torelli kept the chasing pack at bay before a fierce battle between Nicolas Milan, Adrian Schimpf, and David Pouget allowed Anthony Jurado to enter the fray. The leader took advantage to break away, while the skirmish intensified behind him with the arrival of several Italian rivals in the chase group.

Alone at the front, Gabriele Torelli won by over four seconds from Nicolas Milan and David Pouget. Adrian Schimpf regained fourth place to win among the Challengers ahead of Mattia Lancellotti, who won the same category in Clio Cup Italia by finishing ahead of his rival Giacomo Trebbi. After the enforcement of track limits penalties for Luca Franca and Damiano Puccetti (Rangoni Corse), Cristian Ricciarini was seventh ahead of Luca Franca, Alejandro Schimpf (AST Competition) and Francesco Miotto (Progetto E20 Motorsport).

Having already won the Clio Cup Series, David Pouget now knows the name of his runner-up, as Nicolas Milan is guaranteed second place. Gabriele Torelli, Adrian Schimpf and Anthony Jurado will battle for third place in Barcelona.

CLIO CUP EUROPE

David Pouget and Gabriele Torelli also shared the spoils in Clio Cup Europe, but the Frenchman made the most of his rival’s penalty in race one. With the two worst results of the season dropped before the final meeting, David Pouget will head to Barcelona with a 41-point advantage over his rival. Mattia Lancellotti won in the Challengers Cup on on Sunday morning ahead of Adrian Schimpf, whose success in the afternoon sealed his title in the category. Lastly, Luca Franca scored a double win in the Racers Cup, taking back command of the class with a 16-point lead over Rene Steenmetz, with Stephan Polderman (AST Competition) and Lionel Viguier (T2CM) 8 and 12 points further back.

CLIO CUP ITALIA

Luca Franca had the Racers Cup title in his back pocket before the season finale before adding more silverware to his trophy case with the Clio Cup Italia title by dominating race one at Imola. However, the Italian lost out to Mattia Lancellotti in race two before being handed a ten-second penalty for track limits, relegating him to fourth place. On the strength of their success, Mattia Lancellotti and the Faro Racing team won the Challengers Cup, denying MC Motortecnica a grand slam after Luca Franca’s double title and the team crown in the Italian group.

The competitors will come together one last time this year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (10-12 November), where the Clio Cup Series season finale will host the conclusion of Clio Cup Europe, Clio Cup España and Clio Cup France.

Results - Clio Cup Series - Clio Cup Europe - Clio Cup Italia