Luciano Bacheta crossed the finish line as runner-up in only his second AutoGP race in Monza on Sunday. Team mate Narain Karthikeyan fell victim to braking problems.
Bacheta opened the season on eighth place in his debut race Saturday, which earned him Pole Position for race two. In heavy rain, he led the pack from the start, but was overtaken by dominating Kimiya Sato in lap. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old Brit made no mistake in the wet conditions to come second in only his second race in AutoGP. „I am delighted with the result, finishing on the podium in my first racing weekend in the series is great“, Bacheta was all smiles.
Unfortunately, team mate Narain Karthikeyan could not capitalise on P4 on the starting grid, as he was suffering from braking issues and had to retire early. “I am very sad, because the car setup in these wet conditions was very good. But then a problem with the brakes occurred and I was forced to retire”, Karthikeyan expressed his disappointment.
Team boss Michael Zele summarised the weekend „with mixed feelings. Luciano showed what we had expected. We knew that he was able to win and he proved that today. It’s a pity for Narain, because he was on form and could have made the podium. We had already changed the brakes in the morning, but braking issues in Monza are simply too risky. But both cars were pretty fast, which leaves us confident for the next races in Marrakech.”
In the overall standings, Bacheta has moved up to fifth (19 points), while Karthikeyan is seventh (10 points). In the team standings, Zele Racing are currently fourth.
Result AutoGP Race 2 Monza:
1. Sato (JPN) – Euronova Racing
2. BACHETA (GBR) – ZELE RACING
3. Ghirelli (ITA) – Super Nova Racing
4. Campana (ITA) – Ibiza Racing
5. Agostini (ITA) – Manor MP Motorsport
6. Visoiu (ROM) – Ghinzani Motorsport
7. Kuroda (JPN) – Euronova Racing
8. La Rosa (ITA) – MLR 71
