The second round of The Real Race: Super Trofeo Esports will not be remembered fondly by many. In striving to become the next Automobili Lamborghini Esports driver, the majority of the field buckled, giving in to habits last seen in the online lobbies of Wreckfest.
Through the melee came another four drivers who earned their spots in the Grand Final set to take place at the Nordschleife in July. Marco Lomi and Pavlo Polovchuk both recovered from disconnection-affected opening races to place amongst those progressing.
Thus, just one opportunity remained to join the elite of the competition. For the likes of Dávid Kalocsai and Leonardo Grigis, three appearance in the top ten only to not make it in the end would be tragic ends to their respective campaigns. Others, such as Michael Romagnoli and Dario Iemmulo, would be keeping them honest; the pair had both tried and failed to triumph in the latest Ferrari Esports Series.
Qualifying
None of those names claimed pole position although it would go to another familiar face. Andrea Miatto was fastest around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, edging out an incredible effort from Romagnoli.
Iemmulo was next in line, sharing a row with Marcin Swiderek who endured a dismal outing at Monza. The Pole had been pacey enough for a sixth place finish back at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Rounding out the top five was newcomer Matteo Vercelli. Kalocsai’s final attempt would begin down in tenth, Grigis in even more strife starting fifteenth.
Race
Caught out on the rolling start, Miatto found himself relegated to third in flash. It might have been fourth had Swiderek not encountered challenges of his own.
Romagnoli shot off into the lead, Iemmulo in pursuit. Nikodem Sobczyk was the pilot to rise the highest in regards to material value. He now sat in the fourth and final qualifying position.
Romagnoli clearly could not match the outright of pace of the chasing pair behind, although his efforts leading the pack had seen the trio break free by a couple of seconds to Sobczyk.
His defence was stern but eventually broken by Iemmulo some fifteen minutes in, then again just corners later as Miatto punished a mistake on the brakes.
Outside of the frontrunners, Kalocsai had seen enough – retiring the car to put an end to his misery. Grigis was making more of his last chance, albeit nowhere near a position to think about heading to Germany. He would need a miracle which, ultimately, never arrived. It was all over for Swiderek too.
At the halfway stage, his frustration got the better of him as a botched attempt around the outside of Guglielmo Filippi left him in a spin on the exit of Turn 2.
Miatto quite literally shadowed Iemmulo until the final ten minutes. Though he was safely through to the Grand Final, like any racing driver worth their merit, he wanted the win. He wanted the statement. He got just that, with a bold setup out of Turn 5 that saw the move completed into Turn 7.
From an stuttering start to a domineering end. Miatto, in just eight minutes, gapped Iemmulo by almost four seconds to win the final qualifying race in style. Romagnoli held onto his podium, Sobczyk delighted to follow him home so closely.
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Andrea Miatto – 34 Laps
- Dario Iemmulo – +3.958
- Michael Romagnoli – +5.225
- Nikodem Sobczyk – +5.944
- Guglielmo Filippi – +7.979
- Michele Perrella – +13.959
- Lorenzo Magnani – +14.680
- Jacopo Grillo – +21.126
- Matteo Vercelli – +21.613
- Marco Shade – +23.456
