2024 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 1/8
LENO (BS)
18/21 April, 2024
After many years, Italy has returned to host the national championship in a single event; a solution in line with major international competitions but unfortunately it did not see the presence of a large group of participants. Only 59 drivers divided into two categories battled it out on the wonderful circuit of Leno in the province of Brescia. The organizers prepared this event as best as they could, and we witnessed a competition of the highest level.
On the Lombard circuit, INF1NITY's presence was massive in both categories, so much so that almost a third of the models at the start were IF18/3. By choice of the national federation, drivers could race with free tires using additive.
During Saturday's qualifiers, Dario immediately took the lead in the standings, leaving little room for his opponents... Carmine was very fast from the start and finished third, ahead of the other IF18-3s of Thomas Lorenzi in great shape, Lamberto, and Jonathan Gandin for the top 10.
In the Sport category, the very young Mattia Perego and Luca Ielasi secured fifth and sixth place respectively in the overall standings and will start ahead in the semifinals; a resurgent Christian Boni enters the top 10 with his brand new IF18-3.
Due to the impending bad weather, the duration of the finals was reduced from 45 to 30 minutes. In the Sport category, Mattia and Luca won their respective semifinals, earning a well-deserved place in the final along with Boni, who finished second in phase A. In the Pro category, Francesco resolved many of the problems that had slowed him down in the qualifiers and advanced to the final ahead of Lamberto, while in phase B, Lorenzi and Gandin secured a spot for the main event!
In the Sport final, Mattia started with number 6 and led a magnificent race thanks to a pace that allowed him to quickly climb positions until he steadily rose to third place... after the tenth minute, he managed to take the lead and maintain it until the finish line, momentarily relinquishing it to Forgnoli only during pit stops. A nail-biting finish with Christian, which Mattia managed with great maturity... after 30 minutes, the two INF1NITY champions were separated by only 0.2 seconds!!! A beautiful double win and another Title for our team, which bodes well for the PRO final.
At the start of the PRO race, Dario maintained the lead, closely followed by the hometown idol Salemi; starting with a higher sponge diameter to avoid tire changes proved to be a smart choice that allowed him to lead the race from start to finish, managing his pace to avoid mistakes. Behind him, the group unleashed itself in pursuit, and our champions encountered various difficulties: Lamberto fell victim to contact and was forced to retire in the early laps, Carmine and Francesco suffered electrical problems and had to give up their leading positions, while a marvelous Lorenzi earned the spotlight by chasing the world champion closely and finishing in second place with only 7 seconds behind. Another double win confirming an excellent start to the season. Applause to the entire team for achieving such important results; see you at the European Championship, still on Italian soil!
