2017 PCC Europe West Series: Race 2: Italy

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 3 18 Giampaolo Fini 112.113 54 31* 185 Running
2 10 63 John Bracchi -1.63 54 0 170 Running
3 12 5 Avery Jones -4.98 54 0 165 Running
4 9 32 Fabien Lauzier -9.78 54 0 160 Running
5 18 9 Lucian Eckdahl, Jr. -12.96 54 0 155 Running
6 4 31 Ricards Lipsbergs -16.10 54 0 150 Running
7 19 03 Manfred Haas -17.14 54 0 146 Running
8 6 15 Caelum Lucis -18.73 54 0 142 Running
9 24 43 Max Kohler -28.90 54 0 138 Running
10 20 76 Keegan Mallory -34.42 54 0 134 Running
11 16 77 Anna Kostopoulos -35.68 54 0 130 Running
12 7 51 Matteo Gianunzio -38.82 54 0 127 Running
13 22 22 Jose Carlos Santander -39.47 54 0 124 Running
14 29 10 Martin Durand -45.32 54 0 121 Running
15 17 7 Franz Bergmann -46.30 54 0 118 Running
16 28 8 Marius Rutger -53.32 54 0 115 Running
17 31 248 Giles Treadway -1:07.02 54 0 112 Running
18 27 13 Nicholas Malone -1:07.76 54 0 109 Running
19 21 78 David Hetzel -1:09.39 54 0 106 Running
20 15 64 Warren Koen II -1:10.04 54 0 103 Running
21 13 14 Sam Watkins -1:10.19 54 0 100 Running
22 30 161 Fritz Steiner -1:10.30 54 0 97 Running
23 11 05 Jean Serre -1L 53 0 94 Running
24 25 20 Samvel Avagyan -1L 53 0 91 Running
25 33 42 Giuseppe Balducci -1L 53 0 88 Running
26 1 6 Silvia Renaldi -1L 53 19 90 Running
27 37 88 Thomas Dietrich -1L 53 0 82 Running
28 38 44 Stuart Buchanan -1L 53 0 79 Running
29 32 162 Gretchen Faust -1L 53 0 76 Running
30 36 87 Graham MacMillan -2L 52 0 73 Running
31 8 11 JP Beaufort -2L 52 0 70 Piston
32 26 46 Bethan Kelly -3L 51 0 67 Accident
33 2 12 Clay Gibson -3L 51 4 69 Running
34 39 200 Queralt Mira -3L 51 0 61 Running
35 5 2 Pat Keda -12L 42 0 58 Valve
36 35 247 Miles Treadway -17L 37 0 55 Fuel Leak
37 40 30 Vadym Gusin -24L 30 0 52 Accident
38 14 4 Ed Carroll -33L 21 0 49 Tire
39 23 29 Callum Morgan -49L 5 0 46 Vibration
40 34 19 Tim Jensen -50L 4 0 43 Steering

Another action-packed PCC Europe West race concludes and, for the second time, Scuderia Gianunzio find themselves on the top step of the podium.

Matteo Gianunzio had a rocky start after contact between himself and Caelum Lucis in the final chicane. Although not losing many positions, the young Italian said he had no way of avoiding the car that "swerved into me". Giampaolo Fini would have a spin of his own on Lap 18 trying to pass up the right hand side of Silvia Renaldi for the lead. Pitting the next lap might have been the most crucial decision in the whole race, though.

Ricards Lipsbergs stayed out until Lap 22, cycling out in third place behind Fini and Clay Gibson's Wilson Harnesses Saar Eagle stuck in a Tutino sandwich. Then, Warren Koen II got tangled up with the 14 of Sam Watkins in - guess where - the final chicane, and took Ed Carroll out of his miserable race in the process. Koen was very displeased with Watkins over his radio and placed all blame on him for the accident, asking "who let a talent like that out of karts". After Clay Gibson's penalty for spinning Vadym Gusin out of the race, Lipsbergs moved up to second, setting up another 1-2 finish for the team. Koen ended up getting in Fini's way and the South African went around yet again.

Fini tangled with David Hetzel and lost the lead to Renaldi with four laps left. By the next lap, traffic wrecked in front of the 6, allowing Fini to skate by on the grass next to the guardrail in what would be the winning pass. Renaldi was then flipped over by J.P. Beaufort and forced to retire. Fini and John Bracchi would duel in the final two laps, but Fini would rocket away and score his first ever PCC Europe victory in his home country.

"It's a great feeling right now," Fini said. "I never think that I would win with a race that way, but we did it. Capo gave me a wonderful car today. Thanks a lot to him, thank you to San Pellegrino, Brembo, O.Z., everyone. We said we would do big things and today we did just that."

When asked about the contact with rookie teammate Warren Koen II, he shrugged it off. "[Warren] is new to these cars. He knows the open wheel cars more. He just needs to be more careful to next time not hit me."

Giampaolo Fini leads the driver's standings after the first two rounds, collecting a 25-point advantage over Ricards Lipsbergs. Nobody expected the Latvian to be this quick to kick off the season, and he's making a name for himself and showing the strength Gianunzio has gained over the past offseason. Matteo sits in 20th, only 16 points to his credit thus far, and Koen managed to take the final point position to get himself on the board.