Abarth 500 Trophy at Monza: Villa and Baldan win

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With 27 drivers on the starting grid, the inaugural round of the Abarth 500 Trophy in Monza has been marked by a great show and fierce competition. Both races took place under the rain but, far from putting the drivers in trouble, the conditions emphasized the natural qualities of the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, with duels to the hundredth of second but in the most absolute correctness.

After the first two races, the leader of the Abarth 500 Trophy classification is Manuel Villa, from Liguria, who won the first race and finished third in the second. He is followed by Sicily's Salvatore Tavano, fourth (fifth) in the first race and runner-up in the second. Tavano was credited with the fastest lap at an average speed of almost 145 kph. Third place is occupied by Venetian Nicola Baldan, who got the satisfaction of winning the second race after having finished sixth (seventh) in the first one.

The next round of the Abarth 500 Trophy will take place at the Mugello track on May 3rd.

Classification of Race 1: 1. Manuel Villa 7 laps in 17min18.987s (average speed: 140.505 kph); 2. Andrea Rizzoli + 2.973s; 3. Umberto Scandola + 3.411s; 4. Enrico Fulgenzi + 4.296s; 5. Salvatore Tavano + 5.795s; 6. Raffaele Giammaria + 8.914s; 7. Nicola Baldan + 9.380s; 8. Gianluca Giraudi + 11.142s; 9. Tobias Tauber + 15.062s; 10. Lorenzo Bontempelli + 17.634s. Fastest lap by Giraudi in 2min26.384s (average speed: 144.934 kph).

Classification Race 2: 1. Nicola Baldan 7 laps in 17min48.525s (average speed: 136.621 kph); 2. Salvatore Tavano + 2.355s; 3. Manuel Villa + 2.839s; 4. Scandola + 2.937s; 5. Andrea Rizzoli + 3.851s; 6. Raffaele Giammaria + 6.621s; 7. Lorenzo Bontempelli + 9.769s; 8. Gianluca Giraudi + 10.169s; 9. Tobias Tauber + 12.779s; 10. Davide Uboldi + 13.681s. Fastest lap by Tavano in 2min25.662s (average speed: 144.989 kph).

Classification of the Abarth 500 Trophy: 1. Manuel Villa 37 points; 2. Salvatore Tavano 33; 3. Andrea Rizzoli 32; 4. Nicola Baldan 31; 5. Raffaele Giammaria 24.