2012 Supercup Italian Grand Prix

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Flag of Italy.png   2012 Supercup Italian GP Grand Prix
Race details
2012 Supercup season
Autodromo Nazionale Monza - 2000 Layout.png
Date July 25th, 2012
Official name 2012 Supercup Italian Grand Prix
Location Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza
Course Road Course
3.600 mi / 5.793 km
Distance 39 laps, 140.40 mi / 225.93 km
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver Netherlands Roy Schroten Synergetic Motorsports
Time 1:27.884
Fastest Lap
Driver Ireland Philip Cullen Halcyon Racing
Time 1:28.273
Podium
First England Alex Cooper CSG Racing
Second England Adam Rouse Hawkeye Racing
Third Germany Martin Schumacher CSG Racing


The 2012 Supercup Italian Grand Prix - the 11th race of the season - took place on the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy, on the 25th of July.

Report

Alex Cooper took a somewhat fortuitous victory at Monza, completing a hat-trick of victories after surprise package Philip Cullen crashed out of the lead in the final laps.

It was an evening of surprises and attrition as Roy Schroten took his first pole position for Synergetic Motorsports, edging Alex Cooper. Cullen lined up an impressive third, splitting the CSG Racing team with Martin Schumacher in fourth. Adam Rouse completed the top five as championship leader Petter Kaasa could only manage eighth position.

The frantic run to the first chicane saw some wheel to wheel action as drivers struggled with cooling tyre and brake temperatures. Kaasa enjoyed a rocket of a start, leaving the Variante del Rettifilo chicane in fourth spot. Pole sitter Schroten’s dreams were quickly shattered in the in the space of a minute. The flying Dutchman lost the rear of his car into the Roggia chicane before he was the innocent victim on the exit of the second Lesmo when Morten Wernersen and Nick Newcombe came together.

It was déjà vu at the front as Schumacher lead Cooper throughout the first stint. Marek Skrajnowski spectacularly rolled his Malta Force car at Rettifilo and becoming beached on the kerbing. Behind, Cullen yet again found himself having to make up for lost ground due to a tentative start, rounded Adam Rouse before hunting down and passing Petter Kaasa. The championship leader struggled for pace throughout the day with some pundits wondering if his lack of pace was an attempt to zero stop on the day.

Once free of the pack, Cullen began to hunt down the CSG pair, slowly gaining on the pair throughout the first stint. Adam Rouse was next to get around Kaasa with a well worked move around the outside of the first chicane on lap 18. The Hawkeye Racing driver had earlier shaken off the attentions of Andrew Morgan. The Northern Irishman surprised many with turning out for Tiger Express Motorsports for this event, so much so that it even took regular driver Chris Williamson by surprise.

Schumacher was the first of the leaders to pit at the end of lap 20 with Cullen following a lap later. The Halcyon driver raised eyebrows with his immediate pace out of the pitlane, later revealed to be a different tyre strategy. He took advantage of his confidence in the car to overtake Schumacher on lap 23 and proceeded to manage the gap to Cooper, who had yet to stop. When Cooper did emerge from the pits at the end of lap 25, the chasing Irishman was only two seconds behind.

Steadily the gap diminished before Cullen swept by the Englishman into Rettifilo on lap 32. It looked like the Supercup would see another surprise winner from the Emerald Isle until it all went peared shape on lap 35. On the exit of the first Lesmo, the rear wheel of the Halcyon car caught the gravel, pitching the car violently in the barriers. A similar fate had befallen Schumacher in the second CSG car only four laps earlier on the exit of the second Lesmo. Cullen was able to continue but tumble down the order as he had to pit for repairs.

With no rivals around, Cooper had an easy run to the flag to pick up his third win in succession and further close the gap in on Petter Kaasa. Adam Rouse was promoted to second position, bouncing back from a torrid race at Silverstone. The GPVWC veteran had to fend off both Kaasa and Schumacher in the late stages to pick up his second podium of the season. Schumacher recovered from his spin to finish third, but not before drawing the ire of his fellow competitors for the second race in a row. Kaasa took exception to Schumacher close the door on him going into Roggio while defending his position.

Andrew Morgan collected the first points of the season for Tiger Express Motorsports. Questions are likely to be asked as to whether the team will try to take on Morgan full-time to add more to their points tally. The luckless Cullen recovered for another sixth position, small consolation after his sterling drive. Ryan Walker, returning to drive the second Halcyon car in place of the absent Bart de Vos, finished in seventh position after a lonely afternoon. Terence Grech finished in eight spot with Boyd Bryson and Wernersen rounding out the points finishes in a race that saw eleven retirements.

Results


Standings after the race

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

External links

Preceded by:
2012 Supercup British Grand Prix
2012 Supercup Italian Grand Prix
2012
Succeeded by:
2012 Supercup Belgian Grand Prix