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Auto GP Sonoma: Sergey Sirotkin triumphs in season finale

Euronova's Sergey Sirotkin ended his Auto GP season on a high by taking victory in the final race of 2012 at Sonoma

Although the 17-year-old completed his pre-race goal of winning, fifth place for race one victor Pal Varhaug secured the runner-up position in the drivers' standings for the Virtuosi UK driver.

After the disappointment of a first-lap retirement in Saturday's race one, champion Adrian Quaife-Hobbs charged from 12th on the grid to finish second.

The Briton pitted a lap later than Sirotkin for his mandatory tyre change on lap six, and was held up by Antonio Spavone on the pit limiter through the lengthy pitlane entry.

After the pitstop phase, Sirotkin enjoyed a marginal pace advantage over Quaife-Hobbs and eked out a 3.2-second margin of victory.

Former Italian Formula 3 champion Sergio Campana claimed the final place on the podium on his maiden outing for Zele Racing.

The Italian hustled reversed-grid poleman Spavone for the lead in the opening laps, but lost ground during a troubled pitstop.

Campana exited the pitlane in ninth, but produced fine overtaking manoeuvres on Varhaug and Spavone to deservedly progress to third.

Daniel de Jong was another to suffer a problematic tyre change. The Rotterdam racer snatched sixth place from Max Snegirev two laps from home.

While sometime GP3 racer Spavone enjoyed a strong getaway, fellow front-row starter Kotaro Sakurai failed to move away from the grid, causing the pack to take avoiding action.

The safety car was called out to remove Sakurai's stranded Euronova machine. The Japanese driver was joined in retirement by early leader Giancarlo Serenelli, who slowed with apparent technical difficulties.

Results - 21 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team            Time/Gap
 1.  Sergey Sirotkin      Euronova      33m12.879s
 2.  Adrian Quaife-Hobbs  Super Nova      + 3.272s
 3.  Sergio Campana       Zele           + 18.615s
 4.  Antonio Spavone      Ombra          + 28.695s
 5.  Pal Varhaug          Virtuosi UK    + 30.731s
 6.  Daniel de Jong       Manor MP       + 31.322s
 7.  Maxim Snegirev       Campos         + 38.045s
 8.  Pippa Mann           Campos       + 1m12.764s
 9.  Francesco Dracone    Virtuosi UK  + 1m13.092s
10.  Michele la Rosa      MLR 71       + 1m23.105s

Retirements:

     Giacomo Ricci        MLR 71           14 laps
     Antonio Pizzonia     Zele             11 laps
     Giancarlo Serenelli  Ombra             8 laps
     Giuseppe Cipriani    Campos            7 laps
     Kotaro Sakurai       Euronova          0 laps

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