Auto GP Marrakech: Sergio Campana takes series lead with win

The Italian appeared to be in control of proceedings, but a comfortable five-second lead over GP2 racer Daniel de Jong wilted on the last lap as his machine developed a cracked exhaust and oil leak.

A rough exhaust note entering his mandatory pitstop on lap 13 was the prelude to a smokescreen being emitted from the rear of Campana's Ibiza Racing Lola.

His margin of victory stood at just 1.6s over de Jong at the chequered flag.

The Manor MP racer had his own scare on the way to the grid, when he was forced to change from a favoured set of soft-compound Kumhos onto supersofts.

The move followed the discovery of a puncture caused by a paperclip embedded in the tyre.

Monza reversed-grid race winner Kimiya Sato produced an attacking drive from sixth on the grid to take his third consecutive podium position, albeit one that caused him to lose the points lead to Campana.

Sato was in a minority of drivers to opt to start the race on soft tyres, and was fastest in the middle portion of the race.

A wild moment at the final chicane, during which the Japanese Euronova driver avoided brushing the wall by inches, tempered Sato's charge.

Fourth-placed Riccardo Agostini lost control in a heated early fight for second with Narain Karthikeyan and made gentle contact with a tyre barrier.

The Italian Formula 3 champion pitted at his first opportunity at the conclusion of lap seven, but charged up the order.

Super Nova's Antonio Spavone produced a consistent display to take a lonely fifth place, four seconds clear of Karthikeyan, who was in the thick of the action throughout.

Karthikeyan held second in the early laps, and defended his position from first Agostini, and later Robert Visoiu.

Visoiu grabbed second when Karthikeyan got sideways exiting a chicane, but slid wide as both entered the pitlane for their tyre changes and ceded the place back.

Front-tyre delays for both during their stops dropped them down. While Visoiu would retire on the penultimate lap, Karthikeyan slid to sixth.

After an impressive display in free practice, Manor MP rookie Meindert van Buuren was an opening-lap retirement with driveshaft failure.

Results - 19 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team          Time/Gap
 1.  Sergio Campana       Ibiza         29m06.179s
 2.  Daniel de Jong       Manor MP        + 1.033s
 3.  Kimiya Sato          Euronova        + 1.778s
 4.  Riccardo Agostini    Manor MP        + 3.752s
 5.  Antonio Spavone      Super Nova     + 10.906s
 6.  Narain Karthikeyan   Zele           + 14.810s
 7.  Vittorio Ghirelli    Super Nova     + 35.947s
 8.  Andrea Roda          Virtuosi UK    + 36.767s
 9.  Luciano Bacheta      Zele           + 37.054s
10.  Giuseppe Cipriani    Ibiza          + 38.034s
11.  Yoshitaka Kuroda     Euronova       + 42.954s
12.  Michele la Rosa      MLR 71         + 44.336s
13.  Max Snegirev         Virtuosi UK    + 50.696s
14.  Robert Visoiu        Ghinzani        - 2 laps

Retirements:

     Meindert van Buuren  Manor MP          0 laps