Super Touring race 2: Tarquini wins from pits!

Despite starting from the pit lane in a car that wasn't 100 percent after its earlier shunt, the former F1 racer avoided the carnage of the reversed grid to defeat Alfa ace Nicola Larini in a thrilling nine-lap race.

Larini himself started last on the grid, having won the opener this morning, but carved his way through the 14 cars in front of him to take the lead on the second corner of the second lap. But Tarquini's progress was even more stunning.

He was up to eighth by the end of lap two, then passed another three cars to slot into fourth behind team mate Fabrice Walfisch. He got past him at the Lesmos, and then outdragged Roberto Colciago's Audi on the start/finish straight to take second place.

Larini was 1.9secs up the road, but Tarquini homed in on his prey, taking chunks of time out of the Alfa on every lap of the Italian GP circuit. On the penultimate lap, he slipstreamed Larini down the main straight and outbraked him at the first corner to take a famous victory. Larini fought back, but had to settle for finishing second, just under a second behind.

Colciago finished third, ruing the fact he straightlined the first chicane when leading early on to let Larini past.

A great fight for fourth went the way of reigning Euro STC champ Fabrizio Giovanardi, who lost touch with team mate Larini in the opening stages. He toiled to find a way past Walfisch, but found one when the Frenchman made a mistake at the Seconda Variante.

Sandro Sardelli gave Scotland-based PRO Motorsport another good result with sixth place in his Nissan Primera.


1 Gabriele Tarquini (Honda Accord) 9 laps
2 Nicola Larini (Alfa Romeo 156) +0.985s
3 Roberto Colciago (Audi A4 Quattro) +7.256s
4 Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156) +8.990s
5 Fabrice Walfisch (Honda Accord) +9.169s
6 Sandro Sardelli (Nissan Primera) +23.035s
7 Angelo Lancelotti (Alfa Romeo 156) +25.159s
8 Massimo Pigoli (Audi A4 Quattro) +26.467s
9 Gianluca Roda (BMW 320I) +45.466s
10 Paolo Zadra (BMW 320i) +48.934s