Barri-Dionisio take win at Imola and keep title bid alive

The TCR DSG Endurance title will be decided at the final round, at Mugello on October 6^th, as the two main contenders dominated the fifth 2-hour race of the season, at Imola, and crossed the line separated by one second.
Victory went to the BF Motorsport Audi RS 3 LMS of Giacomo Barri-Ermanno Dionisio, who took the lead since the start and reduced the gap from the championship leaders Giovanni and Alessandro Altoè, who finished second after a close battle. Cosimo Barberini and Carlotta Fedeli, third in the standings, finished today’s race in tenth position as their CUPRA suffered from a fuel pump issue, and so dropped off the title fight.   
The race started at sprint pace, with Barri taking the most out of his second position on the grid to steal the lead from the poleman Sandro Pelatti. By lap 5, Barri had already built a ten-second gap that would remain stable until the first pit stop. Behind him, Giovanni Altoè led a group that delivered several overtaking manoeuvres and contacts. Nicola Sciaguato and Giuseppe Montalbano were given five-second penalties for clashing with Altoè and Pelatti. Before the first stop, Montalbano took second from Altoè, with Eric Scalvini, Nicola Baldan, Barberini and Sciaguato following closely.
During the first pit stop the Sciaguato brothers were given another penalty for a pit lane infringement and the team preferred to withdraw, while Fedeli lost time as her CUPRA failed to restart after she had replaced Barberini. After all pit stops, Dionisio maintained his Audi in the lead, with a 30-second gap over Alessandro Altoè.
After the second round of pit stops, Giovanni Altoè and Barri began a fierce fight and the Audi passed the CUPRA with 35 minutes left in the race. Fifteen minutes later, the safety-car was deployed to recover Gabriele Volpato’s Audi that had pulled over with a problem with the front right wheel. When racing resumed, positions didn’t change despite Altoè’s attacks. Barri secured the second win of the season and Montalbano crossed the line in third position, but handed the third step of the podium to Raffaele Gurrieri-Eric Scalvini because of his penalty. Arturo Merzario, at 76, concluded 15^th his TCR debut, at the wheel of the Audi he shared with Mariano Costamagna.

Race
1. BF Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS (G. Barri/E. Dionisio), 55 laps
2. CUPRA Racing, CUPRA (G. Altoè/A. Altoè), 1.029
3. VW Customer Racing, Volkswagen Golf GTI (R. Gurrieri/E. Scalvini), 16.795

Championship points
1. G. Altoè/A. Altoè 107 pts; 2. Dionisio/Barri 89; 3. Fedeli/Barberini 53