Italian driver Carlotta Fedeli became the first woman to win the title in Peroni Race's Coppa Italia Turismo, as she clinched second place in Monza.
Carlotta Fedeli became TCR DSG class champion at Monza after a strong 2021 Italian Touring Cup campaign. The championship, which runs on the most important Italian circuits, closed its season at the Temple of Speed, where Fedeli only needed a handful of points to secure the title.
The driver from Rome rounded out her successful season with a second place in the DSG class, thus becoming the first ever woman to win the accolade. The 29-year old racer entered the weekend with a favorable advantage to her main title contender Alberto Rodio, after she had secured five class victories in 2021.
"I come to Monza after a long stop." - she said, as the previous race was contested over 2 and a half months ago. "No testing or anything, but this weekend I will surely try to play my odds" - Carlotta commented before the Monza season finale.
The RC Motorsport driver started on the right foot, claiming the TCR DSG pole position in a competitive qualifying session with more than 30 cars on the grid. Fedeli's pace was unmatched and she had the best out of her rivals.
"In my second attempt on new tyres I was able to set the best time in class." - she said. "Rain is forecasted for tomorrow, we have a good pace on dry conditions, while in the wet we don't know what can happen."
"I am still confident and I know that we can do well." - added Fedeli after the impressive qualifying session.
As expected, the rain was indeed the protagonist in the two Sunday races, but the Italian lady gave further proof of her skills in wet conditions, with solid runs without mistakes that allowed her to win the battle with Alberto Rodio for the title.
Overall poleman Carlo Tamburini claimed a commanding victory despite a 5 second time penalty he was handed after a contact with Ghermandi; Tamburini still managed to finish a few seconds ahead of Adriano Vidosmini (NEXT Motorsport Hyundai). Steven Giacon was third overall and first among the DSG-equipped vehicles.
Second in the DSG class was Carlotta Fedeli, who preceded Alberto Rodio - and thus collected enough points to clinch the title one race in advance.
16-year old Tamburini took the overall win in the second race as well despite starting from the seventh grid slot due to the reverse grid format. Second placed overall was Steven Giacon, once again on the top step of the podium in the DSG category. Carlotta Fedeli was sixth overall and second in DSG, again preceding Alberto Rodio in class position.
The two second places in class add up to Fedeli's six Top-5 finishes, class wins at Mugello, Misano and Vallelunga. The Monza round showcased once again Fedeli's talent, one of Italy's top TCR specialists.
"I'm very happy! Today is a special day for me, my team and my family." - commented the newly-crowned driver. "I tried to avoid taking risks and win this title, and in the end I did it".
After spending a couple of seasons in the Mini Challenge and Seat Leon Eurocup, Carlotta has been consistently behind the wheel of TCR vehicles since 2015 and raced in the most important national competitions. In 2016, she entered two races in the TCR International Series, before switching to the national series.
In 2019, she had a remarkable season in TCR DSG Endurance, where she fought for the title until the final rounds and eventually finished fourth overall. In 2021, Fedeli moved full time to the Peroni Races' Coppa Italia Turismo, where she often battled for the overall places and made history in the DSG class.
