Vicky Piria secures second Italian GT Sprint podium of the season with P3 at Mugello
- RACERS
- Jul 27
- 5 min read
After a superb qualifying effort, Vicky Piria continued her strong run of form in the Italian GT Sprint Championship by securing a second podium of the season at Mugello, in a highly competitive weekend despite misfortunes in the second contest.
Vicky Piria continued her strong run of form in the Italian GT Sprint Championship by securing a second podium of the season at Mugello, in a highly competitive weekend despite misfortunes in the second contest.
After arriving at the Tuscan circuit fresh from her first runner-up finish of the year at Vallelunga, the Zanasi Racing duo of Piria and Giacomo Ghermandi once again demonstrated front-running pace throughout the weekend, qualifying at the sharp end of the First Division AM field and converting it into another podium in Saturday's opening race. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue while Ghermandi was running in podium contention during Sunday's race denied the pair another opportunity to fight at the front, masking what had otherwise been one of their strongest weekends of the season.
Piria arrived at Mugello looking to build on the momentum generated by the team's first podium together at Vallelunga. Competing in her first season with Zanasi Racing aboard the #203 Ferrari 296 Challenge after switching from Porsche machinery over the winter, the Italian had endured a frustrating opening round at Imola where repeated misfortune prevented the team from capitalizing on their evident pace.
Vallelunga finally provided the breakthrough they had deserved, as Piria and Ghermandi overcame another difficult opening race before delivering an outstanding Sunday performance that saw them lead much of Race 2 and secure second place in the First Division AM class.
That result confirmed the growing strength of the new driver pairing as they continued adapting to both the Ferrari platform and the new team, providing valuable confidence heading into one of Italy's most technical circuits.
The Mugello weekend immediately got off to an encouraging start during Friday practice. Piria and Ghermandi showed competitive pace from the outset, recording the fourth-fastest AM class time in the opening session with a lap of 1:52.430.
The duo took another significant step forward in the second practice session, lowering their benchmark to 1:51.915 to climb to second in the First Division AM class while comfortably placing inside the overall top ten. Particularly encouraging was the similar pace displayed by both drivers, an important factor over the course of the one-hour races where consistency between teammates often proves decisive.
Saturday morning qualifying further confirmed the pink Ferrari's competitiveness. Piria took the wheel for Q1 and immediately produced one of her strongest qualifying performances of the season: her 1:49.9 lap elevated the Zanasi Racing Ferrari into the overall top ten and second in the First Division AM class before a red flag prematurely ended the session.
With no restart, Piria secured seventh overall and second in class, providing an excellent starting position for Race 1.
Ghermandi then took over for Q2 and initially posted a 1:49.7 to move into the provisional AM class lead while sitting seventh overall. Following another red flag interruption, Simone Iaquinta briefly moved ahead in class after the restart, but Ghermandi responded brilliantly on his final flying lap. Improving throughout the circuit before delivering a superb final sector, he lowered the benchmark to a 1:49.107 to claim fourth overall and snatch First Division AM pole position at the very last opportunity.
Piria started Saturday afternoon's opening 50-minute contest from fifth overall and second in the AM class. A clean getaway initially saw her boxed in approaching Turn 2, slotting into seventh overall while successfully maintaining second place in class.
She quickly settled into an excellent rhythm, finding herself locked in battle with Pietro Alessi's Lamborghini while Stefano Comandini remained close behind. Although those fights were primarily for overall positions, Piria kept her focus firmly on the class battle, with AM leader Francesco Galli a few cars further ahead.
Displaying great consistency, Piria repeatedly lapped in the low 1:54s, matching the pace of the class leader while gradually reducing the gap. Her tyre management also proved particularly effective as the stint developed, allowing her to gain almost a full second on Galli during lap 11 alone.
As the pit window approached, Galli stopped first while Piria remained on track, cycling briefly into the First Division AM lead.
Extending her stint further, Piria continued to maximize clean air before pitting at the end of lap 13 from sixth overall and the class lead. She handed the Ferrari over to Giacomo Ghermandi just as Pietro Alessi's stranded Lamborghini triggered local yellow flags.
Following the driver changes, Ghermandi rejoined 12th overall and third in class, with the team's mandatory pit handicap costing them one position but keeping them in podium contention.
Once the pit window closed, a Full Course Yellow for Alessi's stranded Lamborghini quickly became a Safety Car intervention, eliminating all gaps ahead of the final restart.
When racing resumed with eight minutes remaining, Ghermandi immediately launched an aggressive attack, going three-wide into Turn 1 while successfully defending third in class.
As the field battled intensely ahead, a misunderstanding involving a lapped Porsche at Turn 1 created further opportunities: Ghermandi reacted superbly to avoid the incident, climbing to tenth overall while maintaining his podium position.
Although tyre degradation became increasingly severe during the closing laps, the Zanasi Racing Ferrari remained comfortably inside the top three in class; Ghermandi ultimately crossed the finish line 11th overall and third in the First Division AM category, securing the team's second consecutive class podium and rewarding Piria's excellent opening stint.
Sunday offered another opportunity to challenge for silverware. Despite rain in the morning, the circuit had dried completely before the afternoon race, although changing conditions and rising temperatures presented another challenge for teams.
Starting from third overall and on AM class pole position, Ghermandi lined up on the inside of the front rows. He made a solid launch, battled hard in the opening corners before settling into fifth overall and second in class as Iaquinta seized the AM lead after a messy start for the jump-starting Lamborghini had resulted in the inside line being delayed at the green flag.
The opening laps were particularly hectic; Ghermandi engaged in a fierce battle with Croccolino but he successfully held his own despite pressure also from Di Fabio behind - although Pro-Am traffic prevented him from mounting an immediate challenge for the class lead as Iaquinta gradually extended his advantage.
Everything changed dramatically on lap three. Approaching the end of Mugello's long main straight, Ghermandi suddenly experienced an engine problem and the #203 Ferrari rapidly lost pace, allowing Frassinetti and Di Fabio to sweep past before the Italian was forced to limp back to the pits.
The retirement cruelly ended what had looked another certain podium opportunity before Piria even had the chance to take over for her stint.
It was a particularly frustrating conclusion to a weekend that had once again highlighted the potential of the Zanasi Racing pairing. Every time Piria and Ghermandi have reached the finish this season, they have stood on the podium, showcasing both their pace and consistency. Unfortunately, repeated issues and misfortune have prevented them from fully translating that speed into championship points.
Following three rounds, Piria sits 11th in the First Division AM standings with 33 points - a position that hardly reflects the competitiveness she and Ghermandi have demonstrated whenever circumstances have allowed them to race uninterrupted.
With one final Sprint Championship round remaining at Monza on 9-11 October, the duo will be aiming to finally enjoy a trouble-free weekend and convert their evident front-running pace into another strong result to close the season.
