MASERATI TROFEO WORLD SERIES - SUZUKA JAPAN- RACE 1 - 24 OCTOBER 2015

MASERATI TROFEO WORLD SERIES - SUZUKA (J) - RACE 1 - 24 OCTOBER 2015 Ragazzi takes Race 1 at Suzuka

Suzuka (J), 24 October 2015 – Riccardo Ragazzi got back to winning ways in the Maserati Trofeo World Series. Victory arrived in Race 1 at Suzuka, Japan, in what is the fifth round in the series. Ragazzi made the most of the pole position he earned in the morning’s Super Pole to lead from start to finish. In second came overall leader Romain Monti. Monti claimed this spot on the very last lap by overtaking ex-F1 driver Shinji Nakano, a guest in Japan who will not be awarded any championship points. Fourth went to Adrien De Leener after he edged Lino Curti into fifth. Next up came Australian Richard Denny and then first-timer Alexander West. Eighth-placed Emanuele Smurra finally saw things go his way when he  managed to cross the line after an unlucky season. Alessandro Fogliani came home ninth and Mauro Trentin tenth (Trentin will line up on pole for Race 2 as the grid order is inverted). Alessandro Iazzetti and Carlo Curti were given a 25-second penalty for jumping the start and the same was handed out to Andreas Segler for causing Giuseppe Fascicolo to stray off the track on lap 14. Earlier, on lap 7, Claudio Giudice had slammed into the barriers just after the bridge. This saw the safety car summoned to allow his car to be shifted from its dangerous position on the circuit. The second Maserati Trofeo race at Suzuka will at 09.30 on Sunday 25 October (local time). “I got off to a solid start and tried to push hard to gain a few seconds on the others”, declared Riccardo Ragazzi on the podium. “I could see Nakano in my wing mirrors but then the safety car came on to close up the pack. I continued pressing at the restart and secured the win. I am really pleased because I have added another Maserati Trofeo victory outside Europe following the wins in Shanghai and Sonoma”. Race 1 result: 1 Riccardo Ragazzi – 43:20.920 2 Romain Monti – 43:26.684 3 Shinji Nakano – 43:27.360