Thomas Biagi won the Italian Superstars Championship at the final round of the national season at Vallelunga at the weekend. Biagi, who drives a BMW M3 for BMW Team Italy (ROAL Motorsport), finished third and fifth in the two races to secure the Italian title.
The first of the two races at Vallelunga was won by multiple touring car champion Fabrizio Giovanardi in the impressive Porsche Panamera, run by N.Technology. The second race was won by Audi Sport Italia driver Alberto Cola. Having entered the weekend leading the standings, Biagi's results ensured he would beat Mercedes drivers Max Pigoli and Luigi Ferrara to the title.
34-year-old Biagi won two of the sixteen races that made up the Italian Superstars Championship for 2010, also taking a pole position and five fastest laps. The Vallelunga races also counted towards the International Superstars Series, which concludes at Kyalami in South Africa on 28 November. Biagi leads the International standings too, followed by Pigoli and Ferrara again.
2010 is Biagi's first year competing in the Superstars Series. The Italian has traditionally competed in GT racing, winning the FIA GT Championship in 2003 and 2007. At the end of the weekend, Biagi said: “This is a dream come true for me. This championship was new territory for me, and the car was obviously very different to drive compared to those I am familiar with from GT1 and LMP2. I found my feet quickly, however, and was competitive from the word go. BMW Team Italy has worked very hard since the winter tests. Everyone in the team contributed to this success. Roberto Ravaglia, who I always admired as a driver, also played a key role. He is also an outstanding team principal. Our focus now turns to the final in Kyalami, where there is another title up for grabs.”
Ravaglia said: “This victory is one of the two objectives we set at the beginning of the year. We are also in a very promising position in the international series. With just one round to go, we are close to ending the season with the best possible result.”
Umberto Grano, Sporting Activities Manager at BMW Italy, added: “We can be extremely satisfied. BMW Italy believed in the growth of the Superstars Series. The fact that there were well over 20,000 fans again in Vallelunga is a just reward for the work put in by the organisers. Thomas Biagi’s title and his consistent lead in the international series just go to prove the ability of ROAL Motorsport to develop awinning car.”
