Green Hybrid Cup at Imola - Torelli wins

As usual for the series, 15 LPG-powered Kia Vengas featuring autogas systems by BRC checked in at the grid. Apart from the electic hybrid system added for the 2013 season and boosting power to 136 PS, this year the cars also feature supercharging and top out at 160 PS. This means the Vengas are faster than last year, which is clearly reflected in improved lap times in all races of this season so far. At the legendary Imola track this year's average lap times were by 6 s better than in the 2012 season.

© Green Hybrid CupThe 2014 Green Hybrid Cup's third round, held at the Imola track in Italy

Gabriele Torelli began his competition at one of the most famous racing circuit by achieving very good times in the training sessions and qualifications, thus securing a pole position start for the first race, held on June 28. Torelli's qualification time, 2:21,404, was by over a second better than the time of Jimmy Ghione, who came second. Paolo Gnemmi came third at 2:22,862, while Jacopo Lombardelli, leader of the general standings, finished fourth.

Once the race began, Gabriele Torelli made proper use of the edge given by the pole position and lead the pack from start to finish, all the while broadening the gap between himself and his nearest rivals. Since Torelli was out of reach, there was a lot of struggle for second place going on behind his back. On lap two, drivers Emiliano Perucca, Jacopo Lombardelli and Andrea Portatadino fought hard for the fourth position, with Perucca soon eliminated by a rear right tyre failure. A few places behind Alberto Biraghi and Antonio Pellitteri dueled to secure eighth place (equaling to pole position in race two), while young Serbian driver Mladen Lalusić was out of the picture after just 9 laps.

A few laps before the finish Portatadino made repeated attempts to overtake Lombardelli, but the latter successfully repulsed the rival and managed to defend his fourth position. Meanwhile Torelli, with each lap escaping further from the runners-up, finished an astonishing 15 s before the following Jimmy Ghione. Paolo Gnemmi was third.

© Green Hybrid CupGabriele Torelli - winner of both races of the 2014 Green Hybrid Cup's third round at Imola

Gabriele Torelli managed to take victory on Sunday, June 29, too, even though he started from the fourth row (according to the rules, the starting order of the first eight drivers of the first race is reversed, so the winner starts eighth, the one who came second drops to place seven and so on). Antonio Pellitteri and Giuseppe Gulizia started from the first row. One lap into the race, Aldo Del Monte and Mladen Lalusić were out of the track and the safety car had to intervene. Once racing resumed Antonio Pellitteri managed to remain in the lead for some time, until eventually he made a mistake and dropped to fourth, with Torelli taking the lead. There was more bad luck left in stock for Pellitteri – first, he rear-ended Ghione, thus eliminating the latter, and then, on the start-finish straight on lap 7, Pellitteri collided with Lombardelli. The safety car returned to the track and lead the pack to the pits, finishing the race. Thus Torelli won, followed by Portatadino and Gnemmi, respectively.

The next round of the 2014 Green Hybrid Cup will be held on August 1-2 at the "Green Hell", i. e. the Nürburgring circuit in Germany.