15.06.2003 (lil)

Fourth place for Christian Montanari and Coloni Motorsport in Pergusa

Italian Formula 3 Championship – Pergusa - RACE

In Pergusa Christian Montanari one more time was one of the front runners and earned an excellent fourth place in the fifth race of the Italian F.3 Championship.
Started from sixth position (without having run during the warm up and using old tyres), the young driver of Coloni Motorsport immediately made up one position thanks to one of his superb starts and began then to attack race leaders. Unfortunately, because of a trouble with brake balance, Christian lost many seconds on fast chicane, falling back to position eight. But Montanari didn’t give up and started then to push to the maximum to catch up, finishing his race fourth, thanks also to the qualities of the powerful Mugen-Honda engine.

A problem with the braking system prevented Marco Bonanomi from doing a miracle: the young Italian, started from the last position, following the qualifying crash that seriously damaged his Lola-Dome, was quickly rising through the field. When he was running seventh, the brake problem forced him to go out on the last corner, ending on the gravel and so losing two positions. Marco finished ninth.

Now, after one day of rest, Coloni Motorsport F.3 drivers will be again on track Tuesday, in Magione (I): they will carry out a test to check new solutions in sight of the race in Varano. F.3000 drivers, Sperafico and Baumgartner, will be present too.

Christian Montanari, 4th
Lola-Dome F106 Mugen-Honda
“Unfortunately on the first laps there were some problems, but I have a very good pace in race. After what happened in the qualifying I had been penalized for sure by the old tyres and then by not having run in the warm up on Sunday, but however I’m quite satisfied with this result, I started from sixth position and I ended fourth”.

Marco Bonanomi, 9th
Lola-Dome F106 Mugen-Honda
“The Pergusa one was definitely a very difficult week end, both for my mistakes and bad luck that hindered me. However I’m sure that at Mugello we will be as competitive as in Magione or Imola and then I’m confident for the next race”.