SP Compétition’s Aurélien Comte has won the second race of the weekend at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy, leading a CUPRA 1-2 with yesterday’s race winner Franco Girolami going from tenth to second in an incident-packed race.

Dusan Borkovic started from pole position in his GOAT Racing Honda Civic, but the Serbian had a slow getaway at the start and dropped to fourth, with his team-mate Felipe Fernández assuming the lead from second on the grid.

Levente Losonczy made a good launch and was up to second in his ALM Motorsport Honda, while Comte was already up to third from eighth on the grid.

Comte then passed Losonczy at Turn 10 and started to close down race leader Fernández.

Girolami was also making fast progress, and was up to fifth by the end of the first lap in his Monlau Motorsport CUPRA.

Comte then took the lead from Fernández at Turn 7 on lap three, while the two Hondas of Losonczy and Borkovic made contact on the way into Turn 13, which gave the CUPRA of Girolami an easy pass up to third. Borkovic fell to the back of the pack and was left to struggle with a damaged car to the finish.

On lap four, two more Hondas made contact, this time it was Ruben Fernández and Ruben Volt, with Fernández clipping Volt’s wheel as he tried to pas for ninth at Turn 4, and both cars were immediate retirements and caused the only safety car of the race.

When the race restarted, there was a thrilling battle between Viktor Andersson’s MA:GP Lynk & Co, and the Audi RS 3 of Nicola Baldan.

While Baldan battled with Andersson, he briefly allowed the ALM Honda of Ignacio Montenegro through, but was able to retake the spot at the next corner, and the recovering Losonczy also briefly inched ahead of his team-mate, before allowing him back past.

Losonczy then took his second hit of the race, again at Turn 11, as the CUPRA of Viktor Davidovski divebombed him at the corner and they both ran wide, allowing the CUPRA of Giovanni Scamardi ahead of them.

Up front, Girolami completed a pass on Felipe Fernández at Turn 13 with five laps to go to take second, but wasn’t able to close down on Comte.

Comte therefore claimed the win and closes up to five points to Girolami in the drivers’ championship.

Felipe Fernández won the Diamond Trophy in the race, while Ignacio Montenegro was again the winner in the Rookies’ classification.

The next round takes place at Circuit Zolder on May 17-19.