Catanzani is GT Worlds Top Qualifier as sterling Mazzeo effort just comes up short
Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani is the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in Chile, qualifying coming to thrilling climax at the Club de Aeromodelos de Chile track after a sterling effort in the final qualifier by Raptor’s Alessio Mazzeo. After taking three of yesterday’s four qualifying rounds, Catanzani held the overnight TQ from Q1 winner Mazzeo who needed to TQ today’s two remaining rounds to deny his fellow Italian pole position for Friday’s 1-hour final. Rising to the challenge by ticking the first box and topping Q5, the 33-year now needed to not only TQ the sixth & final qualifier but also to better Catanzani’s Q4 time. With engine his sponsor Gimar fitting a new engine for Q6, Mazzeo earlier saying they had nothing to lose, he put together a brilliant drive and as the 7-minutes started to come to a close it looked like he was about to pull off the impressive feat, his projected time just ahead of Catanzani’s best. It wasn’t to be however, Mazzeo’s engine going lean right at the end and losing power, costing vital 1/10ths of a second. Still taking the TQ for the round and forcing the tiebreaker, unfortunately he was 6/10ths of second short with Catanzani, who has struggled today, securing the honour of Top Qualifier for the 3rd running of the GT World Championships 2-years on from when he announced the arrival of his talent on international stage at the GT Worlds in Sydney. Behind the fight for the TQ there was also a battle for the order of the other two direct spots in the final, Super Pole no longer a thing. It would be Natanaele Senesi who got the better of Alex D’Angelo concluding qualifying with his fastest run that gave him a P2. With it an all Italian Top 4, best of the rest at the end of qualifying in Santiago would be Brazilian WIRC driver Elias Flavio who will lead away one of the Semi Finals while Raptor driver Carli Lopez from Puerto Rico starts on pole in the other Semi.
