Double podium finish vanished for Kevin Ceccon in TCR Italy at Mugello
Kevin Ceccon experienced a more complicated weekend than expected at Mugello Circuit. The Tuscan track hosted the fourth round of the TCR Italy 2022 season, where the Aggressive Team Italy driver, with two powerful comebacks, finished on the podium in both races but had to abdicate for two penalties that changed the final results.
On Saturday the Bergamo-based driver had crossed the finish line in P2, putting up a show with several overtakes after the start from the third row, a consequence of the traffic encountered in Qualifying. A contact during the intense battle in the final minutes, according to the decision taken by the stewards after the race, costed Ceccon a 10-second penalty which, however, doesn’t detract from the quality of his performance.
Ceccon managed to redeem himself in Race 2 on Sunday, finishing in the top 3 for the fifth time this year. Starting in P3, Kevin was cautious in the opening laps, in order to preserve the tires stressed by the characteristics of the track and by temperatures above 30 degrees, and then took advantage of that later. After being able to well handle the restart after the safety car, which neutralized the race with 18 minutes left, Kevin eventually emerged from another hard fought battle with direct opponents.
After the chequered flag, the college of sports commissioners imposed another 10-second penalty, which dropped the Bergamo driver to P8. At the end of the Mugello round, Ceccon maintains P3 in the Driver Standings with 192 points, despite the absence in the Imola round on 7-8 May due to the concomitant commitment in the FIA ETCR. After the summer break, TCR Italy will resume the season right at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the fifth event on the calendar, on the weekend of 3-4 September. Within that date, the response of the appeal made by the Aggressive Team Italia against the decision after the Sunday race should be announced, therefore Race 2 standings remains sub-judge.
Kevin Ceccon
“In telling this weekend’s story I want to start with the positive aspects, which are many: we confirmed that we’re among the most competitive cars on the grid, always fighting at the top despite not having the chance to run in the tests last week. This has certainly made our weekend harder from the beginning, but anyway we’re bringing back home the points of a fifth and eighth place. It would have been nice to celebrate the two podiums we won on track at Mugello, as happened at Monza and Misano, but with the decisions of the race direction our streak of positive results has been interrupted. This was the only way to keep us out of the top 3 this season. Based on the experience I matured in FIA WTCR, the World Championship, I must say that I had much harder contacts without anyone complaining, but I would like to specify that I respect the decision of the race direction, even if I don’t agree with it. However, our summer break begins with a veil of bitterness”.
