Max Lanza scored his first Challenger Trophy win of the 2023 season thanks to the support from his fans and family, who gave him the strength and motivation to compete at Vallelunga.
The American Festival of Rome at Autodromo Vallelunga proved to be an amazing weekend for home driver Max Lanza. Despite some setbacks, Lanza persevered and bounced back from his third DNF of the year on Saturday to grab his first Challenger Trophy win of the season on Sunday.
Friday was a familiarization day for the 43-year old Italian as he raced his first laps onboard the new No. 88 Wakala Chevrolet. Lanza – and by extension Roberto Benedetti – had to use a spare chassis after their original No. 88 car was heavily damaged in Lanza’s roll over at Brands Hatch.
Lanza was able to finish the day as the second fastest in the Challenger Trophy classification on 16th place in the combined times. The promising pace continued on Saturday morning’s Qualifying session, where he once again ended up in the Challenger top-3 positions with a time of 1:42.473.
Sadly, the race that followed did not go to plan. Lanza was caught up in a first-lap incident that involved fellow Challenger Trophy contenders Thomas Toffel and Stefano Attianese. He brought his car back to the pits for repairs, but he eventually retired after completing 4 laps despite his and CAAL Racing mechanic’s best efforts to keep him in the race.
Lanza was distraught after the crash, admitting that he just wanted “to get back home” after the race was over. Thankfully, his fans and family would come to the rescue as they all motivated Lanza to keep going and do his best for Sunday’s events.
Thankfully for Lanza, his fortunes turned around on that day. The good news began when his No. 88 car survived the wreckfest in the morning EuroNASCAR 2 race, allowing Lanza to take the start in the second EuroNASCAR PRO race.
From then on, Lanza ran a smooth and clean race. With four Challenger Trophy drivers failing to even start the race and another four of them retiring – or disqualified, in the case of Dario Caso – from the race, that left the Italian to take the top step of the Trophy in 13th place.
It was Lanza’s first win of the 2023 season, finishing ahead of Simone Laureti and Yannick Panagiotis – the only other two finishers of the Challenger Trophy in Round 6. Lanza also grabbed the bonus points for most positions gained, having been forced to start from the back of the grid due to his issues on Saturday.
The result was enough to promote Lanza to 16th in the overall standings, tied in points with Riccardo Romagnoli. While Romagnoli came out on top as he had a better finishing position tiebreaker – seventh to Lanza’s 13th, they are now joint-second in the Challenger Trophy battle.
Lanza made sure to give his thanks to his fans and family members for not only spectating the round at Vallelunga, but also to give him the support and motivation that he needed to bounce back after a disappointing Saturday.
“I have no words to express what I feel,” said Lanza on the weekend at Vallelunga. “I still get excited about it! Everybody was there, no one was missing: friends, fans, simple motorsport enthusiasts, all my partners and my family, everyone!”
“They were all there for us, supporting me and Roberto during the sessions on track, in the paddock, on the grandstands. They gave me an incredible energy that I can not express in the right way.”
“After Saturday’s events, where I was involved in another crash, I want to just get back home as everything in my mind was so dark. But they gave me the strength and the support I needed to catch the victory on Sunday!”
“I did a really good race. Starting from the back of the field in Race 2, I climbed up so close to the top-10 and I conquered the victory in the Challenger Trophy! Being on the podium with all my racing friends has been really a special moment! Thank you all!”
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