It was an unusual start to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup weekend at Monza, when the 9th round of this years Championship was held at the Italian high speed circuit.
Due to heavy rain yesterday, the starting grid was set on the practice times that was run on Friday.
That meant that Matt Campbell started from Pole Position ahead of Zaid Ashkanani and Championship leader Michael Ammermüller.
Campbell won the start ahead of Ashkanani, while Dennis Olsen and Michael Ammermüller were side by side through the first chicane.
There was a collision in the middle of the field between Steven Palette, Dylan Pereira and Daniele Di Amato, sending Pereira and Di Amato out of the race, with a Safety Car needed to clear the track.
That one last for two laps, before the 14 lap race was resumed.
Mikkel O. Pedersen and Philip Morin had an outbraking battle going into first chicane, but Pedersen had to go straight through, losing a few positions.
Photo: Porsche Motorsport
Ammermüller and Mattia Drudi were battling side by side down the start/finish straight, when the German made a small mistake going onto the straight. He managed to keep the position going into first chicane. Only a few corners later Olsen had Ammermüller breathing down his neck again, with Ammermüller trying to attack Olsen.
While all this happened, Campbell and Ashkanani could take it easy out front.
Olsen made a small mistake going out of second chicane. Ammermüller tried to overtake Olsen but instead was passed by Drudi. Later on the same lap, Ammermüller had a trip through the gravel, after contact with Robert Lukas.
Japp Van Lagen had fought he was into P3 while Drudi, Olsen and Lukas were battling for fourth.
Ammermüller was running right behind Mikkel O. Pedersen for several laps, before the German made a mistake in the second chicane and fell even further down the field.
Pedersen and Lukas were fighting over 8th, and Polish driver Lukas had to shortcut the chicane. Later Pedersen made a small mistake going onto the straight, resulting in Philip Morin and Thomas Preining passing the Dane.
On the penultimate lap the Swede Morin made a mistake going out of the first chicane, and when Pedersen tried to overtake him on the outside, Morin pushed him into the gravel. Pedersen made it back on the track but fell far back, and was eventually to finish P15, after running Top 8 for most of the race.
Matt Campbell managed to claim an easy victory ahead of Zaid Ashkanani and Mattia Drudi.
Ammermüller still leads the Championship ahead of Dennis Olsen, but the gap is reduced to only a few points.
The Finale will be run in Mexico City on October 27th-29th.
