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PETRI CORSE SECURES FIRST SUPER TROFEO POLE
Media information: 15 May 2009
Team Petri Corse has secured pole for the inaugural race of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, which takes place on 16 May 2009 at Adria International Raceway, Italy.
Fabio Babini and Claudio Rossette set a time of 1:16.621 on Lap 4 of the 30-minute qualifying session. The Italian duo had been strong in free practice, but improved their time by nine-tenths of a second to take the first spot on the grid.
“The car was really good today,” said Babini. “We changed the set-up slightly after free practice and it worked well. Everything was good, the car was really fast, and I am happy that we set our fastest lap so early in the first outing. It has been a fantastic day for the team and for Lamborghini.”
Team-mate Claudio Rossette said: “It’s my first time back in a race car for three years, so it was a great opportunity to get back onto the track. I am very happy with the result, and tomorrow we will just have to push to stay ahead.”
Taking their place alongside Petri Corse will be Bonaldi Racing’s Gianluigi Picciolo and Davide Amaduzzi. The Italian theme continues with Giorgio Sanna securing third position for team Automobili Lamborghini, with Lamborghini München Team Holzer’s Uwe Alzen and Achim Winter completing the second row of the grid, posting their fastest lap with less the four minutes left on the clock.
Blancpain President and CEO, Marc A. Hayek, and team-mate Peter Kox improved their times throughout the session to post a lap of 1:17.149, whilst Marco Apicella and Carlo Basetti completed the top six.
“It has been an outstanding day for Lamborghini,” said Director of Brand and Design, Manfred Fitzgerald. “We have a fantastic array of talented drivers on the grid, demonstrating the speed and style of the Super Trofeo; we expect a very hotly contested first race meeting.”
Fifteen cars will compete on the 2.7 km race track in three Super Trofeo races on 16 May 2009, supporting the FIA GT Championship.
Qualifying results
1. Babini/Rossetto (#22), Petri Corse, 1:16.621
2. Piccioli/Amaduzzi (#69), Bonaldi Racing, 1:16.768
3. Giorgio Sanna (#1), Automobili Lamborghini, 1:17.075
4. Alzen/Winter (#9), Lamborghini München Team Holzer, 1:17.091
5. Hayek/Kox (#24), Reiter Engineering, 1:17.149
6. Apicella/Basetti (#12), Petri Corse, 1:17.396
7. Frei/Cochet (#11), Autovitesse, 1:17.580
8. Fasanetto/Moccia (#2), Automobili Lamborghini, 1:17.707
9. Janiš/Scheublein (#88), Lamborghini Racing Eastern Europe, 1:17.821
10. Dijkstra/van de Zwann (#16), Schoolmaster, 1:17.910
11. Ferruccio Bellini (#3), Bonaldi Racing, 1:17.994
12. Thurn Und Taxis/Janiš (#77), Lamborghini Racing Eastern Europe, 1:18.307
= Morley/Werndel (#55), Lechner Racing, 1:18.307
14. Leimer/Leimer (#63), Autovitesse, 1:19.181
Notes to editors

The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season begins in May 2009 featuring the Lamborghini Super Trofeo: a lightweight version of the Gallardo LP 560-4. The Super Trofeo comes with a reworked chassis and a power output of 419 kW (570 hp) from its V10, ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine. The race car features Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive, making the Super Trofeo the only one-make, all-wheel-drive motorsport series.
Formed in 1735, luxury Swiss watchmaker Blancpain is the series’ title sponsor. The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will run over six European race weekends, alongside other prestigious series such as the FIA GT Championship, DTM and the British F3 and GT Championships. Either one or two drivers per car can register for the series, comprising of free practice and a qualifying session, and three 40-minute races during the race weekend.