Sandy bagged a podium finish in a thrilling finale to the Italian GT3 Sprint Championship at Monza

Lamborghini factory driver Sandy, bags Italian GT3 Sprint Cup podium at Monza and helps clinch title for VSR.

Sandy bagged a podium finish in a thrilling finale to the Italian GT3 Sprint Championship at Monza. And the 25-year-old from Forfar’s performance guaranteed his Vincenzo Sospiri Racing team-mate Andrea Frassineti clinched the overall championship.

Partnering fellow Lamborghini factory driver Loris Spinelli in the No6 Lamborghini Huracan EVO2 GT3 prepared by top Italian team VSR, Sandy held off the No1 BMW — the only car which could deny Frassineti the title — over a nailbiting final two laps to seal a 1-2 finish for VSR. While Frassineti, partnered by fellow Italian Edoardo Liberati, won the race by 1.2secs in the No63 VSR Lamborghini, Sandy’s dogged driving over the final two laps following a late-race Safety Car saw him take the chequered flag just 0.320s ahead of the BMW.

“That was close at the end,” Sandy, personally-backed by Tunnocks and Dama Fortuna Premium Tequila, stated, “but we achieved our primary goal for the weekend, ensuring Andrea won the championship. And his win was also the 200th for the Huracan.”

Frassineti started the final 50-minute race from pole position, but seven points adrift of the BMW drivers in the title race. Spinelli, lining up fourth, made a blistering start and had eased himself into second place exiting the opening right-left chicane with the BMW right on his rear bumper.
“Loris’s start was crucial to the outcome not only of the race, but to Andrea’s title bid,” Sandy continued. “He came under huge pressure during his stint but managed to stay ahead and slowly ease out a small gap.”

When Spinelli pitted to hand the #6 Lamborghini to Sandy, Frassineti had established a healthy seven-second lead. With 11-minutes of the race remaining, the two VSR Lamborghinis held a comfortable advantage over the BMW. But that lead disappeared following an incident which brought the Safety Car out and bunched the field up. When the race went green again, there was time only for two laps of the ultra-fast 3.6-mile, 11-turn Monza circuit, which hosts the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Now with the BMW right on the rear bumper of Sandy’s Lamborghini, the Scot fended off a number of attacks and late lunges to ensure it stayed behind him. That allowed Liberati to bring the #63 home in first place, clinching the 20-points to seal the title for Frassineti by just four points. “It couldn’t have been much closer,” Sandy said. “I knew I had to keep the BMW behind me to win the championship for Andrea and VSR. It was a close call, but we did it. Huge congratulations to everybody in the team. What a brilliant way to win a title.”