Torrente and Wyatt Share the Sprint Race Spoils in Cagliari

Shaun Torrente and Rusty Wyatt shared the Sprint Race points at the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy on Saturday afternoon, with Torrente dominant in the first heat and Wyatt claiming his first Sprint Race victory in over a year in the second. Both drivers go into Sunday’s Grand Prix on 10 points apiece.

The two races produced very different stories. Torrente’s was one of controlled authority from pole to flag. Wyatt’s featured a strong charge from Jonas Andersson, a last-lap electrical failure for Stefan Arand, and a two-place grid penalty for Grant Trask that shuffled the final order.

Sprint Race 1: Torrente Leads from Start to Finish

Torrente took the holeshot and never looked back. It took him just four laps to put over five seconds between himself and Peter Morin in second, who himself gradually pulled away from Bartek Marszalek in third, with Morin building a ten-second cushion over the Polish driver by lap seven.

Further back, Marit Stromoy gained a place on the opening lap by passing Duarte Benavente. Alberto Comparato also fell back at the start, with Alec Weckstrom and Brent Dillard both clearing him to push the Italian into sixth. Dillard edged past Comparato by the slimmest of margins, with just 1.005 seconds between them after three laps, before extending that gap to 2.332 seconds by lap eleven and beginning to put pressure on Weckstrom ahead. Comparato’s challenge faded when engine issues forced him out of the race after 14 laps.

Torrente crossed the line as he had started: first. Morin and Marszalek completed an unchanged podium. Weckstrom held fourth despite Dillard’s pressure, though the gap in pace within the Victory Team was notable – Torrente’s best lap was 46.427 seconds, Weckstrom’s 48.683. Dillard finished fifth, Bourgeot sixth, Stromoy seventh and Benavente eighth. Comparato was classified ninth, two laps down.

The win was Torrente’s fifth from six Sprint Race starts. Everything at the Victory Team this weekend has gone to plan: pole position this morning, 10 points this afternoon.

Sprint Race 2: Wyatt Wins, Arand Drama, Trask Penalised

All three Sharjah boats lined up on the front two rows: Wyatt from pole, Arand alongside, Trask in third. Wyatt took the holeshot and held it throughout. Arand settled into second, but the story of the opening lap was Jonas Andersson, who started fifth and performed a double overtake on Trask and Sami Selio to slot into third before the field had completed a lap.

Erik Stark, starting last after an engine change in qualifying, was also making progress. He cleared Cedric Deguisne at the start and closed rapidly on Ben Jelf, getting to within 0.623 seconds by lap four. That battle for sixth developed through the middle laps, with Jelf just 0.688 seconds behind Al Qemzi by lap seven and Stark closing in behind. Jelf made his move on lap eleven at the circuit’s only right-hander, passing Al Qemzi and immediately pulling away, extending a 4.947-second lead to nearly 12 seconds the following lap.

With two laps to go, Arand was struck by an electrical issue that briefly brought him to a halt. Andersson and Trask both passed him before he recovered, dropping him from second to fourth. Wyatt came home first, with Andersson second and Trask crossing the line third. However, Trask then received a two-place penalty for failing to maintain his lane at the start, dropping him to fifth. That moved Arand back up to third and Selio into fourth on the final classification.

Wyatt’s win was his first Sprint Race victory in over a year. He and Torrente lead the championship on 10 points each going into Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Championship Standings After Sprint Races

The Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy starts at 15:05 local time on Sunday. Torrente starts from pole position.