Six Grimaldi Team Malta drivers recently enjoyed another successful weekend of racing in the final round of the Campionato Siciliano di Velocita in Circuito at Racalmuto.
The Maltese group was made up of five single-seater racing cars, all racing in the various Group F classes, and John Zammit's Lotus Elise racing in Group S.
Johann Spiteri and Matthew Zammit were entered in the under 1000cc class with their Jedi Yamaha and Van Diemen Suzuki, while 2008 ICC champion Joshua Anastasi and Etna winner Alan Curmi took part in the under 1400cc class with their JBR-4 and JBR-3 respectively. Jamie Sammut entered his Reynard Cosworth 2000 in the competitive 2 litre class.
First out was John Zammit who immediately posted very encouraging lap times. Not the same can be said of Alan Curmi who was plagued by an internal gearbox problem.
Helpers Simon and Jason Muscat set to work in the paddock and their all-night effort was rewarded when the car was just readied in time to qualify on Saturday.
Heat 6 for Group S was out first. This class comprised a variety of highly-modified cars, at the end of which Zammit's Lotus was on the front row of the grid.
The Formula heat was comprised 15 cars including round three winner Michele Quattrocchi, driving the Team Autosport Sorrento Radical PR6, Girolamo Arresta's Dallara Alfa Romeo, Italian champion Gaetano Piria's Ermolli Hyabusa and two Formula Masters Tatuus Honda 2000s from the famous Fattorini Team for Davide Ali and Gianpiero Milazzo.
Quattrocchi was immediately in a class of his own but behind him Anastasi and the two Fattorini cars were also showing very well, as was Matthew Zammit who was comfortably ahead in the 1000cc field.
Johann Spiteri was also doing well but the biggest problem throughout the 20-minute session was one of too much traffic.
Jamie Sammut was also making good progress, chasing Arresta hard for second best in class, but poor Curmi encountered more problems when an oil pipe burst.
It was John Zammit who set the ball rolling for the Grimaldi team, with a blistering start that saw him take the lead into the first corner. In the meantime, pole sitter Vincenzo Montalbano had recovered from his poor start and drove past Zammit's black Lotus on the long straight to pull away and win. Zammit battled on to finish third.
Heat 7 saw 14 formula cars take the grid, but at the lights, it was Anastasi who made a flying start to tuck in between pole sitter Quattrocchi and Milazzo.
As they rounded the last corner, the red flag was out as two cars had stalled on the grid. Start number two was also a good one for the Maltese champion who again pipped Milazzo to second at the first corner, but Matthew Zammit too had made an excellent start from row two to follow Anastasi in third place.
At the flag it was Quattrochi who won ahead of Anastasi, Milazzo, Zammit and then Spiteri.
Anastasi and Matthew Zammit both won their respective classes, Spiteri finished second in class, and John Zammit was a much-improved third.
In the first full championship, the Grimaldi Team Malta drivers won three classes and claimed the runners-up spot in another two. But, even more important, they showed their friendliness and sportsmanship throughout.