Round 4 of the Racing Club International Diamond Drive Cup took place at Monza for a wet race. Our drivers would have to traverse the challenging conditions and adapt to the ever evolving track, making for a very tough sixty minutes of racing. With the weather not letting up anytime soon it would come down to a race of attrition. Unfortunately Mia Rose decided to sign out of the series, citing a shift in focus to rFactor 2.
Qualifying saw Aenore Rose claim the top spot once again with a 1:55.542, lengthening her consecutive pole position count to four rounds. Kainé Luna kept up her form from the previous round, placing right beside her in second clocking a 1:56.430. Ruby Acosta finished her qualifying session in fourth, rounding out the three of the Queens’ Design drivers with a 1:56.450. Second through fifth were only separated by a tenth by the end of the qualifying session, with the wet conditions acting as an equalizer.
Aenore led the field to the green flag, pulling off a fantastic start off the line and creating a sizable gap to Kainé right from the get go. She would go on to create a 22 second gap to second by the end of her first stint before having to complete her mandatory stop. Kainé meanwhile would have to hold off the likes of Sara Dove and Nicole Fox as they looked to improve on their past mistakes. Ruby Acosta would drop to fifth entering Curva Grande and would attempt to chase Nicole throughout the remainder of the race.
Sara would make a mistake chasing Kainé for the second spot, spinning out at Ascari. This allowed for Nicole to steadily chip away at the gap from Kainé unbothered, taking advantage of the McLaren’s strength in the rain. Nicole herself however would make a mistake in the process, exceeding the pit speed limit and was subsequently punished with a 30 second stop-and-go penalty that would promote Ruby to third.
Aenore went on to dominate the race, winning her fourth race in a row and building a comfortable 34 point gap overall to Kainé. Kainé and Ruby were able to keep it clean to the very end, crossing the line in second and third respectively. This result would also signify Queens’ Design’s fourth 1-2-3 in a row, a monumental achievement for the team! We coach them right at Queens’ Design!
The penultimate round takes the team to Misano World Circuit for a warm and clear day in direct contrast, and with the championship soon coming to a close only time will tell if they can keep this wonderful form together!
(text by Ruby Acosta, picture by Aenore Rose)
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