Bradley Ellis and Alex Mortimer won both FIA GT3 European Championship races at Monza - but only with some help from the stewards. The No.21 Matech GT Racing Ford GT pair were third across the line when the chequered flag flew after the second one-hour race - but then the two cars ahead of them were demoted for breaking pit-stop rules. Second went to the No.1 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3 of James Ruffier and Arnaud Peyroles, while championship leaders Ian Khan and Thomas Mutsch, in the No.20 Matech GT Racing Ford GT, were demoted from second to third.
Although no rain was falling when the race started, the track was so wet that slicks were never an option - and, just as the track began to dry, more rain fell. Away from the start the No.11 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT3 held the lead, but it was being pursued by two Ford GT cars and a Dodge Viper. By lap 9 the No.20 Ford GT led from the sister No.21 car, with the No.43 La Torre Motorsport Dodge Viper Competition Coupe in third. Things stayed that way to the pit-stops - and that was where things went wrong.
The No.21 car pitted normally, but both the No.20 and No.43 cars left their stops too late - they left the pit-lane after the 'pit-stop window' had closed. Once they had pitted the No.43 Dodge managed to catch the No.20 car, overtaking into the first chicane at the start of lap 24; the top three then remained static to the end of the race. However, the pit-stop problems resulted in the No.43 and No.20 cars receiving stop-go penalties, but because the penalties came so late in the race, both cars stayed out and took the finish. The stewards added 63sec to the overall time of the No.20 car, and 77sec to the time of the No.43 car. That took the Dodge from first to fifth, and the Ford from second to third.
Khan and Mutsch still lead the championship, but now only two points clear of Ruffier and Peyroles, with Bradley Ellis third, a further two points back.
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