Alex Fontana’s debut in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia ended with two top-10 finishes: on the occasion of the final round of the sprint series, which took place at Bathurst’s historic Mount Panorama circuit, the Swiss driver finished the weekend’s two races in 11th and 12th positions respectively. In his first event at the prestigious Australian track, Alex was once again defending the colours of Car Collection Motorsport, sharing the cockpit of the #21 Porsche 992 GT3 R with Hash –thereby continuing the adventure begun with the AF Academy driver at the start of the season.
The German team’s crew started the weekend with two top-9 finishes in free practice, as the outfit endeavoured to familiarise itself quickly with one of the most complex tracks on the global racing scene. The drivers then tackled the two qualifying rounds; in the first session, Fontana managed to set the 6th fastest time of 2:02.554, finishing just seven tenths off pole position. In the next round, Hash instead finished in 17th place.
The starting grid for race 1 was then determined by the results of the second qualifying session, with the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3 R starting from the 9th row of the grid. It was Hash who took the first stint, and thanks to his effective racing strategy the American managed to retain his starting position. At the end of the first 30 minutes, Hash then returned the #21 car to the pits, leaving Fontana to complete the first race of the Australian weekend. Returning to the track in 16th place, Alex started to gain ground on his rivals, aiming for the top-10; despite the short time at his disposal, the Ticino driver managed to make up five positions, finishing the first heat in 11th place.
Sunday then saw the staging of race 2, with the Car Collection Motorsport crew ready to start from 6th place by virtue of the result achieved by Alex in the first qualifying session. It was Fontana himself who got the ball rolling by moving up to 5th place on the first lap. However, a long safety car intervention in the first half of the race, caused by a spin at the back of the field, cancelled out the margin built up by the Ticino driver over the drivers behind him. At the restart, Fontana regained the pace he had shown in the first few minutes, moving into 4th position a few laps later. Alex then handed over the wheel to Hash during the pit stop: the American thus rejoined the track in 6th place, trying to find a good rhythm to maintain his position inside the top-10. Despite his best efforts, Hash just missed out and finished the race in 12th place.
Alex Fontana
“I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to race here at Bathurst for the first time: it’s a really historic track, and it was great to be able to take part this weekend. We got close to the top-10 in both races without a single scratch and on a circuit like this that’s a great result considering Hash’s growing experience in this context. It shows that we have great pace and can fight with the most competitive crews in the championship. I’d like to thank both Car Collection Motorsport, for giving me this chance and Hash for his commitment over the weekend.”
The German team’s crew started the weekend with two top-9 finishes in free practice, as the outfit endeavoured to familiarise itself quickly with one of the most complex tracks on the global racing scene. The drivers then tackled the two qualifying rounds; in the first session, Fontana managed to set the 6th fastest time of 2:02.554, finishing just seven tenths off pole position. In the next round, Hash instead finished in 17th place.
The starting grid for race 1 was then determined by the results of the second qualifying session, with the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3 R starting from the 9th row of the grid. It was Hash who took the first stint, and thanks to his effective racing strategy the American managed to retain his starting position. At the end of the first 30 minutes, Hash then returned the #21 car to the pits, leaving Fontana to complete the first race of the Australian weekend. Returning to the track in 16th place, Alex started to gain ground on his rivals, aiming for the top-10; despite the short time at his disposal, the Ticino driver managed to make up five positions, finishing the first heat in 11th place.
Sunday then saw the staging of race 2, with the Car Collection Motorsport crew ready to start from 6th place by virtue of the result achieved by Alex in the first qualifying session. It was Fontana himself who got the ball rolling by moving up to 5th place on the first lap. However, a long safety car intervention in the first half of the race, caused by a spin at the back of the field, cancelled out the margin built up by the Ticino driver over the drivers behind him. At the restart, Fontana regained the pace he had shown in the first few minutes, moving into 4th position a few laps later. Alex then handed over the wheel to Hash during the pit stop: the American thus rejoined the track in 6th place, trying to find a good rhythm to maintain his position inside the top-10. Despite his best efforts, Hash just missed out and finished the race in 12th place.
Alex Fontana
“I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to race here at Bathurst for the first time: it’s a really historic track, and it was great to be able to take part this weekend. We got close to the top-10 in both races without a single scratch and on a circuit like this that’s a great result considering Hash’s growing experience in this context. It shows that we have great pace and can fight with the most competitive crews in the championship. I’d like to thank both Car Collection Motorsport, for giving me this chance and Hash for his commitment over the weekend.”