The Temple of Speed at the Monza National Autodrome hosted the concluding round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship (CIGT) GT Cup Sprint. Alex Fontana, sharing driving duties with Matej Knez, secured two podium finishes in the Pro-Am 2nd Division at the wheel of the Centri Porsche Ticino Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Given the proximity of the Swiss team and Lugano native Alex Fontana to Monza, it was virtually a home race. The support and encouragement of the crowd gave them an extra boost as they tackled the final race of the season in the series promoted by ACI Sport.
The #492 crew of Fontana-Knez arrived at the Brianza circuit just six points behind the leaders in the Pro-Am 2nd Division. The Monza weekend began with free practice sessions on the Friday, while in the first qualifying session of the weekend, Alex Fontana took pole position in his category with a time of 1:49.298, the only driver to break the 1:50 barrier. Despite the sunny weather, the ambient temperature was still causing headaches for the drivers on the track, given that qualifying took place with less than 10 degrees on the asphalt, making it difficult to bring the tyres up to optimal temperature.
Alex got away to a great start which allowed him to battle for positions close to the top 10 overall, despite a substantial difference in torque coming out of the chicanes compared to the faster Lamborghinis and Ferraris. A safety car brought the group back together a few minutes before the pit window opened. Subsequently, Matej Knez – a Slovenian driver who was among the first to join the AF Academy programme – finished the race on the class podium in third place, nonetheless gaining ground in the overall standings.
Alex got away to a great start which allowed him to battle for positions close to the top 10 overall, despite a substantial difference in torque coming out of the chicanes compared to the faster Lamborghinis and Ferraris. A safety car brought the group back together a few minutes before the pit window opened. Subsequently, Matej Knez – a Slovenian driver who was among the first to join the AF Academy programme – finished the race on the class podium in third place, nonetheless gaining ground in the overall standings.
The final race of the championship, over the same distance of 50 minutes + 1 lap, was therefore to be decisive in terms of the national title. Knez started from 27th place and succeeded in avoiding an accident at Lesmo 1. Inevitably, the safety car entered the track, allowing the marshals to clear the debris from the track. In the meantime, however, Matej had already moved up to 18th position. As the only gentleman driver to take the wheel at the start of the race, the Slovenian was forced to defend in the first 20 minutes of the race, before the Centri Porsche Ticino 992 GT3 Cup returned to the pits for a driver change.
Alex Fontana climbed into the car with the aim of catching up with the leader of the standings, as victory in this stage would allow the Swiss team to snatch the championship title. At the end of the pit stops, the Lugano driver found himself in second place in his class, but with six cars from different categories between him and the race leader.
Determined to make the most of every millimetre of the Brianza circuit, Alex managed to get back onto the tail of the class leader with five minutes to go, but the race was then neutralised by the safety car due to an excursion at the exit to the Prima Variante. The second place finish in Race 2 took the Fontana-Knez duo and Centri Porsche Ticino to within one point of the “tricolour helmet”.
Determined to make the most of every millimetre of the Brianza circuit, Alex managed to get back onto the tail of the class leader with five minutes to go, but the race was then neutralised by the safety car due to an excursion at the exit to the Prima Variante. The second place finish in Race 2 took the Fontana-Knez duo and Centri Porsche Ticino to within one point of the “tricolour helmet”.
Alex Fontana
“We came within a whisker of the title, which would have been an exceptional result for the whole Centri Porsche Ticino team and for Matej, who is the only bronze driver in the category and did a perfect job here at Monza too. I would like to congratulate the entire GT Cup group because it has been an exciting season, full of battles and overtaking. Finishing the season at Monza is special because we are so close to home, but I must say that I have received affection from the Italian public at all the events on the calendar. Finally, I would like to thank the team for all their hard work; I’m proud of the results we have achieved together.”
“We came within a whisker of the title, which would have been an exceptional result for the whole Centri Porsche Ticino team and for Matej, who is the only bronze driver in the category and did a perfect job here at Monza too. I would like to congratulate the entire GT Cup group because it has been an exciting season, full of battles and overtaking. Finishing the season at Monza is special because we are so close to home, but I must say that I have received affection from the Italian public at all the events on the calendar. Finally, I would like to thank the team for all their hard work; I’m proud of the results we have achieved together.”