In the third round of the International GT Open season, held at the Hockenheimring, Alex Fontana was closing on victory in the Pro-Am class in Race 2 when his team was forced to retire just 20 minutes from the chequered flag following an accident. The Swiss driver had previously managed to finish the first race of the weekend in 6th place, thereby securing invaluable points in a weekend that was characterised by difficult weather conditions. Alex was back on track in the Car Collection Motorsport outfit’s #31 Porsche 992 GT3 R, sharing the wheel with one of the drivers from the AF Academy. As usual, Friday saw Alex familiarise himself with the German circuit, finishing the first free practice session in 4th place in the Pro-Am class and in the overall top 10. In the first qualifying session, Fontana’s teammate managed to secure 5thplace in class.
An excellent start to the race saw the #31 car climb up to 3rd place in its category before slipping back t 6th – while remaining in contact with the leading group – when the window for mandatory pit stops opened. The Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3 R returned to the pits for its stop with 39 minutes remaining, Alex taking over the wheel for the final stint. Unfortunately, a full course yellow did not work in the team’s favour, costing them the chance to fight for a place in the top three of the category. Nonetheless, Fontana did manage to maintain 6th place in the Pro-Am class. In the second qualifying session on Sunday, Alex successfully replicated his splendid pole position in the category achieved at Portimao, setting the third fastest time overall of 1:48.379 in the process.
With the conditions difficult due to heavy rain, Fontana skilfully maintained the Pro-Am class lead in the early stages of the race, while also remaining in the top five overall. The Swiss driver then returned to the pits to hand the car over to his teammate for the second half of the race, with the track still wet. Unfortunately, a loss of control of the car under braking at the hairpin brought a premature end to the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche’s race after a violent contact with the barriers. Fortunately, there were no consequences for the driver. The next round of the International GT Open will see Alex in action at the Hungaroring, with the championship visiting the Hungarian track from 4 to 6 July.
An excellent start to the race saw the #31 car climb up to 3rd place in its category before slipping back t 6th – while remaining in contact with the leading group – when the window for mandatory pit stops opened. The Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3 R returned to the pits for its stop with 39 minutes remaining, Alex taking over the wheel for the final stint. Unfortunately, a full course yellow did not work in the team’s favour, costing them the chance to fight for a place in the top three of the category. Nonetheless, Fontana did manage to maintain 6th place in the Pro-Am class. In the second qualifying session on Sunday, Alex successfully replicated his splendid pole position in the category achieved at Portimao, setting the third fastest time overall of 1:48.379 in the process.
With the conditions difficult due to heavy rain, Fontana skilfully maintained the Pro-Am class lead in the early stages of the race, while also remaining in the top five overall. The Swiss driver then returned to the pits to hand the car over to his teammate for the second half of the race, with the track still wet. Unfortunately, a loss of control of the car under braking at the hairpin brought a premature end to the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche’s race after a violent contact with the barriers. Fortunately, there were no consequences for the driver. The next round of the International GT Open will see Alex in action at the Hungaroring, with the championship visiting the Hungarian track from 4 to 6 July.
Alex Fontana
“It was a complicated weekend, rich in alternating emotions. On the one hand, I am happy to have secured important points in Race 1, but it was a real shame that we were forced to retire in the second race when we were leading the Pro-Am class. The most important thing is that my teammate is okay. I am very grateful to Car Collection Motorsport for their commitment over course of the weekend and I am sure we will get the results we deserve next weekend at the Hungaroring.”
“It was a complicated weekend, rich in alternating emotions. On the one hand, I am happy to have secured important points in Race 1, but it was a real shame that we were forced to retire in the second race when we were leading the Pro-Am class. The most important thing is that my teammate is okay. I am very grateful to Car Collection Motorsport for their commitment over course of the weekend and I am sure we will get the results we deserve next weekend at the Hungaroring.”