Alex Fontana secured his first win of the season at Mugello, in the second round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship (CIGT) GT Cup Sprint. Partnering Matej Knez in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, the Swiss driver achieved two extraordinary results for Centri Porsche Ticino in the Italian series promoted by ACI Sport.
Fontana, now in his second season in the GT Cup, continues to be the benchmark for the Porsche marque on the track. This is something that Knez, a Slovenian driver who honed his skills in the AF Academy and is only in his second competitive season, can really benefit from. The weekend of 12-13 July in the hills of Scarperia and San Piero followed the inaugural round of the CIGT sprint series at Vallelunga, with the Fontana-Knez duo arriving on the back of a double podium finish. High temperatures were the main feature of the Tuscan event, putting the tyres of the more than 30 cars on track to the test. Knez and Fontana shared the two qualifying sessions and the two starts according to the regulations, with the Swiss driver making up a remarkable 18 positions from the start of Race 1 to finish on the lowest step of the podium in his category.
In the second race, which also lasted 50 minutes plus one lap, Fontana got off to a superb start, even managing to climb into the top 10 overall, behind the fastest Huracan ST Evo2 and 296 Challenge cars. The Lugano-based driver showed excellent pace, despite a safety car bringing the field back together just before the mandatory pit stop window opened, thwarting Alex’s attempt at a breakaway. In the driver change window, Fontana handed over to Knez, who drove the race in the lead with great clarity through to a red flag displayed just six minutes from the end by the race director to permit repairs to the barriers and the circuit to be made safe after two cars collided at the Bucine corner.
The race ended prematurely with a final interruption on lap 20, giving the Fontana-Knez crew their first victory in Division 2 of the 2025 GT Cup of the ACI Sport championship. The next round will be the penultimate one on the calendar, due to be held at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola over the weekend of 26-28 September. Alex will instead be back on track this weekend at Le Castellet for the sixth race of the 2025 season.
Alex Fontana
“This has been a weekend full of emotions, I’d like to thank the whole team at Centri Porsche Ticino for their hard work on the car. I must admit that it was great fun duelling in the pack., I made a lot of overtakes this weekend although racing at Mugello in such high temperatures is tough for the drivers, the cars and the mechanics working behind the scenes. I would also like to congratulate Matej, who despite his limited experience in the car was ready to go. I can’t deny that returning to Italy, where my single-seater career began 16 years ago, and hearing the Swiss national anthem ring out from the top step of the podium filled me with pride and joy.”
“This has been a weekend full of emotions, I’d like to thank the whole team at Centri Porsche Ticino for their hard work on the car. I must admit that it was great fun duelling in the pack., I made a lot of overtakes this weekend although racing at Mugello in such high temperatures is tough for the drivers, the cars and the mechanics working behind the scenes. I would also like to congratulate Matej, who despite his limited experience in the car was ready to go. I can’t deny that returning to Italy, where my single-seater career began 16 years ago, and hearing the Swiss national anthem ring out from the top step of the podium filled me with pride and joy.”