It promises to be a 2017 at full throttle for Alex Fontana. The young Swiss driver, recently nominated as a testimonial for the Lugano Red Cross, will continue to race on two fronts: the Blancpain GT Series and the China Touring Car Championship.
Following the positive experience in late 2016, in which he immediately conquered a pole position and a front row start, the 24-year old has been confirmed as a works driver for KIA Motors for four races in the premium Chinese series, at the wheel of a K3 2.0 turbo. In Fontana’s hand, the car developed by the Italian Hexathron outfit immediately displayed great potential which should allow him to compete for the leading grid positions. The CTCC, a championship enjoying constant growth in terms of quality and interest, will see a number of constructors competing in works form and will feature eight rounds, one of them in South Korea.
As well as the fascinating Asian challenge as a official factory driver, Fontana will also continue to compete in Europe, returning to the Blancpain GT Series, the world’s leading series for GT cars. Alex has signed a contract to run a Mercedes AMG GT3 for the Pro-AM class. The commitment involves competing in the five rounds of the Endurance Cup, including the legendary Spa 24 Hours in late July.
Following winter preparations (the track debut is scheduled to take place during a private test session on 9 February), the first competitive outing will be at the Swiss driver’s home, Monza, on 23 April. Fontana will instead be debuting in the CTCC at Shanghai on 11 June.
Alex Fontana
“I’m delighted to finally be able to reveal my plans for the 2017 season. Throughout the winter I’ve been receiving messages from people interested in my racing future, something that naturally gives me immense pleasure. It’s great that I’ll able to continue racing in the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup. The Mercedes AMG GT3 is fantastic car and I'm sure we’ll have a lot of fun driving it and duelling with our rivals. I really must thank McLaren GT for the 2016 season. Unfortunately I was unable to sign with the team again due to the works contract with KIA Motors as naturally the two roles were incompatible. I learnt a lot from the English constructor and I'm sure with the Korean team I’ll be able to get the best out of the new KIA K3, improving on the already extraordinary results we obtained at the end of last season.”
Alex Fontana’s 2017 schedule
23 April - Blancpain GT Series, Monza (Italy)
14 May - Blancpain GT Series, Silverstone (Great Britain)
11 June – CTCC, Shanghai (China)
24 June - Blancpain GT Series, Le Castellet (France)
30 July - Blancpain GT Series, Spa (Belgium)
17 September – CTCC, Yeongam (Korea)
1 October - Blancpain GT Series, Barcelona (Spain)
15 October – CTCC, Shanghai (China)
5 November – CTCC, Zhuhai (China)