Alex Fontana’s weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard, the venue for the fifth round of the International GT Open season, ended with two top-10 finishes in the Pro-Am class. The Swiss driver, racing together with “Hash” at the wheel of the Porsche 992 GT3 R entered by Car Collection Motorsport, obtained 8th and a 10th place in the two heats of a French weekend characterised by numerous battles on track and extreme weather conditions.
On Saturday, Alex left it to “Hash” to drive the car in the first qualifying session of the weekend, with the American taking 16th place in the Pro-Am class. In Race 1, the longer of the two scheduled heats, the AF Academy driver then drove a faultless race, recovering a couple of positions and handing the Porsche 992 GT3 R over to Fontana for the second stint. Alex then set about making to ground, exploiting great race pace and as he tried to grab a place in the top-10. At the end of the race, the Car Collection Motorsport crew number 12 crossed the finish line in 8th place in the Pro-Am category, as well as 18th overall, thanks to some precise and perfectly executed overtaking moves by Fontana.
Alex was then back in the car the following morning to take part in qualifying. In a session characterised by light rain, Fontana took the opportunity to set the 4th best time overall, as well as 3rd in the Pro-Am class. The first part of the race saw the French circuit swamped an intense thunderstorm, with Fontana able to climb to 2nd place in his category in the opening stages. The weather conditions then worsened, forcing race management to suspend the second heat with a red flag with 35 minutes to go. A few minutes before the decision, however, Alex had spun in the first sector while battling for the class lead, the standing water on the asphalt preventing him from keeping control of the car. It was unfortunate timing for Car Collection’s #12 car, which found itself on the fringes of the top-10 in the Pro-Am class at the restart. After a few well-executed overtakes in what were still prohibitive conditions, Fontana handed the car over to “'Hash” for the final section of the race, with the American crossing the finish line in 10th place in his category.
The next round of the International GT Open will take place at the Red Bull Ring, with the Austrian circuit set to host the series from 13-15 September.
Alex Fontana
“The weekend at Le Castellet really was complicated. Nobody expected so much rain on the Sunday and the unfortunate timing of the red flag penalised as otherwise we might even have grabbed an overall podium finish. Nevertheless, having managed to finish both races in the top-10 in our category is a positive sign that gives us something to smile about ahead of the championship rounds coming up after the summer break. I’d like to thank both Hash and the entire Car Collection Motorsport team for their continued support in this championship.”
On Saturday, Alex left it to “Hash” to drive the car in the first qualifying session of the weekend, with the American taking 16th place in the Pro-Am class. In Race 1, the longer of the two scheduled heats, the AF Academy driver then drove a faultless race, recovering a couple of positions and handing the Porsche 992 GT3 R over to Fontana for the second stint. Alex then set about making to ground, exploiting great race pace and as he tried to grab a place in the top-10. At the end of the race, the Car Collection Motorsport crew number 12 crossed the finish line in 8th place in the Pro-Am category, as well as 18th overall, thanks to some precise and perfectly executed overtaking moves by Fontana.
Alex was then back in the car the following morning to take part in qualifying. In a session characterised by light rain, Fontana took the opportunity to set the 4th best time overall, as well as 3rd in the Pro-Am class. The first part of the race saw the French circuit swamped an intense thunderstorm, with Fontana able to climb to 2nd place in his category in the opening stages. The weather conditions then worsened, forcing race management to suspend the second heat with a red flag with 35 minutes to go. A few minutes before the decision, however, Alex had spun in the first sector while battling for the class lead, the standing water on the asphalt preventing him from keeping control of the car. It was unfortunate timing for Car Collection’s #12 car, which found itself on the fringes of the top-10 in the Pro-Am class at the restart. After a few well-executed overtakes in what were still prohibitive conditions, Fontana handed the car over to “'Hash” for the final section of the race, with the American crossing the finish line in 10th place in his category.
The next round of the International GT Open will take place at the Red Bull Ring, with the Austrian circuit set to host the series from 13-15 September.
Alex Fontana
“The weekend at Le Castellet really was complicated. Nobody expected so much rain on the Sunday and the unfortunate timing of the red flag penalised as otherwise we might even have grabbed an overall podium finish. Nevertheless, having managed to finish both races in the top-10 in our category is a positive sign that gives us something to smile about ahead of the championship rounds coming up after the summer break. I’d like to thank both Hash and the entire Car Collection Motorsport team for their continued support in this championship.”