The 2026 season of the GT4 Italy Series got underway with the opening round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Alex Fontana took to the track in the #75 Porsche Cayman GT4 entered by the Centri Porsche Ticino team, alongside Danilo Arfini, an AF Academy driver. This season Alex will be playing dual roles as driver and as a coach to Danilo, guiding him during race weekends throughout the season.
The format of the GT4 Italy event features two qualifying sessions followed by two 50-minute races. On Friday, Alex Fontana secured a sensational pole position with a time of 1:40.082, more than a second faster than the driver in second place, allowing him to start at the front of the grid in Race 1.
The start on Saturday went smoothly for the Swiss driver, who retained his position and actually increased his advantage lap by lap. Fontana’s lead had grown to over five seconds before he handed the wheel over to Arfini. Unfortunately, a safety car deployed ten minutes from the end severely compromised the race result, dropping the Centri Porsche Ticino Porsche to 6th place in Race 1.
In Race 2, the two teammates had to fight their way back from an unfavourable qualifying session, when the circuit presented damp and difficult conditions. Arfini took the start, fighting his way back up to 13th position. Fontana began his stint 28 minutes from the end, facing the major challenge of climbing even further up the standings. Alex’s excellent feel for the car and great race pace enabled him to secure 6th place in the final standings, rounding offwhat was an excellent weekend at the Misano circuit.
The AF Academy also had a second car involved at Misano, again under the banner of Centri Porsche Ticino, partners in the training project founded and directed by Alex Fontana. The young rookies Noah Massa and Jorden Dolischka achieved solid placings whilst battling in the Top 10, certainly an encouraging result given the competitiveness of the Italian series.
Next up for Alex will be the Nordschleife 24 Hours, scheduled for the weekend of 16–17 May, when he will be at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO entered by the Goroyan RT by Car Collection #4 team. He will be partnering Artur Goroyan, Oleg Kivtka and Nathanael Berthon. The next race in the GT4 Italy Series will instead take place at the Vallelunga circuit from 3 to 5 July.
Alex Fontana
"It was a really exciting weekend here at Misano for the opening round of the GT4 Italy Series. Securing pole position on the Friday was a real confidence boost for the whole Centri Porsche Ticino team. I’d like to congratulate Danilo on how he managed his stint; he drove intelligently in a situation that was far from easy. It’s hugely satisfying to see the AF Academy drivers develop, adapt quickly to these cars and fight with determination in such a competitive championship. As we’ve amply demonstrated, our team has great potential.”
The format of the GT4 Italy event features two qualifying sessions followed by two 50-minute races. On Friday, Alex Fontana secured a sensational pole position with a time of 1:40.082, more than a second faster than the driver in second place, allowing him to start at the front of the grid in Race 1.
The start on Saturday went smoothly for the Swiss driver, who retained his position and actually increased his advantage lap by lap. Fontana’s lead had grown to over five seconds before he handed the wheel over to Arfini. Unfortunately, a safety car deployed ten minutes from the end severely compromised the race result, dropping the Centri Porsche Ticino Porsche to 6th place in Race 1.
In Race 2, the two teammates had to fight their way back from an unfavourable qualifying session, when the circuit presented damp and difficult conditions. Arfini took the start, fighting his way back up to 13th position. Fontana began his stint 28 minutes from the end, facing the major challenge of climbing even further up the standings. Alex’s excellent feel for the car and great race pace enabled him to secure 6th place in the final standings, rounding offwhat was an excellent weekend at the Misano circuit.
The AF Academy also had a second car involved at Misano, again under the banner of Centri Porsche Ticino, partners in the training project founded and directed by Alex Fontana. The young rookies Noah Massa and Jorden Dolischka achieved solid placings whilst battling in the Top 10, certainly an encouraging result given the competitiveness of the Italian series.
Next up for Alex will be the Nordschleife 24 Hours, scheduled for the weekend of 16–17 May, when he will be at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO entered by the Goroyan RT by Car Collection #4 team. He will be partnering Artur Goroyan, Oleg Kivtka and Nathanael Berthon. The next race in the GT4 Italy Series will instead take place at the Vallelunga circuit from 3 to 5 July.
Alex Fontana
"It was a really exciting weekend here at Misano for the opening round of the GT4 Italy Series. Securing pole position on the Friday was a real confidence boost for the whole Centri Porsche Ticino team. I’d like to congratulate Danilo on how he managed his stint; he drove intelligently in a situation that was far from easy. It’s hugely satisfying to see the AF Academy drivers develop, adapt quickly to these cars and fight with determination in such a competitive championship. As we’ve amply demonstrated, our team has great potential.”