This is a new story, usually we have talked about generations of pilots with father and children who have tried their hand at motorsport.
In our case, however, father and son won the same championship after 12 years.
His father, Emanuele Moncini born in 1973, a driver who started in Italian Superturismo at the end of the 90’s, and then moved over the years to the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, FIA GT, Trofeo Abarth, GT Italia and GT Open.
In 2010, Emanuele became the Italian GT Championship Champion, sharing the steering wheel of the Villorba Corse Ferrari 430 GT2 with Andrea Montermini.
The son, Leonardo, born in 2004, made his debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia last year after his experiences in karting. He entered the single-make in Stuttgart, only after a few tests and the season went very well, on several occasions he made much more experienced drivers struggle.
This year he moved to the Italian GT Championship, got married in Nova Race and won the title with the Honda NSX GT3 EVO 2022, shared with Jacopo Guidetti, official JAS Motorsport driver.
We caught up with them quickly, here’s what they told Motorsport.com.
Leonardo Moncini, Ghizani Arco Motorsport
Photo by: Getty Images
Emanuele how did you face this new adventure of Leo?
“There are basically two aspects, the first is what saw me involved as Leo’s father and the second as a driver. As a father, this victory makes me very proud, especially for the fact that my son managed to win that title that I won ten years ago. Also as a father, last year after the good season of debut in the car in the Carrera Cup, we made a decision that practically threw away the experience we had with the six races of the Porsche series, to start a new experience from scratch. This bet was won, as my father I saw Leo grow up and I hope that the fact remains in him that motorsport is not just putting on a helmet and going to the racetrack. The work done with JAS and Nova Race has shown that behind everything there is the work of a team that has worked a whole week. Motorsport is commitment, sacrifice and this helped him understand what the values are within a team. As a driver I think he has had a very good season, luckily without a burr, without damage or an accident. He compared himself with Jacopo Guidetti who is certainly more experienced, but also with drivers like Glock, Klingmann and all the others “.
Making a comparison between your GT2 and Leo’s GT3, what can you say?
“Comparing the Ferrari 430 GT2 I used and the Honda NSX GT3, the biggest difference I think is the aerodynamics. I have never driven the NSX, my experience with GT3s is from the early days of this category and there is nothing to it. comparable, we are completely on another level. The development can be seen above all in the aerodynamics, there are ten years of development of tires, brakes and above all the technical aspect in general. Aerodynamics allows higher speeds and the presence of ABS helps a lot , at the time the 430 did not have this system and for novices it was more complicated to manage. We were already prepared for traction control at the time. Today the GT3s are certainly stronger than our GT2s, having the opportunity to try one I would be more exhaustive “.
In this regard, we hope that Nova Race will give him the opportunity to get on the NSX GT3 EVO. But we were talking from father to son, so let’s hear from the young GT3 champion.
# 55 Nova Race, Honda NSX GT3 Evo: Jacopo Guidetti, Leonardo Moncini
Photo by: ACI Sport
Leonardo, how did the program you faced in 2022 come about?
“It all started from an idea of Cristian Pescatori who asked me to be available for a free test with Honda in Cervesina. I went and immediately found myself at ease, very different from the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup I had used the year before. From there we found out about the JAS Motorsport program, thanks to their interest in me and we went to Vallelunga where the official Honda-Acura rider was present. There, after the test, they made me the proposal on the 2022 season: to do the Italian GT with Jacopo Guidetti, thanks also to the collaboration of Luca Magnoni “.
And a new adventure has begun …
“We immediately started working on the season and on my debut in the Sprint at Monza I immediately felt good, driving the car for the first time ever for me in the wet. During the season we made no mistakes and consistency in the end rewarded us. . Working well with the engineers was fundamental, for me it was a growing season. My dad told me to keep my feet on the ground since it was my first year in GT and my second in a car. Better than that it was difficult to do. It’s a shame about the Endurance series where we were hit by bad luck. I’m happy because in the year we had set to gain experience the title arrived “.
Leonardo Moncini, Jacopo Guidetti, Nova Race
Photo by: ACI Sport
And now?
“Now comes the difficult part, I have to stay focused and we hope to do more. Thanks to the advice of Pescatori and my dad, I grew up and winning the title like him was wonderful. I was lucky, it doesn’t happen to everyone given the high caliber of drivers, from Glock to Klingmann, passing through Di Folco, was an extra stimulus ”.
Who is the strongest among you?
“You have to ask him, when he won the title he certainly had more experience than me. I hope to be stronger myself “.
Leonardo concludes with a smile. Father and son, two titles with different machines and above all at different times. Various points in common, regardless of the title, there is the humility with which they have faced their careers, the fact of always being down to earth and the desire to always improve. Certainly to be taken as an example.
# 55 Nova Race, Honda NSX GT3 Evo: Jacopo Guidetti, Leonardo Moncini
Photo by: ACI Sport
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