Carrera Cup Italia | Preview Mugello: out with the… seconds!

It’s not yet a “do or die” round, but it’s very close: this weekend at the Mugello Circuit, the third round of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Italia marks the first real test for the contenders for the titles up for grabs, especially those chasing overall leader Larry Ten Voorde (who currently has 20 points over Keagen Masters, his closest rival) or even just redemption or revenge.

From today to Sunday the season of the prestigious Italian single-brand championship enters its heart and the halfway point coincides not only with the first general check of the forces on the track, but also with weather forecasts of high temperatures to make the challenges even more heated. After the stages of Misano and Imola, the rankings are still to be defined and also on the ups and downs of the exciting Tuscan circuit to compete will be an international parterre of top-level members for the Italian single-brand championship.

Premises and promises of entertainment that, also presenting some tantalising new entries, on the track will have to be maintained by the 33 drivers at the start in their respective 911 GT3 Cups, expected in action in the two 30-minute + 1 lap races that start on Saturday at 15:50 and Sunday at 12:20. Both races will be broadcast live and on demand on Dazn (also in free mode) and in addition the live streaming will be available on www.carreracupitalia.it always in HD.

Who will stop Ten Voorde?

On the eve of the third seasonal stage on the 5245 meters of the Mugello Circuit, the series organized by Porsche Italia finds Ten Voorde at the top of the standings with 3 victories out of the 4 races held so far. The Dutch ace of Enrico Fulgenzi Racing – Centro Porsche Udine remains the point of reference and in the team from Jesi also in Tuscany the reigning champion will be joined by his very young compatriot Flynt Schuring, at 17 years old already a protagonist in the top-10 at Misano but coming from a more complicated round at Imola.

With 20 points to recover, he returns to Mugello with ambitions of reaching the top of the Masters. The 24-year-old South African official driver of Team Q8 Hi Perform is the only one who has managed to overtake the leader in race 2 at Misano and precedes the surprising Francesco Braschi, the fastest yesterday in the pre-event test in 1’50″654.

The 19-year-old driver from Cattolica of Dinamic Motorsport – Centro Porsche Verona is currently both the best Italian and the best under of the Scholarship Programme in the standings and is in full battle for the title reserved for Rookies with Lirim Zendeli. Making his debut in Gran Turismo after a valid past in single-seaters, the 25-year-old German representing Ombra Racing – Centro Porsche Bergamo is chasing the definitive leap in quality also at the wheel of the 911 GT3 Cup to find that podium he already tasted in Misano.

After a difficult start to the season, Marvin Klein (Target Competition – Centro Porsche Bolzano) climbed into the top five overall thanks to two third-place finishes at Imola, but he will have to aim even higher at Mugello if he wants to stay on board the title chase.

In the Alto-Atesino team, on this occasion the two-time champion of the Carrera Cup France will be joined by the Dutchman Senna van Soelen, a new entry making his absolute debut in the Carrera Cup Italia after a few episodes in the German single-make series, and by his usual teammate Janne Stiak (Centro Porsche Trento). Together with Braschi, the young 17-year-old German has been the revelation driver so far and the progression shown so far has brought him to the foot of the Italian podium in the last race he took part in.

Redemptions and Revenges

In the standings, Stiak is seventh, jointly with Aldo Festante (Dinamic Motorsport – Centro Porsche Bologna), the 24-year-old driver from Campania returning from international commitments in the Supercup, and just one point behind Alberto Cerqui. The 2021 champion is targeting his first podium of the season with BeDriver – Centro Porsche Piacenza on one of his favorite circuits, where he is a multiple winner and last year won race 2.

Diego Bertonelli is also looking for a result that could help turn his season around. The standard-bearer of The Driving Experiences – Porsche Centres of Rome is highly anticipated on his home circuit and in the team he finds his two under-teammates Daniel Gregor (Porsche Centre Parma), third among the Rookies and already capable of earning the top-10 in both Misano and Imola, and the Austrian Horst Felix Felbermayr (Porsche Centre Bari).

Like Cerqui and Bertonelli, two-time Carrera Cup Italia champions Simone Iaquinta, who has had little luck so far this season at the wheel of the 911 GT3 Cup of Prima Ghinzani – Porsche Centres of Milan, and Gianmarco Quaresmini, who is back with Tsunami RT – Porsche Centre Brescia from a difficult event in Imola, will be looking for a breakthrough.

The Green Line

Ever more in tune with the Italian single-make series and after entering the top 10 at Imola, the 21-year-old Australian Bayley Hall, new 2024 entry for BeDriver – Centro Porsche Napoli, is aiming to improve further at Mugello. He will also have to contend with his other “colleagues” from the Scholarship Programme, starting with the 18-year-old from Brescia Pietro Armanni (Prima Ghinzani – Centro Porsche Firenze), the Villorba Corse – Centro Porsche Treviso pairing of Steven Giacon and Nicholas Pujatti (the youngest overall), the 17-year-old from Rome Flavio Olivieri, who scored points for the first time at Imola with Raptor Engineering – Centro Porsche Catania, and the promising British driver Oliver Gray, in his second overall commitment in the Carrera Cup Italia with Ombra Racing – Centro Porsche Torino.

Among the outsiders, the American Anthony Imperato completes the ranks of the Bergamo team, while the 27-year-old from Belluno Filippo Fant lines up with Team Malucelli – Centro Porsche Pesaro.

Michelin Cup Puzzle

The category that arrives at the Mugello Circuit with the most uncertain and close standings after the brawls experienced at Misano and Imola is the Michelin Cup, which restarts its engines with three riders enclosed in just two points.

There are ten semi-professional drivers at the start in Tuscany, where the current leader of the standings Francesco Maria Fenici (Raptor Engineering – Porsche Centres of Rome) is called upon to defend his leadership from the sure attacks of Gianluca Giorgi, who is growing significantly with BeDriver – Porsche Centre Piacenza, and Paolo Gnemmi, who is increasingly competitive in Ebimotors – Porsche Centre Varese alongside the reigning champion Alberto De Amicis, who is also back in the game after the podium achieved in race 2 at Imola.

Just like Alex De Giacomi, already twice titled in the category and winner in the last appointment with Tsunami RT – Centro Porsche Latina. Also making strong progress is Cesare Brusa, already on the podium in his debut season in Carrera Cup Italia with Prima Ghinzani – Centro Porsche Padova.

For the occasion, the Lombard team is fielding an additional 911 GT3 Cup “branded” by Centro Porsche Firenze entrusted to home driver Cosimo Barberini, a driver coming from the world of touring cars, where he has distinguished himself several times, and at his first experience in the Italian single-make series.

In addition to the new entry from Florence, Mugello will also host the returns of Romanian driver Horia-Traian Chirigut (Villorba Corse – Centro Porsche Treviso), absent from Imola, and Sammarinese Marco Galassi, making his seasonal debut with Team Malucelli – Centro Porsche Pesaro, a team that, together with Centro Porsche Mantova, will field another home driver, Stefano Stefanelli, another top protagonist in the category in previous events.

Full program

After the pre-event test held yesterday, the third round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia 2024 will start shortly with the verification operations and the usual free practice session scheduled for this afternoon from 2.35 pm to 3.35 pm.

Both starting grids for the weekend will therefore be decided tomorrow morning in the qualifying round starting at 9.15, while race 1 gets underway on Saturday at 15.50.

The weekend is completed by race 2, on Sunday at 12.20. The two races will be broadcast live on Dazn also in free mode and in live streaming in HD on the official website www.carreracupitalia.it.

Rankings

Absolute: 1. Ten Voorde 106 points; 2. Masters 86; 3. Braschi 49; 4. Zendeli 46; 5. Klein 43; 6. Cerqui 37; 7. Stiak and Festante 36; 9. Bertonelli 31; 10. Quaresmini 24.

Rookie: 1. Braschi 49 points; 2. Zendeli 46; 3. Gregor 16; 4. Olivieri 3; 5. Pujatti 2.

Michelin Cup: 1. Fenici 39 points; 2. Giorgi 38; 3. Gnemmi 37; 4. Pastorelli 35; 5. De Giacomi 27.

Team: 1. Enrico Fulgenzi Racing 113 points; 2. Dynamic Motorsport 101; 3. Target Competition 93; 4. BeDriver 63; 5. The Driving Experiences 59.

The Mugello entrants