The sun is shining in Vallelunga and the temperatures and conditions are ideal for what this morning promises to be a highly-contested qualifying session valid for the two races of the fifth and penultimate round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia 2024.
Two pole positions that will start to weigh heavily in terms of the title chase. In yesterday’s free practice, Klein rose to the front of the pack with a time of 1’34″229, already less than a tenth off Matteo Malucelli’s 2023 pole position record (1’34″163″), and it goes without saying that the two-time French champion is one of the biggest favorites for this first challenge of the weekend, the one where it will be necessary to find the most propitious moment to deliver the two fastest laps that will then count for the starting grids.
But the Target Competition standard-bearer is one of the favorites also because the Alto Adige team is proving to be consistently competitive on the Roman track. In fact, his teammate Janne Stiak, just 17 years old and at his first time in Vallelunga, is also traveling at high-profile limits.
Fresh from his first success in the Carrera Cup Germany at the Sachsenring, the very young German driver was the fastest in last week’s tests (1’34″320) and in Thursday’s pre-race third, even the only one to go under the fateful 1.34 barrier in 1’33”977.
Just looking at this reference in the paddock one would expect a pole position on those limits, maybe not a 33 and a half, but at least a high 33. Francesco Braschi also clearly stated this, an excellent second yesterday in the wake of Klein with Dinamic Motorsport: “I’m very happy, but the work to be done is today, when it will really count. So maximum concentration and let’s see where we can improve. This is the most I can say and do. Looking at the free practice times, I expect a 33 in qualifying, the track was good yesterday”.
Among the Italians, Diego Bertonelli with TDE and Simone Iaquinta with Prima Ghinzani also appeared in the top positions in free practice. Bertonelli ended the day with a smile, happy with the work done without having used new Michelins. The 26-year-old Tuscan also expects a 33 in qualifying, but above all he made it clear that we can expect some probable surprises or outsiders in the top-5.
So, instead, Iaquinta, who imagines a very hard-fought session: “Yesterday several people put on new tyres, we didn’t and I see some of our rivals doing well too, with Klein and Stiak being very fast. We went fast with what we chose, so I’m happy and I think that in qualifying we’ll be able to have our say up front, but it will be very tight”.
And Larry Ten Voorde and Keagan Masters? The reigning champion didn’t particularly shine yesterday (15th), but with Fulgenzi Racing he did a lot of laps, dragging his young teammate Flynt Schuring in his slipstream, a bit like what happened at Mugello, when they both ended up on the podium.
The Dutchman will also be there for the top spots, in short, just as the Ombra Racing team should be able to fight, which between Lirim Zendeli, Oliver Gray and Masters (whose car is followed by the Team Q8 Hi Perform car) placed three 911 GT3 Cups in the first seven places on Friday.
The South African driver, second at minus 9 from Ten Voorde in the standings, quite satisfied with the work done, explained that yesterday the team tried different solutions on the cars deployed, we will see today if the “synthesis” that emerges will be the winning one.
In the Michelin Cup, however, the pace of Cesare Brusa should be evaluated. Yesterday, probably also helped by a different choice of tyres, he clearly left behind a trio that promises to be a great success and that includes all the top riders in the standings.
With Paolo Gnemmi and the reigning champion Alberto De Amicis, the Ebimotors team appeared rather serene and smiling at the end of the day. The challenge is of course open to everyone, but it is natural that a special eye will be turned to Francesco Fenici.
The current points leader, who finished just behind the rival duo, said he was very impressed by the free practice sessions: “The feeling with the Raptor Engineering car is good. Thursday’s test helped us verify the set-up and on Friday we were able to work more on performance. I didn’t run on new Michelins, so that’s good.”
And then fire to the exhausts. In the morning, at the end of this highly anticipated qualifying, the picture will be complete in view of the two races scheduled later this afternoon and then tomorrow morning. The pole position says… 33. Who will answer?
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