Carrera Cup Italia | Without Ten Voorde Imola is the hub of the pursuers

We’ve gotten used to it by now and it will be strange to live without Larry Ten Voorde the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia weekend in Imola this coming weekend. The current points leader (fresh from his third Supercup title) has long been the reference in the Italian single-make series, but the concurrent commitment in the German single-make series has effectively forced Fulgenzi Racing’s 911 GT3 Cup number 1 into the pits.

This is why for his pursuers on the Santerno circuit it will be “now or never” to be able to rebalance the fortunes of the Italian single-make championship, which at the moment are clearly leaning towards the Dutch ace, and go and play with a few aces up their sleeves on the subsequent tables of Vallelunga and Monza, the decisive ones.

It will not be easy at all to reduce the entire gap from the leader, but even bringing it back to a handful of lengths would change the premises and scenarios. In particular, among the 33 drivers expected at the start, for the 24-year-old South African driver Keagan Masterscurrently second in the standings at minus 47 behind the wheel of the 911 GT3 Cup of Team Q8 Hi Perform, and the two-time Carrera Cup France champion Marvin Littlestandard-bearer of Target Competition – Centro Porsche Bolzano and third at minus 63.

The two Imola races, the fourth round of 2024 which promises to be truly explosive and which will also host many new names at the start, will be broadcast live on Dazn, also in free mode (all you need is an active subscription or go to dazn.com/home and register) and in live streaming on www.carreracupitalia.it, always in HD.

Lots of new faces

Masters and Klein, so far the only ones this season capable of snatching a victory from Ten Voorde, but not only: on the 4909 metres of the Emilia-Romagna circuit and its exhilarating ups and downs, which this year have already hosted the second round of the Carrera Cup Italia on the weekend of 2 June, there are numerous protagonists looking for confirmation or revenge.

In the new Rookie classification, but still with ambitions of an overall podium, the duel between the 25 year old German Lirim resumes Zendeli of Ombra Racing – Centro Porsche Bergamo, fourth in the general classification, and the 19-year-old from Cattolica Francesco Braschiwhich with Dinamic Motorsport – Centro Porsche Verona is also involved in the Scholarship Programme reserved for talents under 23.

Among the latter, two very young drivers who stood out in the first part of the season will not be present: the German Janne Stiak and the Dutch Flynt Schuring. So the 911 GT3 Cup of Target Competition – Centro Porsche Trento will be taken over by the 19-year-old Belgian Benjamin Easter and on that of Enrico Fulgenzi Racing – Centro Porsche Udine another young new entry like the Dutchman Sam Jongejanboth coming from the Carrera Cup Benelux (which visited Imola on 6-7 July, when Paque stepped on the podium and Jongejan achieved a top-5).

The other three new entries on the starting grid instead concern the Ebimotors – Centro Porsche Varese team, which brings the Florentine born in 1999 Cosimo to his debut in the Italian single-brand championship. PopesDinamic Motorsport, starting with the new Brazilian entry born in 1983 Miguel Swamp (Porsche Center Mantua) as well as with Braschi and Aldo Festive (Porsche Center Bologna), and the Ombra Racing team.

Zendeli and the already protagonists Oliver are lining up for the Bergamo team Gray (Porsche Centre Turin), 19 year old British talent who made his debut in the Carrera Cup Italia right here in Imola in the event three months ago, and the American Anthony Imperatowhile the rookie is Matteo Secrets19 year old driver from Turin with a history of single-seater racing in the preparatory series.

Appointment with the podium?

In the mix of experience, youth and internationality, a large group of Italian specialists will try to carve out a leading role, looking for revenge after a first half of the season that was less concrete than expected.

The two two-time champions Simone are therefore aiming for their first podium of the season Iaquinta (First Ghinzani – Porsche Centers of Milan) and Gianmarco Quaresmini (Tsunami RT – Porsche Center Brescia), the 2021 champion Alberto Search (BeDriver – Porsche Center Piacenza) and the Tuscan standard bearer of The Driving Experiences – Porsche Centers of Rome Diego Bertonelli.

Young upstarts

All in their first season in the Carrera Cup Italia, however, several protagonists of the young “nursery” of the Porsche Italia series are applying for the role of outsider.

In order of ranking: Daniel Gregorthe German rookie always in the points so far with The Driving Experiences – Centro Porsche Parma, the fast Australian born in 2003 Bayley HallBeDriver’s flagship – Porsche Center Naples, the 18 year old from Brescia Pietro Armanni (First Ghinzani – Porsche Center Florence), the Roman born in 2007 Flavio Olivieri with Raptor Engineering – Porsche Center Catania, the 16 year old from Pordenone Nicholas Pujattithe youngest of the group in the Villorba Corse – Centro Porsche Treviso squad, and his teammate Steven Giacona young player from Padua chasing his first point of the season, as well as the 27-year-old Filippo from Belluno Fant (Team Malucelli – Porsche Center Pesaro).

Michelin Cup assault

With 6 drivers within just 12 points and two leaders tied, the race for the Michelin Cup title has never been so close and the fight is back in full swing at Imola.

At the moment the Lazio driver Francesco Maria is at the top Phoenixesalready winner at the opening in Misano with Raptor Engineering – Porsche Centres of Rome, and the Lombard standard-bearer of Ebimotors – Porsche Centre Varese Paolo Gnemmiwho achieved his first success in the category in Imola in June.

After a mixed start, teammate and reigning champion Alberto De Friends he definitely relaunched himself in the last stage of Mugello and now trails the leaders by only two points.

In turn, the Roman driver from Guidonia is hunted by the already two-time title winner Alex Of Giacomo (Tsunami RT – Centro Porsche Latina), while slightly more detached they chase Gianluca George (BeDriver – Porsche Center Piacenza) and Stefano Stefanelliwhich arrives at the appointment on the Santerno circuit strong from the first podium and the first victory achieved in the home stage of Mugello with the 911 GT3 Cup of Team Malucelli – Centro Porsche Mantova.

While waiting for confirmation of the driver who will line up with the number 88 under the banner of Dinamic Motorsport – Centro Porsche Modena (is Luca Pastorelli coming back?), as he already managed in June, Cesare is also aiming for the podium Brusein his debut season in the Carrera Cup with Prima Ghinzani – Centro Porsche Padova.

The gentleman driver from Puglia Ilarione also returns to the same team Introna (Porsche Centers in Milan), while the Romanian Horia-Traian Chirigut completes the ranks in the colors of Villorba Corse – Centro Porsche Treviso.

All times

The fourth act of the season kicks off on Friday 6 September with the usual free practice session scheduled from 14.50 to 15.50. On Saturday morning, the green light for qualifying starts at 10.15. The 40-minute session will decide both starting grids and race 1 will also take place on Saturday at 16.25.

Sunday race 2 concludes the weekend with a start at 12:00. Both races will be broadcast live on Dazn also in free mode and in live streaming in HD on the official website www.carreracupitalia.it.

Here we go again

Absolute: 1. Ten Voorde 154 points; 2. Masters 107; 3. Klein 91; 4. Zendeli 75; 5. Stiak 52; 6. Braschi and Festante 50; 8. Cerqui 49; 9. Bertonelli 44; 10. Schuring 41.
Rookie: 1. Zendeli 75 points; 2. Braschi 50; 3. Gregor 22; 4. Gray 16; 5. Van Soelen 8.
Michelin Cup: 1. Fenici and Gnemmi 53 points; 3. De Amicis 51; 4. De Giacomi 47; 5. Giorgi 43.
Team: 1. Enrico Fulgenzi Racing 189 points; 2. Target Competition 155; 3. Dinamic Motorsport 119; 4. Shadow Racing 102; 5. The Driving Experiences 85.

The entrants for Imola