Weekend Preview: Eight Ferraris on the track at Vallelunga in the CIGT

The first Endurance round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship is set to take place at the Piero Taruffi Circuit in Vallelunga this weekend. After the record number of entries in the sprint races at Misano and Imola, the first endurance event will also feature impressive numbers, with 35 cars entered in the GT3 and GT Cup classes for a total of 101 competitors. No fewer than eight Ferraris appear on the entry list, including the reigning champions from Scuderia Baldini.

GT3. The outright favourites in the main class will be the 2023 title holders, Giancarlo Fisichella and Tommaso Mosca, who, in the new Ferrari 296 GT3 number 27 of the Lazio-based Scuderia Baldini team, will be joined by Arthur Leclerc, brother of Charles. In the Pro-Am class, AF Corse fields two cars, the 296 GT3 number 50 courtesy of Riccardo Ponzio, Stefano Gai and Mikkel Mac, and the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 51 with the 2023 Ferrari Challenge Europe champion, Eliseo Donno, joined for the occasion by Alessandro Bracalente. Finally, Double TT Racing will field the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 75 in the Am class, with Leonardo Colavita, Simone Riccitelli and Christoph Ulrich.

GT Cup. The other four representatives of the Maranello-based manufacturer will be involved in the GT Cup. In the Pro-Am class, the reigning champions Luca Demarchi, Simone Patrinicola and Sabatino Di Mare will be aboard Best Lap’s number 111 488 Challenge Evo. In the Am class, we find the 488 Challenge Evo number 212, also of Best Lap, with Giammarco Marzialetti, Pietro Agoglia and Vito Postiglione; the number 222 of Easy Race with Francesco La Mazza, Emiliano Pierantoni and Alex Bacci; and the number 251 of SR&R with Nicolas Risitano, Lyle Schofield and Luca Attianese.

After the two 60-minute free practice sessions on Friday and the third on Saturday morning (11.50 a.m.), in the afternoon, from 6.35 p.m., the three official practice sessions will get underway to determine the starting grid for the 3-hour race scheduled for Sunday at 3.30 p.m.