The 911 GT3 Cups, equipped with ABS from this year, immediately achieved record-breaking results: the rookie Bristot surprises with the best time of 1'42"199

The Porsche Carrera Cup Italia kicked off its 20th edition on the day of collective tests staged on Thursday 2 April in Imola. The preview on the track allowed drivers and teams present to regain confidence with the 510 horsepower Porsche 911 GT3 Cup protagonists of the Italian one-make series, which among numerous innovations now awaits the first round of the season scheduled in Imola on 24-26 April. That weekend will open a 2026 of perspective for the series, which, in view of the adoption of the new car in 2027, has chosen to equip the current cars with the ABS system, a novelty on which the teams worked intensively during Thursday's shakedown. For Porsche Italia, the start of the racing season will also confirm the double commitment inaugurated last year: the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package that animate the Porsche Taycan Rush will also be back in action on the Santerno circuit. The 100% electric one-make series is ready for its second edition and will be held in parallel in 5 of the 6 rounds of the Carrera Cup.

In the preview of the collective shakedown, among the 32 drivers who took to the track at Imola representing 12 teams, the name of Andrea Bristot stands out, in his debut season in Gran Turismo and in Carrera Cup Italia. Born in 2001, the driver from Belluno, the new Dinamic Motorsport driver, surprised with his pace and speed. He set the best lap time at the end of the day thanks to the 1"42"199 achieved in the final. A time that was already a reference at the beginning of the season and which, among other things, improved last year's pole position time by more than two tenths at Imola. Among the novelties, three other rookies stood out in the top-10 of the test, all born in 2005: the British Harley Haughton, third just one tenth from the top with Enrico Fulgenzi Racing, the Dutchman Senna Van Soelen, who entered the top-5 with the Target SRL team, and the Como Marco Butti, a well-known face in TCR races author with The Driving Experiences of the eighth overall time half a second behind Bristot.

After the new selection process adopted by the Carrera Cup Italia, Haughton and Van Soelen are two of the nine young prospective drivers who have joined the renewed Talent Pool. The coaching project previously called Scholarship Programme and reserved for under 23s has been further strengthened and this year will also follow the sporting growth of Nathan Schaap and Callum Voisin of Ombra Racing, Benjamin Berta (Malucelli Motorsport), Paul De Prenter (The Driving Experiences) and the Italians Cristian Bertuca (making his debut with Omnia Motorsport) and Pietro Delli Guanti, the 2025 Rookie champion. The 22-year-old driver of Apulian origin is the new official driver of the Q8 Hi Perform Team and after setting the best time in the morning session he closed the test at Imola with the sixth overall best (1'42"587).

Among the more experienced drivers, however, Aldo Festante stands out. The rider from Campania joined the Target team and at the end of the day he was the author of the second best time of the day, just 26 thousandths behind Bristot. Interesting feedback therefore came from the German already 2024 Rookie champion Lirim Zendeli (fourth with BeDriver), from the 2021 champion Alberto Cerqui (seventh to inaugurate his second consecutive season with Ebimotors), from the 2018 and 2022 champion Gianmarco Quaresmini (ninth with Prima Ghinzani Motorsport) and from Diego Bertonelli, in the top-10 on his return to the Italian one-make series with BeDriver.

In Imola news and first skirmishes were also staged among the protagonists of the Michelin Cup. In the dust the returning Cesare Brusa. The Lombard driver of Prima Ghinzani Motorsport hit the best time in the category both in the morning and in the afternoon, followed by direct rivals Paolo Gnemmi (Ebimotors) and Stefano Stefanelli (Malucelli Motorsport).

The times of the test at Imola

1. Andrea Bristot (Dinamic Motorsport) 1'42"199

2. Aldo Festante (Target Srl) +0"026

3. Harley Haughton (Enrico Fulgenzi Racing) +0"113

4. Lirim Zendeli (BeDriver) +0"321

5. Senna Van Soelen (Target Srl) +0"384

6. Pietro Delli Guanti (Team Q8 Hi Perform) +0"388

7. Alberto Cerqui (Ebimotors) +0"418

8. Marco Butti (TDE ) +0"490

9. Gianmarco Quaresmini (Prima Ghinzani) +0"532

10. Diego Bertonelli (BeDriver) +0"692

11. Zachary Taylor (PMA Motorsport) +0"778