CIGT: the future of covered wheels starts from here

The 2023 season of the Italian GT has long come to an end. During the year, both in the Endurance and Sprint series, we saw more and more young people arriving who stood out among the curbs of the Italian circuits.

Let’s see in this article those who were the young protagonists of the 2023 Italian Gran Turismo Championship, revealing themselves as the possible future stars of Italian motorsport.

Italian Endurance Championship

Tommaso Mosca, born in 2000, shared the wheel with the former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella obtaining 100% of podiums. They won every race except for the round at Vallelunga, which saw them protagonists of a contact that gave them 10s penalty, making them finish the race in second place in the standings but being the first to cross the finish line. The Scuderia Baldini duo won the title at the team’s home race, during the weekend of Vallelunga. The young Italian driver will probably remain with the Roman team also in 2024.

Arthur Leclerc, after a career in single seaters, is ready to switch to covered wheels. Also born in 2000, Leclerc participated in French and German Formula 4 and then moved to Formula Regional European championship where he finished the championship in second place. The following year he debuted in Formula 3 and, after two seasons, he arrived in Formula 2 in 2023 closing the season in fifteenth place. The Monegasque driver was recently announced by Ferrari as a Development Driver for Fomula 1 and at the wheel of Scuderia Baldini’s Ferrari number 27, perhaps alongside his peer Tommaso Mosca on board of the new Ferrari 296 GT3.

Riccardo Ianniello was definitely one of the youngest of the Italian GT, at only 16 years he raced onboard of the Lamborghini Huracan ST Evo 2 with the Lamborghini Roma by DL Racing team. Ianniello won the Italian GT Cup AM title in the Endurance series, together with teammates Alessandro Fabi and Alessio Caiola.

Another young driver who stood out in the championship is Eliseo Donno who raced in 2023 alongside Stefano Gai and Jules Castro. The young Apulian raced last season in the pro-am category finishing in fifth place for missing a race, despite the car finished the championship in third. In 2024 we’ll find Donno  at the start of the Gt World Challenge.

Italian Sprint Championship

At Imola were crowned the GT Cup champions, two young drivers who during the season have asserted themselves: Gilles Stadsbader and Vincenzo Scarpetta. The Belgian driver, born in 2004, stood on the podium in half of the races with a winning rate of 37.5%. The Italian Scarpetta, 17, debuted in GT cars at the start of the season and proved to be a great driver with the same percentage of victories and a 62.5% rate of podiums.

Rocco Mazzola, born in 2005, in 2022 was the protagonist of both the Sprint and Endurance series winning the title in the GT Cup PRO- Am together with Luigi Coluccio. In 2023 he debuted in the GT3 class in the Sprint series, always with the same team-mate, finishing the season in sixth place in the category. In 2024 Mazzola is ready to return to the track, this time with Audi Sport Italia in both the Sprint and Endurance series.

Leonardo Colavita, also born in 2005, finished third in the pro-am Gt Cup category. The 18-year-old, together with DoubleTT Racing, proved to be one of the most competitive Ferraris on the track, highlighting his talent. After the 2022 season in Euronascar and 2023 in the CIGT, he has not yet announced plans for the 2024 season.

Even the duo D'auria - White, onboard of the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo of AF Corse, were spotted in 2023. Already from the first race in Misano with pole position and demonstrating in the race to be able to fight for victory.

These drivers, while still very young, have shown that talent and determination can lead to success even at a young age. Given the results of this season, we can only be curious to see what these drivers will have to prove in the future.

2024 CIGT Calendar

5 maggio         Misano            Sprint

2 giugno          Imola               Sprint

16 giugno        Vallelunga       Endurance

14 luglio          Mugello          Endurance

25 agosto        Mugello          Sprint

8 settembre      Imola               Endurance

6 ottobre          Monza             Sprint

27 ottobre        Monza             Endurance