Vicky Piria claimed a dominant victory in the Italian GT Endurance season finale at Monza, delivering a flawless performance in the 3 hour race with speed and consistency, securing her third Italian GT win on her series return.
Vicky Piria took a dominant victory on her return to Italian GT for the Endurance Series season finale, where she teamed up with William Mezzetti at Enrico Fulgenzi Racing in the GT Cup Second Division ProAm class.
Having raced in the series since 2022 and having claimed the vice-champion title in 2023 in the GT Cup ProAm class, Piria has since then joined the Sky Italy F1 broadcast team, where she took on the role of presenter. Nevertheless the former W Series racer has definitely not hanged her helmet and continues to collect successes in GT racing: Piria returned behind the wheel of a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup for select rounds of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Suisse - and took commanding victories at Imola and Mugello.
After making the transition from single seaters to GT competitions in 2022 in the Italian GT Championship, Piria has quickly learnt and up to speed aboard the Porsche GT3 Cup car. Securing her first class podium in Italian GT at the final round of the 2022 season in Mugello, Vicky has then continued to climb the ranks in 2023, winning her first races and ultimately finishing second in the championship standings, missing out on the title due to a technicality despite equal points.
Though her Formula 1 broadcasting commitments prevented her from a full campaign in 2024, Piria stayed race-ready, and her outings in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Suisse showcased her talent and speed. At Mugello, Piria delivered a flawless weekend with two dominant class wins and - and aimed to carry momentum at the next opportunity behind the wheel.
The opportunity materialized at the final round of the Italian GT Endurance series at Monza, where Piria would be joining William Mezzetti at Enrico Fulgenzi Racing, in the #117 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car. With significant power differences between the Ferrari, Lamborghini and the Porsches, the 992 Cup cars have been split in the GT Cup Second Division in 2024, allowing for a fairer competition.
At the Temple of Speed, the drivers faced extremely challenging conditions early in the weekend, with heavy rain marking both Friday and Saturday running.
The Piria-Mezzetti duo, however, soon proved to be bulletproof and led the GT Cup 2nd Division ProAm class in the opening two practice sessions, also closing in on the top of the GT Cup overall classification.
They finished second in the final practice, just two-tenths behind class leaders Calcagno and Sonzogni, before gearing up for Saturday’s qualifying session, which took place in heavy rain.
Mezzetti took the wheel for Q1, setting the second-fastest time in class at 2:03.419 before worsening rain conditions brought out a red flag. In Q2, Vicky Piria set a provisional pole time in her class with a lap of 2:01.972, despite Di Benedetto in the #122 Ebimotors car finding more time in the closing stages. Mezzetti returned for Q3, narrowly challenging Cazzaniga for the top class position, securing pole position with a combined time after his lap of 1:59.852.
Weather turned around on race day, and despite a damp track in the morning the start of the Italian GT season finale got underway in dry conditions. William Mezzetti took the start for the #117 Enrico Fulgenzi Racing crew, starting from class pole position and ninth overall among the GT Cup entries.
At lights out, a multiple car contact at Prima Variante and then at La Roggia chicane made for an action packed start but the race remained green, with the cold track resulting in more spins at Parabolica and Ascari over the first few laps for several GT3 and GT Cup cars.
Mezzetti started from class pole and ninth overall among the GT Cup entries, navigating a chaotic start that saw multiple car contacts without losing the class lead.
Fifteen minutes into the race, the stricken #16 AKM Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3 under braking at Ascari triggered the first Full Course Yellow of the race, neutralizing the action.
Mezzetti had been defending class position over the #127 Ebimotors Porsche driven by Ronnie Valori.
The race resumed with 2 hours and 30 mins to go, with the first pit window approaching: Mezzetti pitted soon after, handing over to Vicky Piria for the first time in the race, who rejoined while in the class lead after a clean pit stop on lap 13.
Piria had a remarkable first stint, she found her rhythm immediately, clocking lap times under 1:51 and building a consistent gap over her competitors. By lap 20, she was running 1:50.2, and a few laps later, she dipped below the 1:50 mark on older tires.
After a 1:49.450 lap that would remain for most of the race the team's benchmark, Vicky completed a spectacular stint on lap 27, handing back over to Mezzetti, now with a solid lead in GT Cup 2nd Division ProAm and closing in on the overall top five in GT Cup.
The trend continued with Mezzetti's second stint, who also found really strong times in the 1:50 bracket and kept building a safe margin. On lap 36, however, a big crash out of Lesmo 2 brought out a second neutralization, when the #99 Audi of Van Berlo was hit by the lapped #172 Lamborghini Huracan of Caiola, then collected by the #255 Ferrari.
The accident scattered debris on track and a long full course yellow was then followed by a full safety car. The timing, however, turned out to be good for Mezzetti, as the closest class pursuer was at that point almost a lap behind. Mezzetti pitted for fuel under caution and remained behind the wheel, with the green flag back on lap 44.
After a few fast laps, including one under the 1:50 mark, Mezzetti pitted for the driver change on lap 50, as Vicky Piria was back behind the wheel for her second driving shift.
And she delivered once again: one lap after the other, Piria kept improving her times, with outstanding consistency always in the 1:50 range.
Vicky expertly managed the traffic of the overall leaders, was never under threat from class rivals and, when on lap 61 the race was back under caution for a puncture for the #12 Tresor Audi Sport Italia, she had made her way up into the overall top 20 and fourth among the GT Cup entries.
When the next pit window opened, Piria completed arguably one of her best stints in GT racing, leaving William Mezzetti in the #117 Porsche for the final stint of the race, with 25 minutes to go.
With a healthy margin over the closest class competitors, Mezzetti drove with great confidence and again started to dip under the 1:50 pace. He set his personal best sectors and, unchallenged, he went on to cross the finish line as the class leader, with over a lap gap to the #122 Ebimotors Porsche in second place.
With a flawless run, Piria and Mezzetti executed the perfect race at Monza, with not a single mistake over the 3 hour contest, and made their way up from ninth to the overall top three in the GT Cup classification, in an outstanding showing for the Italian racer on her only Italian GT appearance of the season.
Despite the limited racing opportunities in 2024, Piria capitalized on the track time in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Suisse series - which offers significant driving time over testing and practice - to keep the edge behind the wheel, and she once again delivered, securing her third win in Italian GT, as she will aim to continue collecting silverware in 2025.
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