Mex Jansen led the way in Friday evening's Bronze Test at Monza, circulating the Temple of Speed in 1m46.661s aboard the #36 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin. The one-hour session kicked off the penultimate Endurance Cup weekend of the season, running without interruption as the sun set over the historic Italian autodrome.
Jansen set his time around the 20-minute mark, edging ahead of James Baldwin (#158 Garage 59 McLaren) and remaining on top until the chequered flag flew. Jensen and Baldwin are both Silver-graded drivers who have not previously competed at Monza and were therefore allowed to participate in the Bronze Test.
Louis Machiels subsequently beat Baldwin to P2 and was thus the quickest Bronze-graded driver aboard the #52 AF Corse Ferrari. The #91 Herberth Porsche was third with Ralf Bohn at the wheel, followed by Dustin Blattner (#97 Rutronik Racing Porsche), Ahmad Al Harthy (#30 Team WRT BMW) and Baldwin in the #158 McLaren.
A total of 21 cars participated in the Bronze Test. The majority were able to complete a significant number of laps, though the #15 BMW Italia Ceccato Racing entry was confined to the pits for the first half of the session. The car was able to run later on, ultimately logging 12 laps. Full results can be viewed here.
This weekend's event also features competitive action from McLaren Trophy Europe, the Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli and the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club, each of which will stage a pair of races on the 5.8km Monza circuit. Tickets are still available, with a full weekend pass including paddock access costing just €35. For more information, please click here.
Saturday will see the full Fanatec GT Europe field on-track at 09:00 CEST for Free Practice, while Pre-Qualifying runs at 14:10. All of the action will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
TIMETABLE
Saturday 21 September
Free Practice – 09:00–11:00
Pre-Qualifying – 14:10–15:10
Sunday 22 September
Qualifying – 09:00–10:00
Race – 15:30–18:30