Monza occupies a very special place in GT racing history: in 2011, the legendary Italian venue hosted the first round of what was then called the Blancpain Endurance Series, launching what we know today as GT World Challenge powered by AWS. It's been a near constant on the calendar since that inaugural event, giving us plenty of choice as we run through the top five races at the Temple of Speed.
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5
2013 – Ferrari's First
Think of Monza and you will inevitably think of Ferrari. So it would be remiss of us to ignore the Maranello brand's first – and to date only – overall win at the track in 2013. Kessel Racing triumphed with its 458 Italia, which was shared by Davide Rigon, Daniel Zampieri and César Ramos.
Ramos made the winning pass during the middle stint, taking the lead from McLaren driver Nico Verdonck and pulling away thereafter. Ferrari has since taken four more pole positions at Monza – in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2024 – but is still chasing a second win on home soil.
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4
2015 – Raging Bulls
While Ferrari's first win at Monza was significant, there was something even more special about Lamborghini's victory two years later. Not only was this the Italian marque's maiden win on home soil, it was its first-ever victory in the Endurance Cup. Even more remarkable, it was achieved with a brand new car: the Huracán GT3.
Andrew Palmer, Fabio Babini and Jeroen Mul were the class of the field in their Grasser Racing entry, winning by more than half a minute despite losing time to a safety car during the final stint. The Huracán went on to become a multiple title-winner and scored its final Endurance win at the 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
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3
2016 – McLaren's Masterclass
It is a testament to how good we've had it at Monza that this has only just made it on to the podium. It's so good that we asked Rob Bell – who drove the winning McLaren – to retell the story of the race, which you can read here.
To sum it up, the Garage 59 car qualified 20th but had the speed to fight at the front. Bell charged up to third during the opening hour and Come Ledogar led for the middle stint. Shane van Gisbergen looked to have an easy run to the flag, only for Maxi Buhk to launch a late charge. The final laps were a game of cat and mouse as the McLaren and the Mercedes-AMG negotiated traffic. When the chequered flag fell, just three tenths separated the leaders.
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2
2019 – Dinamic Debutants
With Monza now established at the start of the summer, rain has become a very remote possibility. But when the race ran in early April, showers were not uncommon – and in 2019, those showers became very heavy.
While this would prove the undoing of some, it gave series debutant Dinamic a platform to excel. The Italian squad's Porsche started from 23rd on the grid, but climbed the order as others fell by the wayside. Klaus Bachler took the lead during the final stint and captured an incredible victory, sharing the car with Zaid Ashkanani and Andrea Rizzoli.
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1
2024 – History Makers
There is a case to be made that this is the best GT World Challenge race at any circuit. That's a discussion for another day, but it's beyond question that 2024 was Monza's finest.
A pre-event rule changed required teams to make three (rather than two) mandatory pit stops. This did not seem to have any significance until the final hour, when it transpired that a pair of Team WRT BMWs had completed all of their timed stops under an early safety car.
This gave the advantage to the OQ by Oman Racing entry – driven by Jens Klingmann – who led from Dries Vanthoor and the Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi. Klingmann hung on to claim victory with Ahmad Al Harthy and Sam De Haan, becoming the first Bronze Cup entrant to score an overall win. It was an incredible achievement and a testament to the ingenuity and strategic nous of Team WRT.
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