Nova Race in GT3 Sprint 2024 gives confidence to Mattia Simonini’s potential

The 18-year-old from Trentino will debut on the Misano Adriatico track with the Honda NSX GT3 Evo of the team from Varese

Winter test sessions are maturing agreements: this is the case of the test days faced by Nova Race on tracks like Vallelunga and Imola that will be the venue of the Italian Gran Turismo 202 Championship. The outcome of those tests has led to the maturation of a contract for the GT3 Sprint series between the team from Jerago con Orago and another youngster, who will then be at the wheel of one of the Honda NSX GT3 Evo at Misano Adriatico on 4 and 5 May when the engines will be switched on.

Team Manager of the Lombardy-based team Christian Pescatori confirms the agreement: ‘Mattia Simonini will do the Italian GT3 Sprint Championship with us. He is a driver I have been following for some time, I really like him as a guy and as a driver. From my point of view he has great potential, which we have already been able to see in the days of testing we have done so far. He’s very motivated and I like that he has a lot of drive, he’s working hard and that’s something that motivates me a lot in choosing Nova Race riders. I think we will see a year where he can gain experience and have the chance to grow a lot’.

The Japanese car that awaits him will be shared with Vincenzo Scarpetta, confirmed by Nova Race last week: with his colleague from Campania Simonini will therefore create a duo of ‘promises’. The driver from Rovereto (he will turn nineteen next August) after a debut in 2015 in karting, last year mixed commitments in the training discipline par excellence with the debut in the third edition of the hard-fought one-make BMW M2 CS Racing Cup, in which he distinguished himself immediately and also managed to get good placings and to finish eighth in the championship, despite having missed the initial leg. For the Trentino driver, motor racing will become his primary commitment in 2024, putting on the back burner a karting activity in which he took some satisfaction and measured himself successfully even with famous rivals, taking results of which he is still proud, such as the Senior podium at Adria in the Italian ACI Karting Championship 2021.

THE DRIVER’S COMMENT

MATTIA SIMONINI (driver Honda NSX GT3 Evo): ‘It’s my debut season in GT3 and I already know it won’t be easy because the level is very high and we race together with professionals, but I feel very comfortable with the team and I’m sure we can do well. I see 2024 as a year of growth because I only have one year of experience in the car behind me and last year’s car is very different from the Honda I will have this year. The GT3 is much more developed aerodynamically, so I still have to understand a little bit how the car works, but I’m sure we’ll get there during the course of the season and I want to be fast by the end of the year.

Jerago con Orago (VA), Wednesday, 9 April 2024

[Photo credit: ©Nova Race; copyright-free images for press use]

TEAM CONTACT: Christian Pescatori | +39 329 4334594