Jenni Sonzogni makes highly encouraging GT3 debut in Italian GT

Italian driver Jenni Sonzogni made an encouraging debut in GT3 machinery during the opening round of the 2026 Italian GT Endurance Championship at Misano, with a competitive performance in extremely challenging mixed-weather conditions.

Photo credits: ACI Sport

Italian driver Jenni Sonzogni made an encouraging debut in GT3 machinery during the opening round of the 2026 Italian GT Endurance Championship at Misano, with a competitive performance in extremely challenging mixed-weather conditions.

Sharing the #77 Nova Race BMW M4 GT3 Evo with Massimo Ciglia and Alessandro Tarabini, Sonzogni impressed with strong pace throughout the weekend and helped the team secure seventh place in the GT3 AM class and 23rd overall after a dramatic three-hour race featuring changing conditions, multiple safety cars and intense battles across the 53-car grid.

The Misano weekend marked an important milestone in Sonzogni’s racing career as the Bergamo-born driver stepped up to the GT3 platform for the first time. After a promising 2025 campaign in GT Cup machinery, where she demonstrated consistent development aboard the Porsche 992 Cup car, Sonzogni earned the opportunity to graduate to the top GT category with Nova Race for the 2026 endurance season.

She joined experienced racer Massimo Ciglia and emerging talent Alessandro Tarabini in the team’s BMW M4 GT3 Evo for the four-round campaign, with Misano hosting the season opener.

Sonzogni immediately showed encouraging pace in qualifying. Driving in Q1, she set a best lap of 1:34.065, just 1.3 seconds away from the outright pace setter, placing fifth in the GT3 AM class and comfortably in the midfield overall. Ciglia continued the strong showing in Q2 with a 1:33.357 lap that secured second in GT3 AM and 16th overall. Tarabini then completed qualifying with a 1:33.869, seventh in class and 31st overall. The trio’s combined time of 4:41.291 placed the #77 Nova Race BMW on the 13th row for Sunday’s three-hour race.

Photo credits: ACI Sport

After all sessions had been held in dry conditions, heavy rain arrived for the race on Sunday afternoon, immediately adding another major challenge for the field. With standing water around the circuit, race control elected to begin the race behind the safety car.

Sonzogni took the start for the Nova Race entry from fifth in GT3 AM and 26th overall in the huge 53-car field. After three laps behind the safety car, the green flag was finally waved and the drivers accelerated away into the deluge.

Despite the treacherous conditions, Sonzogni handled the opening phase impressively. She held fifth in class while keeping the #68 Lamborghini of Randazzo behind, immediately showing confidence in the wet conditions with competitive laps in the 1:57 range. As the rain slightly eased, lap times steadily improved, and Sonzogni responded by dropping into the 1:55s while maintaining her class position.

When the first pit window opened, Sonzogni stayed out and began making major progress. She significantly improved her pace with laps in the 1:53s before setting a 1:52.8 on lap 14, climbing as high as second in GT3 AM and 16th overall.

The race then took another dramatic turn when the Porsche Cup car of Mauro Trione crashed heavily into the pit wall on the main straight after exiting the final corner. The resulting Full Course Yellow came right in the middle of the pit cycle and created a major strategic shuffle.

Sonzogni brought the #77 BMW to pit road on lap 17 from ninth overall, timing the stop under caution conditions. After completing her opening stint, she handed the car over to Tarabini, with the Nova Race entry now running third in GT3 AM.

The race resumed with 133 minutes remaining, but conditions were still extremely difficult. Tarabini immediately found himself in close battles, pressuring Bracalente for second in class while navigating several midfield incidents cleanly. Although the rain intensified once again, Tarabini remained competitive and overtook Cuhadaroglu for second in GT3 AM on lap 22.

Photo credits: ACI Sport

However, Stephane Tribaudini was also charging through the field and moved ahead of Tarabini one lap later. Tarabini then struggled for a few laps, losing several seconds per lap and falling back behind Cuhadaroglu. He eventually recovered his rhythm with a 1:55 lap on lap 25 and reclaimed third in class shortly afterwards.

At the one-hour mark, the second pit window opened. Tarabini set a 1:54.9 before diving into pit lane and handing the BMW over to Massimo Ciglia.

After the pit cycle completed, Ciglia rejoined fifth in GT3 AM and 24th overall, directly behind the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Arno Santamato. Ciglia steadily improved his pace with consistent laps in the 1:55s while chasing the cars ahead.

Over the next laps, however, he came under pressure from several faster cars, including Altoè and Mancinelli, who both managed to pass him. With Pro-class traffic also arriving, including the McLaren of Deledda, Ciglia had to carefully manage the difficult conditions while maintaining position in class.

The experienced Italian soon responded by returning to the 1:54s and eventually low 1:53s, producing some of the car’s strongest laps of the race. He climbed back into the overall top 20 and cycled back to seventh in GT3 AM before pitting at the final possible opportunity on lap 44, immediately after setting the team’s fastest lap of the race to that point with a 1:52.271.

Jenni Sonzogni climbed back aboard the BMW for her second stint just past the halfway point of the race and immediately delivered great pace as conditions began to improve.

She instantly lowered the team benchmark with a 1:50.6 lap, nearly two seconds faster than the previous best. Still running ninth in class after the third round of pit stops, Sonzogni rapidly began moving forward again.

Her pace continued to improve lap after lap; she found another three tenths on lap 48 before delivering one of the highlight laps of this stage of the race with a stellar 1:47.940, becoming the first driver of the team to break the 1:50 barrier. Sonzogni overtook Robert Mau’s Porsche to reclaim eighth in GT3 AM and continued to close on the cars ahead.

With one hour remaining, another round of pit stops began as several teams switched to slick tyres on the drying track. Sonzogni cycled as high as third in class during the pit sequence while running 22nd overall and sixth in GT3 AM.

Photo credits: ACI Sport

She eventually brought the #77 BMW into the pits with 56 minutes remaining, handing over to Ciglia once again as rain began to intensify. Around the circuit, conditions worsened rapidly again: Cuhadaroglu spun from the GT3 AM class lead, the #71 Lamborghini of Locanto became stranded in the gravel, and the #107 Ferrari crashed into the barriers, prompting another safety car intervention.

At the restart with 43 minutes remaining, Ciglia resumed sixth in class in a tightly packed group. He quickly gained positions as Ryndziewicz lost ground, moving up to fifth and then fourth in GT3 AM while leading a close train of class rivals.

As the rain eased once more, another Full Course Yellow was deployed with 34 minutes remaining just as the final pit window opened. Teams immediately switched to slick tyres as conditions rapidly evolved again.

Ciglia brought the BMW into pit lane under caution, with Tarabini taking over for the final stint. The #77 Nova Race BMW emerged fourth in class but immediately under pressure from Schiró, Altoè and Miller.

Since the entire pit sequence occurred under caution, the race turned into a sprint to the finish following the restart with 20 minutes remaining.

Tarabini initially lost two positions in class during the hectic restart and dropped to sixth in GT3 AM amid chaotic battles in the slippery conditions. Several spins ahead briefly promoted him back to fifth before another major accident interrupted the race once more. The Audi of Lambrughi, running second in class, crashed heavily into the barriers at the fast Curvone corner, triggering another safety car.

After a quick cleanup, the race resumed for a final 12-minute sprint. Tarabini initially retained fourth in class despite pressure from several rivals, but the closing laps proved extremely intense. Miller eventually found a way through, followed shortly after by Altoè in the final minute of the race. Caglioni also moved ahead in the closing stages as Tarabini struggled in the difficult final laps.

The #77 Nova Race BMW ultimately crossed the line seventh in GT3 AM and 23rd overall.

Despite narrowly missing out on a class top five, the Misano weekend nevertheless represented a highly encouraging GT3 debut for Jenni Sonzogni. The Italian showed strong pace throughout the event, particularly in the mixed conditions, and consistently improved over the course of the weekend while adapting to the significantly more demanding GT3 machinery.

The second round of the Italian GT Endurance Championship will take place at Monza on 19–21 June.