Season’s best result for Karen Gaillard at Monza, scores first points
- LIAM REDFORD
- Jun 22
- 5 min read
Karen Gaillard achieved her first points scoring result in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy as the Swiss driver finished in 14th position at Monza. Gaillard showed excellent racecraft during the event as she battled in the competitive midfield while twice finishing in sixth position within the Rookie class.
Karen Gaillard achieved her first points scoring result in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy as the Ombra Racing driver finished in 15th position at Monza. Gaillard showed excellent racecraft during the event as she battled in the competitive midfield while twice finishing in sixth position within the Rookie class.
Gaillard arrived at Monza looking for a change in fortune after a challenging start to her rookie season in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy. After a character-building opening round at Imola, Gaillard made consistent progress during round two at Misano. Bouncing back from a tough qualifying session, the Ombra Racing driver scored her first top-20 finish of the season, while securing a best result of eighth in the Rookie class.
Despite her extensive European racing experience, Gaillard had only limited running at Monza prior to the weekend. Therefore, it was set to be a new challenge for the Swiss racer who was targeting further progress during the course of the event.
Friday’s action consisted of the sole, one-hour free practice session with Gaillard making a solid start to the weekend. Despite the session halted for an extended period following an incident for Andrea D’Amico, Gaillard completed 19 laps with her quickest time coming in the final minutes of practice. Setting a fastest lap of a 1:50.568, Gaillard ended the session in 25th position overall, ninth in the Rookie class.
Qualifying took place early on Saturday morning with the 40-minute session providing a chance to improve on yesterday’s times. After a quiet start the session followed by a brief full course yellow period after the car of Paul de Prenter required recovery, the lap times quickly improved during the second half of qualifying.
Gaillard’s speed in the first part of the lap was particularly impressive as she regularly matched the pacesetters through the opening chicanes. Traffic made it difficult to execute a perfect lap with Gaillard’s quickest time of a 1:50.046 placing her in 26th position overall, 11th among the Rookie drivers.
Race one at Monza took place on Saturday afternoon with Gaillard lining up from 25th on the grid. The Ombra Racing driver made a good initial start as she quickly moved up to 23rd position before completing lap one in 22nd spot. As the drivers began lap two, the safety car was deployed after the car of Harley Haughton was beached in the gravel.
The race resumed on lap four and Gaillard was quickly on the move as she passed the Prima Ghinzani Motorsport machine of Giorgio Amati. Now with fellow Rookie class driver Benjamin Berta behind, Gaillard was doing a nice job to protect her position from the Hungarian racer. Just up ahead, Target driver Filippo Fant had received a time penalty and therefore if Gaillard could remain in touch with her rival, she was set to gain a further position at the conclusion of the race.
On lap seven, the battles just inside the top-20 intensified and Gaillard did a superb job to use her racecraft to make progress. Overtaking Alex De Giacomi, Luciano Martinez and Paul De Prenter, Gaillard was up to 18th position. With Martinez now directly behind and the Argentinian driver receiving a drive-through penalty, the pressure on the Ombra Racing driver was eased further.
After a series of fast and consistent laps, Gaillard moved ahead of Ermanno Quintieri on lap 10 after the Omnia Motorsport driver retired from the race. With Quintieri’s car requiring recovery, the safety car was deployed for a second time with Gaillard now in 17th position.
The race resumed with just five minutes remaining and an excellent restart saw the Swiss driver pass both Enrico Fulgenzi and William Mezzetti. Now inside the top-15 for the first time this season, Gaillard was showing increased confidence as she looked set for a season’s best result.
Gaillard battled side-by-side with Fulgenzi with the experienced racer moving ahead on the final lap of the race. Nonetheless, Gaillard took the chequered flag in 16th position overall, sixth in the Rookie class, before later being promoted to 14th after the time penalty was applied to Fant. It was a smart drive from Gaillard who battled within the competitive midfield on her way to her first points scoring finish in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy.
Race two at Monza took place on Sunday morning with Gaillard lining up from 25th on the grid. As the lights went out, the Swiss racer made a good start and held her position as the drivers approached the first chicane. Despite placing her car smartly, Gaillard was spun by Andrea Galli and therefore the Ombra Racing driver fell to the rear of the field. Completing lap one in 30th position, Gaillard was now looking for a safety car in order to put herself back into contention.
On lap two, Galli slowed with damage following his contact with Gaillard and this promoted the Swiss driver into 29th position. Running in clean air, Gaillard was lapping on pace with those inside the top-10 as she worked on setting fast and consistent lap times. After Enrico Fulgenzi pitted on lap four and Senna Van Soelen retired on lap five, Gaillard was now up to 27th position.
Now catching Lee Mowle, Gaillard was making significant inroads on the British racer as she looked to make a pass for position. On lap nine, the Ombra Racing driver overtook Mowle for 26th position before setting a new personal best time. Setting a lap of a 1:50.414, Gaillard was within half a second of her qualifying benchmark despite track temperatures now reaching 50C.
On lap 13, incidents involving William Mezzetti and Paul De Prenter elevated Gaillard into 24th position. The safety car was then deployed to retrieve the stricken cars and following superb work from the marshals, the race resumed with one lap remaining.
It was a busy restart with multiple changes of position throughout the field, while contact between Callum Voisin and Cristian Bertuca saw both drivers fall down the order. Gaillard capitalised and took the chequered flag in 21st position, sixth in the Rookie class, to complete an excellent recovery drive following the opening lap spin. Following post-race penalties handed out to both Nathan Schaap and Stefano Stefanelli, Gaillard moved up to 19th in the final classification.
Gaillard took significant strides forward at Monza where she achieved a season’s best result, including her first points scoring finish in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy. The Ombra Racing driver displayed superb racecraft during the course of the event and now she will be looking to push towards the Rookie class podium in the next round of the campaign which takes place at Vallelunga on the weekend of 4th/5th July.
