April 21, 2026: The Mugello Circuit staged the opening round of the 2026 Alfa Revival Cup with a race packed with pace, strategy and wheel-to-wheel action, as the Canossa Events-promoted championship immediately underlined the depth and variety of its grid. With separate E/F and G/H/I battles unfolding simultaneously, the season opener delivered two contests in one.
The rolling start quickly turned the qualifying order on its head. Pole-sitter Salomone, aboard the 1750 GTAm, slipped back in the opening laps, while Moramarco launched the Alfetta GT Turbodelta into the lead and controlled the early pace at the head of a hard-fighting front group.
The battle for the top places developed through Mugello’s more technical sections, where precision, traction and momentum count for as much as outright power. Moramarco had to withstand pressure from the Carrera Team Giulia Sprint GTA driven in the opening phase by Marco Guerra, as well as Bertinelli’s 1750 GTAm, with Monguzzi, Laber and Perfetti all locked into the lead fight in their GTAm machinery. On lap three, mechanical trouble forced the Giulia Sprint GTA of Walter Ben and Restelli into early retirement.
Further back, Luginbühl and Franceschetti moved into the thick of the fight for the leading positions in their GTAm cars, while Siccardi and Barbolini Cionini remained firmly in touch. Bachofen and Sordi also confirmed the strength in depth of the Alfa Delta OKP line-up during the opening exchanges.
The key turning point came on lap nine. A Safety Car period, triggered after Perfetti suffered a puncture and stopped in a dangerous position, coincided with the opening of the mandatory pit window between minutes 20 and 40, immediately reshaping strategy across the field.
Bertinelli emerged in the lead, chased by a quartet made up of Monguzzi, Emanuele Morteo, Stojetz and Massimo Guerra, all now aboard after the driver changes. Barri, taking over the pole-starting GTAm, began charging back through the field after the difficult opening phase, while Inhelder maintained the progress of the car shared with Bachofen. In the closing stages, Arturo Merzario continued the run of the Alfa Delta OKP Giulia Sprint GTA shared with Fabrizio Zamuner.
Elsewhere, the midfield battle remained intense all the way to the flag. Luginbühl, Siccardi, Franceschetti, Marco Guerra after switching to the car previously driven by Pantaleo, Umberto Brustio after taking over from his father Marco, Barbolini Cionini and Monsen continued trading places in a relentless second half of the race.
In the closing laps, the Alfetta GT Turbodelta completed its charge with the decisive move on Bertinelli’s GTAm, handing Alessandro Morteo and Lorenzo Moramarco outright G/H/I victory. Second place still represents an important championship score for Davide Bertinelli, while Franco Monguzzi secured third after a composed and faultless drive.
In E/F, victory went to Giampaolo Benedini and Bruno Ferrari after a closely fought and highly technical contest, further underlined by the fastest lap of the period in 2:26.711. Second went to Emanuele and Alessandro Morteo, while Giovanni Serio and Franco Mischis claimed third despite a gearbox failure in the closing minutes that cost them dearly on the run to the line.
Also noteworthy was the determination of Roberto Lonardi, who brought his Period E Giulietta Spider Veloce to the finish despite three pit stops for electrical issues. Strong performances also came from Carbone, Kardol – once again competitive with his self-run effort – and Bardelli in the Alfetta GT America.
Mugello has delivered the first real indications of 2026: some strengths are already clear, but the pecking order is far from settled and this championship already looks set to remain wide open.
The Mugello Race
Overall E/F
Giampaolo Benedini / Bruno Ferrari – Giulia Sprint GTA – Carrera Team
Emanuele Morteo / Alessandro Morteo – Giulietta TI – Irpinia Northwest Jolly
Giovanni Serio / Franco Mischis – Giulia Sprint GTA – Carrera Team
Overall G/H/I
Alessandro Morteo / Lorenzo Moramarco – Alfetta GT Turbodelta – Irpinia Northwest Jolly
Davide Bertinelli – 1750 GTAm – Alfa Delta OKP
Franco Monguzzi – 1750 GTAm – Scuderia Biondetti
Class Winners – Round 1 Mugello
E GTS 1300: Roberto Lonardi – Giulietta Spider Veloce – Scuderia Nuvolari
E TC 1300: Emanuele Morteo / Alessandro Morteo – Giulietta TI – Irpinia Northwest Jolly
F TC 1600: Giampaolo Benedini / Bruno Ferrari – Giulia Sprint GTA – Carrera Team
G1 GR.5 1600: Atul Saini / Peter Praller – Giulia Sprint GTA – Formula GT
G2 TC 2000: Davide Bertinelli – 1750 GTAm – Alfa Delta OKP
G2 GTS 1600: Fred Arve Monsen – Giulia Sprint GTA – Alfa Delta OKP
H1 T 2000: Salvatore Carbone – GT Veloce 2000 – Gatti Team
H2 TC 2000: André Kardol – GT Veloce 2000 – Alfa Race Team
I TC 2000: Gianluca Bardelli – Alfetta GT America – Eclat Racing ASD
I GR.5 1600: Massimo Guerra / Marco Guerra – Giulia Sprint GTA – Carrera Team
I GTS 2800: Alessandro Morteo / Lorenzo Moramarco – Alfetta GT Turbodelta – Irpinia Northwest Jolly
Championship Standings after Race 1
E/F Period
1st #16 Giampaolo Benedini / Bruno Ferrari | #10 Emanuele Morteo*
2nd #7 Roberto Lonardi
3rd #61 Giovanni Serio / Franco Mischis
*joint leaders on points
G/H/I Period
1st #87 Davide Bertinelli
2nd #116 Franco Monguzzi
3rd #306 Massimo Guerra / Marco Guerra
Teams
1st Alfa Delta OKP
2nd Carrera Team
3rd Formula GT
