The Mugello Circuit staged the opening round of the 2026 Sprint GTA chased by the Giulietta Ti of Emanuele and Alessandro Alfa Revival Cup on 17-19 April with separate E/F and G/H/I trophies up for grabs. Used to taking all the top spots, this time the dominant GTAm brigade, 13-srong on a grid of 28 starters, had to cede to Alessandro Morteo and Lorenzo Moramarco in an Alfetta GT Turbodelta who quickly turned the qualifying order on its head.

Pulling past poleman Mario Salomone and solo driver Davide Bertinelli, Moramarco controlled the first part of the race, always under pressure from the battling pack of the Gr5 Giulia Sprint GTA of Marco Guerra and Bertinelli’s GTAm. Behind the leading trio, the GTAms of Franco Monguzzi, Bernhard Laber and Ambrogio Perfetti were locked in a fight of their own.

Photo Courtesy Canossa

A turning point came on lap nine of the one-hour race, when Perfetti suffered a puncture, which triggered a safety car period that coincided with the opening of the pit window. Bertinelli emerged from the stops in the lead, chased by a quartet made up of Monguzzi, Emanuele Morteo in from Moramarco, Stojetz over from Laber, and Massimo Guerra.

Giacomo Barri, taking over the pole-starting GTAm, began charging back through the field after Salmone’s difficult opening stint to finally finish in eighth place, while reigning champion Dario Inhelder maintained the progress of the car he shared with fellow title-holder Peter Bachofen. The closing laps saw a final charge from Morteo in the Alfetta, who made a decisive move on Bertinelli three laps from the end to score the overall and G/H/I victory. Second place still represents important championship points for Davide Bertinelli, while Franco Monguzzi took third after a composed and faultless drive.

Giampaolo Benedini and Bruno Ferrari underlined their E/F Category victory by taking fastest lap in the class in their Giulia Morteo.

Of note was the determination of Roberto Lonardi, who brought his Period E Giulietta Spider Veloce to the finish despite three pit stops for electrical issues, and a strong performance from André Kardol in his Alfetta Veloce 2000, the only self-run car in the paddock. Also of note, veteran champion Arturo Merzario was on the grid, sharing a period G Giulia Sprint GTA with Fabrizio Zamuner.