Monaco Increase Management driver Lirim Zendeli gets his 2024 racing season underway this weekend when he lines up on the grid at the Misano World Circuit on Italy’s Adriatic Riviera. Lirim will be making his covered-wheel and GT competition debut for the Bergamo-based Ombra Racing squad behind the wheel of a 510 hp Porsche 911 GT3 machine in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia.

It will be an entirely new experience for the 24-year-old German of Albanian origin, who so far in his eight years of racing competition has always piloted single-seater machinery, and it promises to be an extremely busy season ahead for him as he tackles the six rounds of the Italian one-make series in addition to the prestigious Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup that will accompany eight Formula 1 world championship races around Europe.

Lirim’s first race will be this weekend on the Italian track, but he has already been able to get to grips with his new Porsche mount in an intensive pre-season official testing session; one day at Imola last month, during which he set third-quickest time and was best rookie, two days at Silverstone on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in preparation for the Supercup, and one day at Misano on Thursday, in which he was an impressive fourth.

Lirim’s Ombra Racing squad can boast an impressive record, particularly in formula racing in motorsport. Founded in 1994, they joined the one-make Porsche series in 2022 and are once again tipped for success in a very competitive field of talented youngsters and experienced drivers. The team is run by the former driver Davide Mazzoleni, who said he was looking forward to seeing how the new rookie will go this year.

“We are particularly excited about our new driver Lirim Zendeli, who has extensive experience in formula cars,” declared Davide. “After his COVID-related career break, he got back on track in the USA last year. Lirim will compete in both the Supercup and the Carrera Cup Italia, as he is familiar with these circuits from his F3 and F2 days. His maturity offers stability amidst a field often dominated by younger talents. He is a promising candidate who can show that successful transitions from single-seater to GT racing are possible.”

Round 1 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia will be held over a night-day format with Race 1 on Saturday at 9 pm in the evening and Race 2 on Sunday at noon. Free practice is on Friday evening and Qualifying on Saturday morning.

Stay tuned to our social media channels or follow Lirim on www.carreracupitalia.it as Porsche’s spectacular one-make series gets underway at Misano World Circuit.

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