Mugello Podium seals PRO-AM silver for Mahaveer Raghunathan at Italian GT Championship

Mugello, Sep 16 (IANS) Indian racer Mahaveer Raghunathan made history at the Italian GT Endurance race in Mugello, clinching a hard-fought P3 overall and P2 in the PRO-AM class. This performance secured him the runner-up spot in the 2025 Italian GT PRO-AM Endurance Championship — making him the first and only Indian to achieve this milestone.

Raghunathan drove car number 51 for AF CORSE, teamed with Lorenzo Ferrari and Riccardo Ponzio, piloting a Ferrari 296 GT3 and the trio scored 12 points in the main race. The race began with the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 team starting from P2 after a great qualifying lap by Raghunathan’s teammate, who held the position solidly through the first stint. During his own stint, Raghunathan faced intense challenges as several lapped GT Cup cars appeared just ahead after the pit window, costing crucial time as he carefully overtook without contact. Despite being compromised by traffic, he executed the manoeuvres cleanly and preserved position with disciplined race craft

Throughout his second stint, Raghunathan displayed mature defensive skills, including holding off a direct challenger for the entire stint while constantly navigating around slower GT Cup traffic—especially difficult on Mugello’s tight and technical layout.

Reflecting on his performance, Raghunathan noted significant improvements in handling traffic and race craft compared to earlier in the season, setting a positive tone for the final rounds. “My main takeaway is to use everything I’ve learned fighting with other cars, having a good race craft and challenge for the title in the last two rounds of the Sprint championship,” Mahaveer stated

The focus now shifts to the final stages of the Italian GT Sprint championship, with Raghunathan determined to fight for the top spot. “I’m looking forward to being back on the podium in two weeks at Imola—which will host the penultimate sprint round—and I’m committed to bringing all my experience to the title fight,” Mahaveer Raghunathan concluded.

--IANS

bc/