On 9-10-11 October, more than 70 drivers took part in the inaugural COPPA FLORIO 12H Sicily, the first international race to have been hosted at the Autodromo di Pergusa since 2012. Unsurprisingly, round five of the 2020 24H SERIES powered by Hankook was the first time most of our drivers had driven at the 4.983km circuit that enveloped Lago di Pergusa.

During the course of the weekend, CREVENTIC caught up with several drivers to get their thoughts on the COPPA FLORIO 12H Sicily and the Autodromo di Pergusa in Sicily.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be here in Sicily for the COPPA FLORIO [12H Sicily]. It’s a beautiful circuit, we’ve had beautiful weather, and based on some of the weather we’ve had this year, we’re very grateful for that! We’ve all been having a good time, we’ve definitely enjoyed the event, and we certainly hope we can come back next season.” – Joe Foster, CP Racing.

“It’s been a long while since I’ve been behind the steering wheel, so for me, the first few laps were about feeling how the track was. And yeah, the track is really fast, really fun, with fast corners and hard braking zones for the chicanes. It’s really fun. I like it a lot!” – Willem Meijer, JR Motorsport.

“The circuit is amazing. So fast! As you know, I’m Sicilian, so I’m very proud to be racing here at my home track and I’m very happy CREVENTIC decided to bring back the ‘Coppa Florio’ here. It’s really a big party and I’m very excited.” – Michele Meredino, Tempo S.R.L.

“This is a great track. The speed is really good, it’s a really fast track and everyone is enjoying this one. [Our] car is really good although we had a little battle in the beginning, but we’re having a lot of fun. I hope we will be back next year for the COPPA FLORIO [12H Sicily] 2021 and I hope everyone here will join us.” – Liesette Braams, Las Moras Racing Team.

“It’s the first time I’ve driven here, and I did not expect there to be so much grip on the track! It’s a very, very fast track, and the race is going to be a lot of fun. I feel very happy and proud to be competing at this 12-hour race.” – Elia Erhart, Car Collection Motorsport.

“We are here as a family and we’re really enjoying this experience. Also today is the first time I’m racing at Pergusa, and I’m so in love with this track!  It’s very fast and there are some very special corners. I’m enjoying this a lot and I hope to come here next year as well." – Corinna Gostner, MP Racing.

“I’m very happy to see races being run again at Pergusa. For us, it’s a really interesting race at a fabulous track, and we’ve shown our performance with our Wolf GB08 Tornado. We started on the front row and we were at the front for the first 1.5 hours, but after a small problem with the intake, we had to stop. But it’s been a really, really fantastic event and we are really happy to have been on the grid!” – Ivan Bellarosa, Avelon Formula.

“It’s a very nice event. The atmosphere, I like the layout of the track, and the weather conditions – in Holland it’s raining, and here we have four or five days of fantastic weather between 22/25 degrees. I think, for the future, this could be a really good event.” – Jaap Van Lagen, MP Motorsport.

“Pergusa is a great track. It’s always fun to learn a new circuit and this feels very historic with the lake so close by. It’s so fast too. I’m really enjoying it.” – Luc Breukers, Red Camel-Jordans.nl.

“Amazing! This is a really cool place to drive. There are lots of chicanes here since it’s all going around the lake, and they’re all very challenging. High kerbs too: you can run them pretty well, but you have to be careful not to over-drive. And then there are some very high-speed corners so the whole lap is very quick.” – Jeroen Bleekemolen, Fulgenzi Racing.

“What an event CREVENTIC has put on here in Sicily! This 12-hour race is just unbelievable, at a circuit I don’t think any driver here has ever been on. And I had no idea, until it came on the schedule, about the HUGE amount of history this place has. Everybody is putting all of their effort into it: the teams; management at the race track; the corner workers; the series…I’m just having an amazing time!” – Shane Lewis, CP Racing.