Ian Rodríguez made his debut in the Italian Gran Turismo Sprint GT3 Championship. The Guatemalan driver climbed to the podium this Sunday by finishing third in the second race of the first date, held at the Autódromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in Imola, where he teamed up with the Italian Giuseppe Forenzi at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO of the Nova Race-FAEMS team. “Grateful to God, Guatemala. It is a great honor to share the podium with official drivers from big brands,” he expressed after crossing the finish line.
After completing 28 laps, Rodríguez and Forenzi crossed the finish line just 2,570 seconds from first place, in a competition that demonstrated the high competitive level of the grand tourism championship in Italy. The result confirmed a solid debut for the Guatemalan driver in a demanding category, with the participation of official teams and riders with international experience.
The weekend in Imola was progressive for Rodríguez. In the first race on Saturday he finished fourth and showed a competitive pace that improved on Sunday, when he reached the podium against rivals with international experience, including champions of multiple European series and official drivers from different brands.
The victory went to Jens Klingmann and Raffaele Marciello, from BMW Italia Ceccato Racing; while Alex Aka and Andrea Frassineti, from Tresor Attempto Racing, took second position. Rodríguez arrives in this category after becoming the first Guatemalan to win the GT Cup Open Europe in 2025, an achievement that opened the doors for him to compete with the support of BMW. “Thank you to God first of all, to my dad, to my team and to all of you. Great God, Great Guatemala”he concluded.
What is the Italian GT Sprint GT3 Championship?
The Italian Gran Turismo Sprint GT3 Championship is one of the main platforms for grand touring motorsport in Europe. Vehicles from brands such as BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche compete in this category, under the GT3 regulation, which establishes technical specifications to balance performance between the different teams.
The competition is made up of four dates, each with two 50-minute sprint races plus one lap, which requires strategy, precision and quick adaptation from the drivers. Ian Rodríguez will compete again from May 8 to 10 in Misano, where the second date of the championship will be held.