Earlier in the day, Rovanperä had a disappointing qualifying session in Monza, which left him starting the race from 21st on the grid.
After the start, Rovanperä maintained his position and managed to avoid collisions with his competitors. Not everyone was as lucky, as a safety car was deployed on the first lap due to incidents on the track.
Once the race resumed, Rovanperä pushed hard. The Finnish driver executed several overtakes and was soon knocking on the door of the top ten.
With around nine minutes left in the race, the safety car was called out again, bunching the Porsche pack together. After the safety car left the track, Rovanperä gained two more places, eventually finishing in ninth.
The race was won by Frenchman Marvin Klein, ahead of Italian Simone Iaquinta, who shares a team with Rovanperä on Monza’s legendary circuit. German driver Lirim Zendeli took third place. Competing for the first time in the Italian Porsche Cup, Rovanperä finished just 8.5 seconds behind the winner.
A second Porsche Cup race will take place at Monza on Sunday afternoon. WRC champion Rovanperä will start from 16th on the grid.
