Stories from the PCCI paddock: Interview with Paolo Montin

Last September, I went to the Monza Circuit to attend one of the final ACI Racing Weekends of the year, to meet drivers and have somewhat of a new experience, given that I was going to the track alone for the first time in my life, so I had all the freedom to go anywhere in the paddock and attempt to meet any driver that I wanted.

In my somewhat usual quest of meeting drivers that raced in notable series, I was made aware that Kang Ling (a former European FIA F3 racer) was racing on that weekend, for Ombra Racing in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy.

I went to the team's tent about two hours before race one and asked if I could meet Ling and shortly after I was told to wait for him as he was in the trailer. 

While I waited i spoke with one of the mechanics and during this conversation, I brought up Paolo Montin, a driver that had raced with Ombra three times between 2004 and 2005 in a few one-off Formula 3 races, and as it would soon turn out, the mechanic that I was talking to, worked with Ombra all those years back and was surprised to hear that name in such a long time, especially by a then-17-year old kid.

After sitting in the car to hold the steering wheel straight while they were working on the car and cleaning the windshield, I got to meet Kang Ling and made two friends in the process, them being two Ombra Racing mechanics.

A photo I took of Ling's car in the Ombra Racing tent post-qualifying

This year, I returned to the PCCI paddock many times, but it was around Mugello when things sort of took an unexpected turn.

After interviewing one of the mechanics (because the entire team wanted me to interview him), I was told that last year Montin did visit the Imola round of PCCI and there was a chance he'd visit one of the following rounds.

Around this time I started thinking about a possible interview with him, so I prepared a few questions and went to the following round at Imola a few weeks later, hoping to meet him.

Went to the team's tent on Friday and found out he wasn't coming on that week, but one of the mechanics called him and a few moments later passed the phone to me so I could talk with him about a possible interview for Monza, and after talking for a bit, I asked him if he was planning to attend the final round of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Italia season at Monza on the first weekend of October, and to my delight, he said that it would be feasible as he was planning to attend that weekend.

Montin started his single-seater career racing in the Italian Formula Junior championship in 1996, a championship he described as "a nice learning experience", that taught him "how to battle side-by-side with other drivers".

In 1997, he moved up to the Italian Formula 3 Championship, finishing runner-up in the Federal class before repeating the same feat, in the overall standings, to Donny Crevels in the following year.

"It was hard, mostly because we were trying to get budget to finish out the seasons," he said. "The first year was very beautiful because it introduced me to this awesome world [of motorsport] that gives you a lot but also takes away a lot."

In the same year he finished second in the Italian F3 championship, he also made his debut at the Macau Grand Prix towards the end of the year, and as it would turn out, the streets of Macau proved to be the Italian's favorite track and best opportunity to showcase his talent behind the wheel.

"First time we went there, it was with Ghinzani in '98," Montin said. "It was an interesting experience, we didn't have the resources to compete against the top teams but i took it as a learning experience, mostly learning the track. We finished 10th in our first attempt and from there it all started. "

Racing for Target Racing, in the 2000 edition of the Grand Prix, Montin set the best time in the first round of qualifying, and did also sat on provisional pole in the second round of qualifying, before being demoted to ninth once everyone had completed their laps.

In the first leg of the event, Montin climbed from ninth to fourth, while in the second leg he overtook Pierre Kaffer and Ryo Fukuda to get up to second place after a handful of laps.

Despite Montin's best efforts to overtake Couto, a late safety car caused by Robert Lechner secured the win for André Couto, as the Italian finished runner-up, ahead of Fukuda.

Looking back on the Grand Prix, Montin said, "In 2000 we did an Armata Brancaleone, we were only 5 [people]. 

"I didn't do much that year as I focused on the Korea and Macau races and we did really well and from there on we started our journey in Japan thanks to that result."

Montin said it was his best race, "not because of the result but rather because of the circumstances."

"When we went there, they weren't far off laughing at us. But on the first day that we were faster than everyone, there was silence behind the paddock."

"The result is something that will stick forever. The [small] team had a big passion and we knew our capabilities with the risk of going home without achieving anything, but we did something unforgettable."

Despite losing Toyota's support from 2003, Montin received Mugen engines from 2004 onwards and did return to Macau for one final time in 2005, and his Macau experience ended in a crazy way.

In Montin's own words, "The last race I did [for Ombra] at Macau [2005], we started off really well because we had support from Mugen. I don't know what happened but, after starting really well, we were slowed down by something and once the race was finished we saw that there was a tire with 1 bar of pressure."

Already after his first appearance at Macau, Toyota was calling, but they weren't the only ones interested in him.

"They contacted me after Macau 1998," he said. "At the time I was having my best ever season in Italy, I tested with McLaren, then a lot of stuff happened, a lot of tiles that lead to me initially getting contacted by Dome (Honda), but we ended up finalizing with TOM'S. From there we started our experience in Japan."

Montin spent three consecutive years in Japanese F3, where he finished runner-up in the championship to Benoît Tréluyer, Takashi Kogure and James Courtney.

He wasn't the first driver to move to Japan to compete in that F3 championship, but he was one of the least-experienced before making the transition.

"I started off unprepared and that's something I regret because I wasn't ready for anything like this," Montin said. 

"If I had prepared in a different way it would've gone differently because I didn't know anything, I went there on my own and it was hard. The first year was going to be hard regardless as it was all new to me, but for the second year, already knowing the environment, I was psychologically sinking but in the end I was doing what I liked and the results got me paid, so I did that until [the opportunity] lasted."

After 2003, Montin spent 2004 mostly on the sidelines, racing in the Masters of Formula 3 race at Zandvoort and also testing Formula Nippon before coming back to race in Japan full-time for Jim Gainer in GT300 and ThreeBond in the Japanese F3 championship.

"I did 2005 with ThreeBond and we did well but we were only limited to that [Japanese Formula 3],  but there weren't many prospects going forward. I tested Formula Nippon machinery at the end of 2004, but I crashed and tore off two tires."

"I did a season of GT500 in 2002, then I did one season of GT300 in 2005 with a Ferrari 360, which was modified as they got a Honda V8 in, something only they could do. We won the final race of the season at Suzuka. I did the same in F3 as I won my last race in Japanese F3 [for ThreeBond, at Motegi]."

Driving for Gainer, Montin finished 4th in his only full season of Super GT Racing | Credit: Super GT

After finishing fourth and fifth in GT300 and Japanese F3, respectively, Montin didn't race until 2008, when he competed with Bonaldi Motorsport to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia championship.

"I did PCCI with Bonaldi. We started with the actual team but then we started getting support from Ombra. With them we had great results, winning two races."

"It was all thanks to people I knew at Bonaldi. They moved to the Carrera Cup Team and had to choose drivers for their program, so they brought my name to the director and that's how I got back into racing."

Montin nowadays lives a quiet life in Asolo with his family but often comes back to the ACI paddocks to watch some of his old friends in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy.

"It's really nice because it brings back memories. At the end of it, they are the same people going around. The old guard remains and remembers what you did, so that's a really nice thing about motorsport."

"Yeah, it hurts a little bit to come here because I spent a lot of time [racing] and right now there isn't any possibility [for me to race]. I couldn't even support my son financially in this industry."

Header image credit: Alis Pedetti/Giulismedia