Monza woke to one of those rare race mornings that photographers dream about. A glowing sunrise stretched across the circuit while low lying fog hovered above the historic Italian track. As the haze lifted, the Autodromo settled into a day of uninterrupted sunshine - the perfect stage for the season finale of the International GT Open 500.
Qualifying drama had already reshuffled the grid before the race even began. The Audi of Eastland Racing had initially secured pole position, but was demoted to seventh following a track limits infringement. That moved Révész's Mercedes to take pole position and the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Tommaso Mosca and Carl Bennet into second on the grid.
When the lights went out, it was Tom Lebbon for Elite Motorsport who made the strongest start.
Launching his Ferrari into the lead, Lebbon quickly built a commanding gap and controlled the early phase of the race with confidence.
The first major interruption arrived on lap nine when Vimana struck the barriers, forcing the safety car onto the circuit and bunching the field back together.
Strategy would ultimately decide the race.
After the first round of pit stops around lap 26, Mosca emerged at the front, placing the AF Corse Ferrari in control of the race. From that moment forward the Italian squad executed flawlessly, maintaining their advantage through the closing stages of the 500 kilometre contest.
Behind them, Révész continued his calm and measured drive for Motopark. The Hungarian faced repeated pressure from Elite Motorsport’s Ferrari but defended his position with maturity beyond his experience in the category.
At the chequered flag it was Mosca and Bennet who secured victory in the International GT Open 500, bringing the season to a dramatic close at Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
While the race win went to AF Corse, the bigger story belonged to Révész. In his very first season racing GT3 machinery, the Hungarian driver clinched the International GT Open championship.
For most of the campaign Révész shared driving duties with Maxi Götz, piloting the Motopark Mercedes-AMG GT3. Heading into Monza, the pair needed only a podium finish to secure the title.
They crossed the line in second place, but a post race five second penalty for a pit stop infringement dropped them to third. Fortunately for the Motopark team, it was still enough to confirm Révész as the new International GT Open champion.
Speaking after the race, the Hungarian driver was visibly emotional.
"I feel ecstatic. It has been a great year and a great team effort. We have worked well and been consistent. I thank everybody."
Beside him, GT veteran Götz shared the same sense of pride.
"I don't have the same amount of points, but I really feel like a co champion because it was really a team achievement. I feel proud to be associated with such a talented young driver like Levi."
From sunrise fog to championship celebrations, Monza delivered a fitting finale to the GT Open season - and a new name now joins the list of champions.
