Toyota-supported Australian driver Ryan Briscoe has scored a dominant first victory in the Italian Formula Monomarque Championship.
The Sydney-born teenager led from the first corner to the finish in the third round of the championship at Magione in Italy.

Briscoe’s breakthrough win followed a series of promising recent performances, including a third place at the French round of the Formula Monomarque Eurocup at the Magny Cours circuit last month.

At Magione, he qualified second for the race, having been pipped for pole position by his Prema Power team-mate, Portuguese Cesar Campanico, by just three one-hundredths of a second.

"It was a very good result considering I had a new car for this race and because teething problems meant I didn’t get much practice in it before qualifying," said Briscoe.

"But I know the track quite well - we often use it for testing - so the team was able to find a good set-up in time for qualifying," he said.

Campanico’s advantage was lost right at the beginning of the race when Briscoe made the better start and took the lead into the first corner.

"I had a super start and after that it was just a matter of controlling the race for the next 24 laps," said Briscoe.

"I was receiving lap times on my telemetry in the car and watching to make sure I kept a consistently quick pace. I knew if I did that Cesar probably wouldn’t be able to find a way past me."

Briscoe is now third in the Italian championship points table.

"After scoring no points at the last round at Pergusa (Briscoe was running third when he crashed out) this result has put my championship hopes back on track," he said.

Magione has been a lucky circuit for Briscoe. It was there that the former multiple karting champion took his first ever car racing victory. He won a round of the Formula Monomarque Winter Series last December, shortly after being signed by Prema Power Team.

The 19-year-old is competing in only his first full year of car racing after becoming the first person signed to Toyota Motorsport's young driver development program in Europe.

The program is intended to foster driving talent right up to Formula One level.

Briscoe was signed to the program after a successful junior career in karts which included winning the 1998 North American Formula A championship and the Italian Open Formula Super A Championship the following year.

The next round of the Italian Formula Monomarque Championship is at Monza on the June 24.