"My good friend Diego Alessi is my top favourite to take the title." These words were uttered last year before the start of the season by someone who should know. None other than 2010 ADAC GT Masters champion Albert von Thurn und Taxis tipped the 40-year-old Italian with the high forehead to do well last year. In 2011, however, bad luck prevented Alessi and 2010 FIA GT3 European Champion Daniel Keilwitz from having a stab at the championship in the Callaway Corvette. Their second attempt this season is already shaping up much better: a podium at Oschersleben, Alessi's first pole position at Zandvoort, their first win and championship lead after the second ADAC GT Masters race weekend.

Although Alessi has been part of the European sports car scene for a good ten years, he remains an unknown quantity for many ADAC GT Masters fans. Alessi did not begin motor racing until he was 22. His racing career got off to a late start and has been full of twists and turns along the way: "I always wanted to race and got my first taste of serious competition racing motorcycles, but my parents thought it was too dangerous, so I finished with motorbike riding when I was 18 and tried to put any further thoughts about racing behind me. But it did not work."

Four years later, aged 22, Alessi was in Formula Ford and raced a few times in Italian Formula 3: "But there was not enough money for a formula racing career, so I switched to touring cars." Following that decision, Alessi raced several touring cars, mainly BMWs, in his homeland and also had some success in international events such as the Dubai 24 Hours and the Mil Milhas at Interlagos, Brazil. Despite his success, Alessi was not too happy with his performance: "I was thinking about packing in for good at the end of 2002, because results were not what I had hoped for. Also, I'd had enough of spending all the family's money on motor racing."

However, chance led to Alessi staying in motor racing and switching to GT racing: "One of my mother's friends wanted to get started in racing and she suggested we work together and be co-drivers. This came out of the blue but opened up many opportunities for me in later years." Professionally too, Alessi dedicated himself completely to motor racing: "I have a law degree and led a normal existence earning a living for several years, but my thoughts kept coming back to racing. At some point, and despite all the financial uncertainties, I decided to concentrate fully on motor racing."

In 2003, after getting his second wind, Alessi found himself at Spa, his all-time favourite track, competing in the 24-hour race when he experienced a moment he will never forget: "I'm at the 24 Hours of Spa and there are plenty of GT1 and GT2 cars in the line-up, all strong contenders. I'm in a Porsche GT2, driving for a small private team and starting from midfield. After about an hour, it begins to rain but not so much as to need wet weather tyres. Despite the difficult conditions that day, I have an incredible feel for the car and I'm in third place after the second hour of racing. And when I pit at the end of the stint, I'm in the lead! What a terrific moment!"

In subsequent years, Alessi raced a variety of different sports cars in various national and European championships, often not for an entire season, but with some good results: "At times in the past, I've had gentleman co-drivers, so year-end results have frequently been only average but I firmly believe that the best is yet to come. Maybe this season?"