Before every race, the 20-year-old driver puts on his right shoe and his right glove first, for good luck.

With maternal grandparents from Sicily and paternal grandparents from near Naples, in Campania, Pancione was raised on southern Italian traditions – including the many superstitions that the Mezzogiorno is renowned for.

“I’ve been brainwashed by my whole family,” he joked.

Superstition or not, Pancione’s pre-race ritual seems to be working so far, with the young gun having laid a solid foundation for a promising career in motorsport.

Following months of interruptions and obstacles due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Melburnian is currently completing a full campaign in the second-tier Porsche Sprint Challenge, competing for the title with two rounds remaining.

He is also racing in several select rounds of this year’s Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup, the top tier of Porsche racing in Australia and an international formula, with major series held in the US, Europe and Asia.

This weekend, he will race in the Carrera Cup on the blockbuster undercard of the Repco Bathurst 1000.

It will mark the first time he tackles the spectacular Mount Panorama circuit.

“I’m very excited for Bathurst because I haven’t been able to do any racing for the past six months due to COVID-19,” he said.

While the pandemic has put a hold on his career, Pancione has the maturity and drive to make it in the tough world of motorsport – a world he was born into.

His parents, Sandra and Mario, run VCM Performance, a prominent automotive performance business based in Ferntree Gully.

“I’ve always been around cars and had a passion for them,” Pancione said.

Around the time Pancione was born, his father went into partnership with the father of his best friend and Formula 2 driver, Oscar Piastri, who was recently appointed reserve driver for Alpine ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.

“I’ve known Oscar for as long as I can remember and we grew up together,” Pancione said.

“When we were 10 years old, Oscar got his first go-kart and his dad invited me and my dad down to have a look.

“Around a week later, I had my own.

“Obviously the go-karting brought us a lot closer because we were spending every weekend with each other.

“If we weren’t away racing, we were hanging out at each other’s house.”

Between 2012 and 2017, Pancione won numerous regional and state championships and Australian championship rounds.

He went on to race in two international championship racing events in Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo’s race team.

Pancione stood out among the crowd from early on, as he quickly took an interest in designing his own elaborate helmets – some complete with Swarovski crystals!

Christian Pancione in one of his personally-designed helmets

As his talent on the track continued to shine as bright as his headgear, Pancione’s passion intensified and he began to consider pursuing a career in motorsport.

“I had a discussion with my parents and I’m lucky enough that they got behind it and have supported me in what I’m trying to achieve,” he said.

“Given that my family is so entrenched in the automotive industry, they also love anything to do with cars.

“My dad has never missed one of my races; he’s just as passionate about being at the track as I am.”

Having made the natural progression from karts to cars in 2018, Pancione began turning heads before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a national hiatus.

Despite the slight detour, Pancione is noted as a rising star among the Porsche ranks and will complete a full campaign in the Carrera Cup in 2022.

“My dream would be to do what Oscar has done and race overseas,” he said.

“I’ve forged a slightly different pathway; the ideal situation would be to become a Porsche factory driver.

“It’s very hard to get there, but it’s not impossible.”

For now, Pancione is focusing on the challenge at hand, preparing both mentally and physically for Bathurst.

“I’ve been trying to make sure I’m as fit as possible, doing lots of training, cycling and gym work,” he said.

“It’s quite a daunting track, but I’ll try to keep as calm as possible.”

Having never been to Bathurst, Pancione has also been practising on his simulator every day for the past month, to familiarise himself with the track in an almost lifelike immersive experience.

“That way, once I arrive on the weekend, I’ll know what to look for on the track and where it’s going,” he explained.

With the commitment of a rising star and the composure of a veteran, it seems Pancione is headed towards a prosperous future... right foot first.