The first prototype of
the forthcoming Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge has broken
cover, the production-based racer which is set to take
over as the mainstay of the Ferrari Challenge next year
being caught out track testing. The images that have
circulated the internet give little away although a
series of racing modifications such as race wheels,
slick tyres, bigger brakes, bonnet pins and Perspex
sliding windows can be clearly seen. Next year the 458
Italia Challenge will mix with the outgoing F430 in the
Ferrari Challenge series' in Italy, Europe and North
America before becoming the sole option in 2012.
While the next-generation
Ferrari Challenge racer was breaking cover last week,
this year's one-make series was visiting the Portimao
circuit in Portugal for its latest rounds on Sunday in
what was in fact a hectic weekend of sports car racing
action for Ferrari worldwide. The second round of this
season’s Ferrari Challenge at the Algarve International
Circuit, saw competitors in the Pirelli Trophy and Shell
Cup taking to the track together in two races with
different classifications.
The race day programme
featured two rounds of 40 minutes each, at 9.20 and
14.05, with both classes competing in the same race with
different classifications. Prior to the start of Race 1,
there was a minute’s silence in memory of Loris Kessel,
a Ferrari driver and dealer. Of the F430s lined up in
the Pirelli Trophy, the first race was dominated by pole
man Philipp Baron (Baron Service) who crossed the finish
line ahead of Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) and Bjorn
Grossman (Autohaus Gohm.) At the end of the second leg
in the afternoon, once again Philipp Baron was the first
to see the chequered flag, beating Robert Pergl
(Scuderia Praha) and Alexey Vasiliev (Ferrari Moscow.)
As for the gentleman drivers in the Shell Cup, Oliver
Morley (Motor/Malucelli) took victory in both races
ahead of Tibor Valint (Warm Up.) In Race 1, third place
behind these two went to Stephane Clareton (Stradale
Automobile) and in Race 2, it was Dirk Adamski (Autohaus
Saggio) who secured the first podium finish of his
career.
The next round of the
Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy takes place at the
historic Hockenheim circuit in Germany, over the weekend
of 13 June, alongside the Italian series of the
one-maker Maranello championship.
Meanwhile, three weeks
after the last event was held at the Nürburgring, the
weekend just gone saw the third round of the
International GT Open championship taking place at the
Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit at Imola. The F430s finished
on the podium in both races: the AF Corse Ferrari F430,
driven by Alvaro Barba and Pierre Kaffer took victory in
the first one, converting the pole secured in qualifying
on Saturday, ahead of the other Ferrari, crewed by
Raffaele Giammaria-Enrico Toccacelo (Edil Cris Racing
Team) and the Porsche 911 of Gianluca Roda-Richard Lietz.
In the second leg, victory went to the F430 of Chris
Niarcos-Tim Mullen (CRS Racing,) followed home by the
Aston Martin Vantage of Lucas Guerrero-Max Wiser and the
Kessel Racing team entered Ferrari in the hands of
Philip Peter-Michael Broniszewski. The Barba and Kaffer
crew thus left Imola heading the classification, 22
points ahead of Roda-Lietz and along with the other
competitors in the Spanish series, will be back in
action over the weekend of 27 June at Spa-Francorchamps
in Belgium.
Finally,
Ferrari was also in race action across the Atlantic in
California. After a great showing from the Brazilian
Jaime Melo in Friday’s qualifying was rewarded with pole
position, the F430 GT he shared with Gianmaria Bruni
finished the GT category of the race in fourth place, at
the spectacular Laguna Seca circuit, which hosted the
third round of the American Le Mans Series. Fifth place
went to the Extreme Speed Motorsports F430 GT, driven by
Scott Sharp and Joannes van Overbeek, which had set the
second fastest time in class during qualifying.
The Bruni/Melo
car was caught up in traffic caused by one of the
prototype cars on lap fifteen and also lost a few places
after tangling with another car, in a race affected by
strong winds and which was hard fought all the way to
the chequered flag. The final reward was two important
points in the championship battle. The three podium
positions went to the winning Porsche 911 of Patrick
Long/Jorg Bergmeister, followed by the BMW M3 of Dirk
Muller/Joey Hand and the Chevrolet Corvette of Olivier
Beretta/Oliver Gavin. Risi Competition leaves Laguna
Seca in third place in the championship, heading into
the next round of the prestigious series, scheduled for
11 July at Miller Motorsports Park, in Utah.
