Ferrari Challenge European Series 2012 – standings after Imola

Three weeks after the opening round of the season at Monza, Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit today hosted the second round of the European series of Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. There were two races for both the Trofeo Pirelli runners and those in the Coppa Shell, while a large number of Ferrari owners took to the track at the wheel of their own Ferrari in the special “Emozioni in Pista” programme. This was a big weekend for racing, with no less than 24,000 (over 12,000 on Sunday) spectators in attendance to see an interesting package. The crowd enjoyed the busy programme that were seen on television in over 60 countries.

In the Trofeo Pirelli, the first win went to Alessandro Balzan (Ferrari Moscow) who had already made his mark taking pole yesterday. He did it with a great start that saw him keep the lead from the start to finish, ahead of Niki Cadei (Motor/Piacenza) and Bjorn Grossmann (Ferrari Moscow), who was third albeit 17 seconds down. Lorenzo Casè (Motor/Piacenza) just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth and getting the better of Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) and Alexandr Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) first in the two Coppa Giovani classifications. At the the end of the second leg, Cadei got the better of Balzan, while third place went to Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Ukraina) running very competitively on the twists and turns of the Imola track.

Of the Coppa Shell drivers, Daniele Di Amato (CDP) took the first leg. The Italian started from pole and stayed out in front to the chequered flag, followed home by Alexey Basov (Ferrari Moscow) and Giacomo Stratta (Forza Service). At the end of the second race, victory went to Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza) who benefited from a drive through inflicted on Basov for a jumped start. The silver medal went to Stratta (Forza Service,) while the fight for the bottom rung of the podium ended with the advantage going to Fernando Baiz (Rossocorsa). Out of contention was Kessel Racing’s Fons Scheltema (winner of the Coppa Gentleman in Race 1) after a spectacular accident, fortunately without injury, which also involved Rupert Martin (Stratstone Ferrari) and Franciso Guedes (Motor/Piacenza). Coming out on top in the Coppa Gentleman in Race 2 was Giorgio Raffaeli (Kessel Racing) who crossed the line in eleventh place.

The next and third round of the European series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli takes place at Mugello over the weekend of 3 June.

The International Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit at Imola is once again hosting the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe. Three weeks on from the opening round in Monza it is back on track for Round 2. The technicalities of Imola with its twists and turns and climbs and drops are tailor made to highlight the qualities of the 458 Challenge and that was the case even in the qualifying session today. It was a busy day, not just for competitors in the European series of the one-make championship, but also for those owners entered in the “Emozioni in Pista” Programme, who tackled some free practice sessions.

Both qualifying sessions saw Alessandro Balzan (1.45.732) take the first pole of the day in the Trofeo Pirelli category. The Ferrari Moscow team driver will start Race 1 ahead of Niki Cadei (Motor/Piacenza) and the series leaders Bjorn Grossmann (Ferrari Moscow), while the grid for the second race sees again Balzan (1.45.787) on the top slot, followed by Niki Cadei (Motor/Piacenza) and Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Ukraina).

As for the gentleman drivers in the Coppa Shell, Daniele Di Amato (CDP- 1.47.341) was fastest in first qualifying, ahead of Alexey Basov (Ferrari Moscow) and Giacomo Stratta (Forza Service) The second session saw Alexey Basov (1.47.314) set the fastest time, followed by Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza) and Stratta.

As from this year, there are two new categories to add to the interest in tomorrow’s races: one in the Trofeo Pirelli for Under 25 drivers, who can race for a Coppa Giovani and a Coppa Gentleman for gentleman drivers Over 55.

Tomorrow there are four races, starting with the Coppa Shell Race 1 at 10.05, followed by the Trofeo Pirelli Race 1 at 12.20, then at 15.05 the Coppa Shell Race 2, and at 17.20 the Trofeo Pirelli Race 2. Apart from the usual coverage in Italy on Sky Sport, with replays during the week, over 60 countries worldwide will also broadcast the races.

This was a big weekend for racing at the Monza circuit, with no less than 31,000 spectators in attendance to see an interesting package featuring the Ferrari Challenge, the Superstars Series and GT Sprint races. The crowd enjoyed the busy programme that featured plenty of spectacular overtaking and closely contested races that were seen on television in over 60 countries.

Both Trofeo Pirelli races were won by Bjiorn Grossmann (Ferrari Moscow.) The German started Race 1 from second on the grid after he duelled in spectacular fashion with pole man Niki Cadei and then with Andrea Belluzzi (Rossocorsa) who had adeptly broken away as the other two fought among themselves. By the end of the 17 laps, Grossmann had retaken the lead, crossing the line ahead of Belluzzi and the Ukrainian Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Ukraina,) while Cadei (Motor/Piacenza) had to settle for sixth after a spin on lap 13 that allowed the Russian Skryabin to get through and win the Coppa Giovani category for the under 25s. Grossman was the dominant driver, taking the win in Race 2, which he led from start to finish, from Cadei and Stefano Gai (Ferrari Moscow.) Of the youngsters, Skryabin won again thanks to a fifth place behind Dario Caso (CDP) who inherited a position when Andrea Belluzzi (Rossocorsa) went off track, without doing any damage, at the Parabolica with only 5 laps to go.

The Coppa Shell races were also very close from start to finish, with fights going all the way to the chequered flag, with the drivers delivering performances worthy of professionals. Race 1 saw victory go to the experienced Giacomo Stratta, reigning world champion with Team Forza, who took a really well deserved win as he fought off incessant attacks from Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza) and Russia’s Alexey Basov (Ferrari Moscow.) In Race 2, Basov took the victory ahead of Giannoni and Portugal’s Franciso Guedes (AF Corse,) taking part in the championship for the very first time. Of the Coppa Shell runners, the Coppa Gentleman went to Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing). The next round of the European Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli takes place on 22 April at Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit.

It’s the start of the season for the European series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, which is taking place this weekend at Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale. The on-track action in the series, which is being held for the 20th time this year, officially began today with four sessions of official practice. The same number of races will take place on Sunday for the drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli and the Coppa Shell, who are competing in separate sessions from this weekend onwards.

Last season ended well for Stefano Gai and Max Blancardi, who dominated the Italian and European series of the Trofeo Pirelli respectively, but this year they are up against each other in the combined continental championship. The 2012 edition looks very interesting right from the first qualifying session and, with more than 40 drivers competing, it promises a high-level sporting contest. That is thanks to the presence both of new faces and old friends, ready to battle behind the wheel of their own cars.

In both qualifying sessions for the Trofeo Pirelli, Niki Cadei (Motor/Piacenza) topped the timesheets. It was a great return for the Bergamo-based driver who took the Trofeo Pirelli Italia title in 2003 and 2008 and last year enjoyed a successful season in GT Sprint at the wheel of an AF Corse car. Alongside Cadei on tomorrow’s front row in both races will be Germany’s Bjorn Grossmann, in a car run by Ferrari Moscow. He was followed in the first session by Andrea Belluzzi, the San Marino driver who is racing this year for Rossocorsa, well known for their previous successes with the F430 Challenge. The second and final race promises to be just as hard-fought because Stefano Gai (Ferrari Moscow) is among the leading positions on the grid having set the third fastest time (1.51.941) behind Cadei and Grossmann. The Milan driver thus shows he is still very competitive and ready to add to his already glowing roll of honour with a new run of success at the European level.

From the entrants for the Coppa Shell, the best time in the first session was set by Daniele Di Amato (CDP), a newcomer last season together with his father Renato, with whom he raced on numerous occasions both in Italy and abroad. Di Amato ended the first session with a time of 1.52.222, followed by Giacomo Stratta (1.52.748), another well-known face to Ferrari as well as a world champion, with Team Forza. In the second session Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza) emerged from the pack with a time of 1.52.859, getting the better of Russia’s Alexey Basov (Ferrari Moscow) who set the second fastest time (1.52.986).

From this year the new features also include the introduction of two new title races: one for drivers under 25 years old in the Trofeo Pirelli who will fight for the Coppa Giovani – and one for drivers over 55 years old who will compete for the Coppa Gentleman.

The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli continues tomorrow with four races, scheduled for 10.05 (Trofeo Pirelli Race 1), 12.20 (Coppa Shell Race 1), 15.05 (Trofeo Pirelli Race 2), 17.20 (Coppa Shell Race 2). In Italy the racing will enjoy its customary SKY Sport coverage, with repeats during the week, while abroad the Monza weekend will be broadcast in more than 60 countries.

From today a new channel all about Corse Clienti has gone online at www.ferrari.com. The new section is devoted to all the activities of the department that is dedicated to the Maranello company and all its clients who are passionate about racing.

There will be many new features and the use of content will be much more interactive, published in different formats and indexed by event and key words.

One entire section has been devoted to the drivers from the three Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy series – Europe, Asia Pacific and North America – thanks to a comprehensive index containing information on every driver’s racing career, plus news and multimedia content.

A large space will be given to every Ferrari Challenge race and to the non-competitive activities carried out by the Corse Clienti department. That includes the XX and F1 Clienti programmes plus the international series in which the 458 GT competes such as the WEC, Le Mans Series, FIA GT1, FIA GT3 and the International GT Open.

For each round it’s possible to see the characteristics of the circuit, useful information for reaching the event and getting tickets, plus the history of everything that happened the year before. Then, once the weekend in under way, all the daily information like the timesheets from the race, on board video taken from inside the 458 Challenge cars plus technical comments, live timing, photo galleries and highlights videos.

In the video section there will also be Corse Clienti Racing News, the online video magazine all about the events organized by Corse Clienti all over the world.

More space will be dedicated to the sponsors of the Challenge championships, thanks to a section that’s bursting with updates and new ideas.

All the tifosi and fans of Ferrari can make comments on the news, share information across social networks and make a fundamental contribution to the activities that go into keeping the website of the world of Ferrari Corse Clienti up to date.

Ferrari Challenge European Series 2011 – final standings

This was the last day of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari at the Mugello circuit, the nineteenth running of the event that gives fans from around the world the chance to see competitors in all Ferrari’s racing and sporting activities together in one place. This morning at the Tuscan track, the 458s and F430s in the Italian, European, North American and Asia Pacific series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli were fighting it out for the world title. The busy programme also featured some untimed sessions for historic Formula 1 cars, run by Maranello’s F1 Clienti Department, as well as the FXX and 599XX from the eponymous development programmes. Spectacular overtaking and action were the key ingredients of the final races of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli which saw the 2011 world champions crowned. The title among the Trofeo Pirelli runners went to Lorenzo Bontempelli to add to his International GT Open crown. Behind the Kessel Racing driver came Alexander Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) and Philipp Baron (Baron Service) while among the gentleman drivers in the Coppa Shell, the title went to Giacomo Stratta (Forza,) who crossed the line ahead of Philippe Prette (Motor/Malucelli) and Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Moscow.) Having assured himself of the Italian crown, Andrea Belluzzi also took the world title for the F430 runners in his Motor/Modena car, ahead of Riccardo Ragazzi (Ineco/Ram) and Diego Romanini (Rossocorsa/Pellin.)

After the exciting racing came an equally spectacular parade of Ferraris which got underway with over fifty Ferrari owners driving past the main grandstand which was coloured white, red and green in honour of 150 years of Italian Unity. Bringing the amazing first run to a close were three 458 Spiders carrying president Luca di Montezemolo, vice-president, Piero Ferrari, the Ferrari’s CEO Amedeo Felisa and the Scuderia’s team principal Stefano Domenicali as well as the drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gené. The crowd of around ten thousand gave an especially warm welcome to Gerhard Berger who demonstrated the 412 T2 with which he competed in the 1995 Formula 1 World Championship. Also on track the 458 GT2 and GT3 cars run by AF Corse to victory in the competitive Le Mans Series and the FIA GT3 championship. Then it was Fisichella and Gene’s turn again, this time doing a few laps as well as simulating pit stops at the wheel of an F10 and an F2008, as a final farewell to the fans from the Maranello marque. The key moment came when president Montezemolo saluted the crowd before the group photo with the 150 drivers involved in the event, brought together in another tribute to the Italian Unity anniversary.

The third day of the Finali Mondiali got underway with sessions on track for the drivers in the 599XX and FXX programmes. As for the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, the final rounds of all four series crowned more champions today. Yesterday, Stefano Gai became the Italian Trofeo Pirelli champion and Benedetto Marti was crowned in the Coppa Shell, while Max Blancardi took the European title. Today, Singaporean Ringo Chong won the Asia Pacific Trofeo Pirelli championship with Steve Wyatt winning the Coppa Shell, while the F430 category of the European series went to Gerald Grohman and the Mallegol-Bachelier pairing in the Coppa Shell. Tomorrow it’s time for the races to decide the world titles over three races taking place at 09.00 (F430) 11.05 (Coppa Shell) and 13.05 (Trofeo Pirelli).

Following on from Friday’s excitement, today’s two races were equally closely contested with plenty of overtaking. In the European Trofeo Pirelli, Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) won Race 2 ahead of Alexsander Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) and Alexander Mattschull (Scuderia Praha.) Philippe Prette (Motor/Malucelli) took the top honours among the gentleman drivers in the Coppa Shell, beating Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Moscow) and Dirk Adamski (Baron Service,) while in the Asia Pacific Pirelli class, Hisao Shigeta (Ferrari Japan) stood on the top step of the podium, with Steve Wyatt best of the Shell runners.

In the afternoon it was the turn of the Italian and the North American competitors: the Italian Trofeo Pirelli saw Matteo Malucelli (Motor/Malucelli) emerge victorious from Stefano Gai (Rossocorsa) and Lorenzo Bontempelli (Kessel Racing) with Benedetto Marti (Motor/Piacenza) winning the Coppa Shell ahead of Giacomo Stratta (Forza) and Mario Molteni (Rossocorsa.) Best of the North American runners was Enzo Potolicchio in the Pirelli class and Scott Tucker in the Coppa Shell for Boardwalk Ferrari.

Tomorrow is the last day of the event and apart from the races to decide the actual Finali Mondiali, there will be demonstration runs featuring Formula 1 cars and those entered in the exlusive FXX and 599XX programmes. Adding to what is already an amazing day, Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gené will take to the track at the wheel of an F10 and an F2008.

The second day of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari featured competitors in all four of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series tackling the second qualifying session and the first races of the weekend. The races confirmed the high standard of racing in the one-make series, with the first titles only decided at this the final rund of a very closely contested season.

In the Italian Trofeo Pirelli, Lorenzo Bontempelli (Kessel Racing) was fastest over all, while for the North Americans, the best time was set by Enzo Potolicchio of Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale. Fastest of the gentleman drivers was Benedetto Marti while Riccardo Ragazzi (Ineco/Ram) and Scott Tucker (Boardwalk) set the best times of those using the F430 in the respective championships. In qualifying for the European division, pole position for Race 2 went to Alexsander Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) in the Coppa Shell. In the Asia Pacific championship, a performance worthy of note from Hisao Shigeta, who following on from a strong showing yesterday, beat the Singaporean Ringo Chong and the HKG’s Eric Kwong, while in the Coppa Shell, quickest time went to Australia’s Steve Wyatt.

The excitement level ramped up in the afternoon, when the first races took place, for the most part on a wet track. In the Italian Trofeo Pirelli category, Matteo Malucelli took the win in Race 1, with Stefano Gai and Dario Caso (CDP) in the remaining podium places, which was enough for Gai to secure enough points to take the Italian title for the second consecutive year, with one race in hand. The Coppa Shell also produced a thrilling race for the top places, with Benedetto Marti taking the victory and the title among the gentleman drivers. The Motor/Piacenza driver crossed the line ahead of Marco Zanuttini (Ineco/MP) and Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza.) In the North American Trofeo Pirelli, highest placed was the reigning champion Enzo Potolicchio, second overall behind Malucelli, while the honours among the F430 runners went to Andrea Belluzzi for the Italians and Juan Hinestrosa for the North Americans.

In the European series, Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) took the title in the Pirelli category, thanks to a sixth place in the first race, which was won by Philipp Baron ahead of two Ferrari Moscow drivers, Grossmann and Skryabin.

In the Coppa Shell, Kruglyk (Scuderia GT) dominated the first race which had plenty of overtaking moves, to cross the line ahead of Dirk Adamski (Baron Service) and Yannick Mallegol (Motor/Piacenza.)

Hong Kong’s Eric Kwong was victorious beating two Japanese drivers, Motoaki Ishikawa and Shigeru Terashima. In the Asia Pacific Coppa Shell, the win went to Steve Wyatt, with Gregory Teo and Onda Francis Hideki second and third.

On a busy day, the historic Formula 1 cars, run by the F1 Clienti department of Maranello also did a few untimed sessions. No less than xxx jewels of yesteryear were present including a 1987 ex Alboreto/Berger F1-87/88, six cars driven by Michael Schumacher in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 and the F2007 which Kimi Raikkonen took to the world title. Among the non-racing activities, there were track sessions for xxx FXX cars and xxx 599XX entered in the eponymous programmes.

Tomorrow sees the second round of races that group together the Italian and North American competitors and the European with the Asia Pacific. The Ferrari one-make series will be broadcast in over sixty countries around the world.