Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Grossmann, Brown, Kirchmayr and Jansen win in Race-2
Posted: 31.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 31st March 2019 – After a splendid sunny day yesterday, Race-2 of the second round of Ferrari Challenge Europe in Valencia was disputed in meteorological conditions diametrically opposed. Heavy downpours and temperatures, which never rose above 13 degrees either on the asphalt or in the atmosphere, forced competitors to drive in extreme conditions. The two races ended with Bjorn Grossmann and Jack Brown dominating in the Trofeo Pirelli, while Ernst Kirchmayr and Henrik Jansen commanded in the Coppa Shell.
Trofeo Pirelli. Bjorn Grossmann returns to the highest step of the podium in the race which marks his return to the series. The multi-time Trofeo Pirelli Europa champion (2006, 2015 and 2016) wins his forty-first victory in the Ferrari Challenge after an enthralling race characterized by two Safety Car incursions. The Octane 126 driver took advantage of the restart after the first neutralization to spring attacks on Louis Prette (Formula Racing) which culminated in an overtaking manoeuvre carried out on lap eight. From then on, the German driver kept the pursuers in check even after the last Safety Car which came out 8’46” from the chequered flag and re-entered the pits with a mere 2’ of the race still to run. In the battle for the podium, Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) managed to overtake a tenacious yet correct Prette who nevertheless accrues important points in the general standings. Hot on the heels of the top three were Frenchman Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi – Courage) – on the podium in Race-1 – and rookie Maximilian Mayer (Gohm Motorsport). It was tough day out for Sam Smeeth (Baron Motorsport), forced to start from the final row, who nevertheless staged a fine comeback to finish in sixth ahead of a returning Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126).
Trofeo Pirelli AM. At the end of a textbook race, exercising absolute control throughout, Jack Brown successfully completed the race to clinch a maiden victory in the series. The driver from Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham, sixth overall, was unrivalled and worthy of the well-deserved achievement. Behind him, Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa) made an umpteenth comeback, starting from the ninth row, ahead of Martin Nelson (Scuderia Autoropa) who got lumbered with 25-second penalties which allowed rookie Marian Sufliarsky (MERTEL Italo Cars Nürnberg) to take the third step of the podium. The Slovakian driver managed to claw back positions from the back row start after having had problems on the grid, to become protagonist of an almost identical race to that of fellow-countryman Jan Danis (Scuderia Praha), winner of Race-1, who also started from the back due to grid handicaps. Danis crossed the finish-line in fourth position ahead of Englishman Frank Ruimy (Ferrari UK – HR Owen) and the Danish driver Frederik Espersen (Forza Racing).
Coppa Shell. Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) clinched an authoritative win at the end of Race-2, leading the race from pole to flag without buckling under the pressure put on by Tani Hanna (Formula Racing). He did so after the restart following the Safety Car entrance due to Race-1 winner Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) having come off the track. The battle between the German and Lebanese drivers led to the fastest lap, which according to race rules, merits an additional point, as does the pole position winner. On this occasion, Hanna won the day. On the third step of the podium was Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing), one of the championship veterans, who made up for a less fortunate race yesterday. Behind the Dutchman, Ken Abe (Formula Racing) kept Corinna and Thomas Gostner (Ineco – MP Racing) in check.
Coppa Shell AM. Henrik Jansen also won the second scheduled race of the weekend in Spain. The Formula Racing driver, fourth overall, finished ahead of Laurent De Meeus (Ferrari UK – HR Owen) who took advantage of a spin by Agata Smolka (Rossocorsa) among the top positions, to take another step forward in the overall standings. Once again on the podium was Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing), who finished on the heels of De Meeus.
Qualifying. The morning qualifying session had allowed drivers to get a feel for the wet track after the races held yesterday in dry conditions. The fastest proved to be Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi – Courage) and Jack Brown (Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham) in the Trofeo Pirelli; Henrik Jansen (Formula Racing) and Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) in the Coppa Shell class. As usual, in order to keep the spectacle as entertaining as possible, grid handicaps had been applied, dictated by the previous race results, causing a reshuffle to the starting grid.
Rankings and upcoming events. In the Trofeo Pirelli: Niccolò Schirò (65), Sam Smeeth (55), Louis Prette (55); in the Trofeo Pirelli AM: Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (76), Jack Brown (67), Jan Danis (31); in the Coppa Shell: Tani Hanna (61), Ernst Kirchmayr (50), Christian Kinch (44); in the Coppa Shell AM: Laurent De Meeus (58), Agata Smolka (50), Henrik Jansen (44); Coppa Team: Formula Racing (209), Rossocorsa (207), Baron Motorsport (101).
The next round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe takes place on 3-5 May in Spielberg, Austria.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Neubauer and Brown in pole for Race-2 of the Trofeo Pirelli
Posted: 31.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 31st March 2019 – On a track made very difficult by overnight rain at the Ricardo Tormo track, which intensified further this morning, Thomas Neubauer won a fine pole position, his first in the Ferrari Challenge.
Trofeo Pirelli. Neubauer marked 1: 45.963 on the stopwatch, a very respectable time which nobody else was able to match. Out on a track renowned for its technical difficulties, the driver from the Charles Pozzi – Courage team drove impeccably. There was no shortage of thrills to the rear either, with very contained gaps between the pursuers with five drivers bunched into a one second gap.
The session, which concluded 1’37″ ahead of time after the red flag due to Maximilian Mayer coming off the track, placed a very competitive Bjorn Grossmann once more on the first row at 1″ 1 from the poleman, more determined than ever to make up for the narrowly missed podium yesterday.
Louis Prette held his ground well on a treacherous circuit, finishing in third place ahead of Jack Brown, the first of the Trofeo Pirelli AM drivers. The Englishman distanced himself more than a second ahead of the other drivers in his category and managed to finish ahead of Niccolò Schirò, provisional leader in the championship standings. The Rossocorsa driver managed to get the better of Fabienne Wolhwend by a hair’s breadth. Unexpected difficulties for Sam Smeeth, ninth, yesterday in pole position after the application of grid handicaps.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Behind Jack Brown, protagonist of two impeccable qualification rounds with the best time in the category of 1: 49.836, was Martin Nelson, fourth in Race-1. The Scuderia Autoropa driver finished ahead of Danish driver Christian Overgaard and Emanuele Maria Tabacchi, looking for more points to consolidate his leadership in the overall standings. Another fine qualifying round for rookie Marian Sufliarsky who outdistanced John Dhillon by almost five tenths of a second.
Alessandro Vezzoni, one of the protagonists of Race-1 and the winner Jan Danis closed the session respectively in seventh and eighth place for a starting grid that will still be shaken up by the grid handicaps. Given the many variables at play, the race remains wide open, with any result possible on the Spanish circuit, not least due to possible further increases in the intensity of the rain.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Jansen dominates, Kirchmayr in his wake
Posted: 31.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 31st March 2019 – Henrik Jansen proved to be the fastest by the end of the thirty minutes of qualifying for Race-2. The Danish driver, winner of Race 1 in the Coppa Shell AM, was even able to finish ahead of the drivers from the Coppa Shell class, as he showed great feeling with the Spanish track, even in such extremely difficult conditions.
Coppa Shell. Behind Jansen, but first of the Coppa Shell drivers, was Ernst Kirchmayr who tried to make up for yesterday’s disappointment of missing out on a podium place with a very good lap, was the only other driver, apart from Jansen, to break the one minute and fifty barrier (1: 49.742). Behind the Austrian driver will start Tani Hanna, who was able to record his best time on the last pass. The leader of the provisional ranking precedes his first rival in the ranking, Christian Kinch. The virtual third row sees Fons Scheltema line up alongside the winner of Race-1, Eric Cheung, who also span off bringing the red flag out, due to the dangerous standstill position of his 488 Challenge.
Coppa Shell AM. The time of 1: 49.417 recorded by Jansen gives him outright pole position and allows the Formula Racing driver to open a margin over his adversaries. Polish driver Agata Smolka, at ease in the rain but slowed down by traffic on her fast lap attempts, managed to take second place in the category, sixth overall. The other drivers lagged behind and were more conservative in their approach to qualifying, which led to some lengthy gaps behind the poleman. Third, however was the Frenchman “Alex Fox” who has 143 milliseconds ahead of Italian Giuseppe Ramelli, on the podium yesterday in Race-1.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Smeeth, Danis, Cheung and Jansen command in Race-1
Posted: 30.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 30th March 2019 – Sam Smeeth, Jan Danis, Eric Cheung and Henrik Jansen have triumphed in Race-1 of the Ferrari Challenge in Valencia. In front of the thrilled spectators who coloured the paddock and the grandstands, the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell races guaranteed a surprise-filled show.
Trofeo Pirelli. At the end of a race full of twists and interventions from race authorities, Sam Smeeth (Baron Motorsport) was able to clinch a well-deserved victory. The English driver, who got off to a perfect start at the green light, took command of the race, fending off attacks from Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126) who remained in his wake throughout, but had to settle for fourth final place due to a five-second penalty imposed for failing to respect track limits. Similar sanctions befell many of the race protagonists – even Smeeth himself – who, in the end, claimed the win with a mere four tenths of a second advantage over Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi – Courage) and 2’2” over Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) who was forced to make another comeback after being lumbered with a grid handicap after the results in Bahrain. As mentioned above, Grossmann posted fourth, followed by Bonacini (Kessel Racing) who produced a very convincing performance to conclude just five seconds adrift of the race winner. Meanwhile, Louis Prette (Formula Racing) finished fifth, another driver who fell foul of race authority sanctions.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Slovakian driver Jan Danis commanded the Trofeo Pirelli AM, characterized by an extremely fierce battle for the podium positions. The Scuderia Praha driver, on his return to the series, crossed the finish line ahead of Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa) and Jack Brown (Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham). The championship leader was able to stage a comeback from the back row which was made easier by the duels involving a handful of drivers ahead, spearheaded by Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing). The action ended up facilitating the Italian’s resurgence. Brown, meanwhile, had a very intense race characterized by a prolonged duel with Vezzoni. Likewise, sanctions in this category reshuffled the final standings. At the foot of the podium were Martin Nelson (Scuderia Autoropa), Christian Overgaard (Forza Racing) and rookie Marian Sufliarsky (MERTEL Italo Cars Nürnberg).
Coppa Shell. Displaying flawless race conduct and absolute control, Eric Cheung was able to return to the top step of the podium, snatching a fourteenth victory in the Ferrari Challenge. The Canadian Formula Racing driver was able to repel the attacks, in the initial stages, by Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport), who had got off to an excellent start, but span off two laps from the end dropping the driver to fifth position and put paid to his challenges to Cheung. Among the main protagonists were Christian Kinch (Gohm Motorsport), who took the chequered flag in runner-up spot and Thomas Gostner (Ineco – MP Racing). The two had a lengthy no-holds-barred battle for the lower step of the podium, only to find themselves both celebrating after the race. Fourth-placed finisher was Ken Abe, forced to endure a five-second penalty for failing to respect track limits, while Tani Hanna, leader in the championship after Bahrain, finished in sixth spot.
Coppa Shell AM. Henrik Jansen proved to be the protagonist of a perfect race, finishing in third place overall with few rivals capable of ruffling his feathers. The Formula Racing driver finished the thirty-minute race ahead of both Polish driver Agata Smolka (Rossocorsa) who drove a cautious race with eyes set on the championship, and Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing) returning to the series and making a maiden outing at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. The overall championship leader, Laurent De Meeus, finished fourth.
Qualifying. Morning qualifications had rewarded the performances of Louis Prette (Formula Racing) and Jack Brown (Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Eric Cheung and Agata Smolka in the Coppa Shell. As usual, in order to make for a competitive spectacle, grid handicaps had been applied.
Programme and TV. Tomorrow qualifying will be in the morning and the race in the early afternoon. The qualifying session and the races will be visible at https://races.ferrari.com/en/corse-clienti/live/.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Prette, Brown, Cheung and Smolka in pole
Posted: 30.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 30th March 2019 – Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit today witnessed a hard-fought, thrilling qualifying round with contained gaps and much jostling for the front positions. By the session end, Louis Prette, Jack Brown, Eric Cheung and Agata Smolka had proved the quickest in their respective classes.
Trofeo Pirelli. Louis Prette notched up the fastest time of the Trofeo Pirelli drivers, thanks to a lap completed in 1:35.186. The Formula Racing driver marked a time just 50 milliseconds faster than Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa), practically continuing the duel started in Bahrain. The two were closely tailed by Sam Smeeth (Baron Motorsport), 220 milliseconds behind the poleman and by Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi – Courage), a mere thousandth of second behind the Englishman. Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126) on his return and Alessandro Bonacini (Kessel Racing) also finished within the same second. Debutant Maximilian Mayer (Gohm Motorsport) posted seventh place.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Jack Brown (Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham) with seventh outright place clinched pole position (1:36.182) among the drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class. The Englishman got the better of his Slovakian rival Jan Danis (Scuderia Praga) by just 187 milliseconds and Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing) on his return. Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa), leader of the overall standings, concluded the qualifying round in fourth place ahead of Martin Nelson (Scuderia Autoropa) and Tommaso Rocca (Rossocorsa). Marian Sufliarsky’s (Mertel Italo Cars Nürnberg) notable maiden outing should likewise be highlighted.
Coppa Shell. Canadian Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) grabbed a tenth Ferrari Challenge pole thanks to an excellent 1:36.610 lap, 161 milliseconds quicker than Christian Kinch’s (Gohm Motorsport) best lap. The close matching and the limited breakaways led to eight drivers bunched up within a second of each other. The Gostner (Ineco – MP Racing) family monopolized the second row with Corinna and Thomas, while Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) and Tani Hanna (Formula Racing) will once again line up side-by-side as they had previously done in Bahrain.
Coppa Shell AM. Agata Smolka (Rossocorsa) took pole position (1:38.119) with a margin of just 26 milliseconds over Danish driver Henrik Jansen (Formula Racing), confirming once more the progress made in terms of speed. Behind them were “Boris Gideon” (Formula Racing) and “Alex Fox” (Modena Motors – SLR) ahead of the leader of the general standings, Laurent De Meeus (Ferrari UK – HR Owen).
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Neubauer and Cuhadaroglu among the surprises in the free practices
Posted: 29.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Valencia, 29th March 2019 – After the three testing sessions, the late afternoon unfolded with two free practices valid for the Trofeo Pirelli and the Coppa Shell competitions.
Trofeo Pirelli and Pirelli AM. The evenness amongst competitors which had become evident in the opening 2019 races was once again on display at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Fastest by the end of the scheduled sixty minutes proved to be Thomas Neubauer (1:35.524) who preceded Sam Smeeth, poleman in Bahrain, by almost four tenths of a second. On the second row of the virtual grid were an efficient Jack Brown (first among the drivers of the Trofeo Pirelli AM) and Bjorn Grossmann on his return, who was straight away at ease with the car. No less surprising were the performances of the two debutants Maximilian Mayer and Jan Danis. The first chalked up fine times over fifteen laps, while the Slovakian, signed up to the Pirelli AM class, managed to precede Louis Prette and Niccolò Schirò, winners of the first two races in Sakhir.
Coppa Shell and Shell AM. After a tricky weekend in Bahrain, Turkish driver Murat Cuhadaroglu was bonding well with his Ferrari 488 Challenge on the Valencian circuit, lapping with consistency to clock up a fastest lap (1:36.985) on the nineteenth of twenty-three laps completed. Hot on his heels, just twelve milliseconds adrift was the Austrian, Ernst Kirchmayr, which confirms the fine impression given in Sakhir, two tenths of a second ahead of Danish driver Henrik Jansen, first among the drivers from the Coppa Shell AM class. Fourth place went to Tani Hanna, third in the Coppa Shell, followed by Fons Scheltema and Christian Kinch. Polish driver Agata Smolka, tenth overall, is second in the Shell Am category, ahead of “Alex Fox”.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Return to Europe
Posted: 27.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Maranello, 27 Mar 2019 – After opening with the Bahrain night race in February, the second round of the 2019 Ferrari Challenge Europe season takes place this weekend at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit.
The championship thus returns to Europe after thrilling races in the dunes of the Sakhir desert that delivered the leadership of the various classes to Niccolò Schirò, Emanuele Maria Tabacchi, Tani Hanna and Laurent De Meeus.
Trofeo Pirelli. In this class, Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) leads Louis Prette (Formula Racing) by just two points and Sam Smeeth (Baron Motorsport) by ten. The identity of the winner is now even less predictable due to the return of Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126), fresh from second place in the opening round of the VLN and three times Trofeo Pirelli Europe champion, in 2006, 2015 and 2016. Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126) also returns to the championship. In 2018 she finished second in the Pirelli AM class and won the world title in the class at Monza. Maximilian Mayer (Gohm Motorsport) will make his debut alongside him. The German driver has experience in the ADAC Formel Masters and the ADAC GT Masters.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. After a perfect weekend, Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa) could also be the man to beat in Valencia. The most serious threat to him, along with the rivals already faced in Bahrain such as Jack Brown (Ferrari UK – Graypaul Nottingham), could come from an old acquaintance of the Challenge, Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing) winner of the European title in the Trofeo Pirelli-AM, as well as the 2015 Finali Mondiali. German driver Oliver Plassmann (Autohaus Ulrich) and the Slovak Marian Sufliarsky (MERTEL Italo Cars Nürnberg) will make their debuts at the wheel of the 488 Challenge.
Coppa Shell. The class leader, the Lebanese Tani Hanna (Formula Racing), will try to consolidate his ten-point advantage over his nearest rival, the Swede Christian Kinch (Gohm Motorsport). After taking part in the opening round of the Challenge North America at COTA and the Challenge Asia Pacific in Melbourne, James Weiland (Rossocorsa) will not start in Valencia and could, as a result, lose his third position in the standings.
Coppa Shell AM. The great start by Laurent De Meeus (Ferrari UK – HR Owen), who made the most of two incredible races in Bahrain, is also looking to repeat the feat on the Spanish circuit. His most feared opponents are Agata Smolka (Rossocorsa), winner of Race 1 at Sakhir, the returning Dusan Palcr (Scuderia Praha), fifth in 2018, and Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa – Pellin Racing), who also drove some excellent races last year.
Programme and TV. This track, always much appreciated by drivers and fans who can view the cars most of the way around due to its natural amphitheatre shape, will host an intense programme beginning on Thursday with the test sessions, ahead of the first time trials with the free practice on Friday. On both Saturday and Sunday, qualifying will be in the morning and the race in the early afternoon. The qualifying session and the races will be visible at https://races.ferrari.com/en/corse-clienti/live/.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Round 2 – Valencia – Challenge Europe and Passione Ferrari take centre stage in Valencia
Posted: 27.03.2019
Source: Ferrari
Maranello, 26 March 2019 – The Ricardo Tormo circuit, a few kilometres outside Valencia, will host a weekend of thrills and excitement from 29 to 31 March. Marked by the exclusivity that only Ferrari can provide the event is dedicated to all Prancing Horse fans and enthusiasts. Set in a sort of natural amphitheatre, Valencia offers the public the chance to follow the cars around most of the circuit, courtesy of the long grandstands that can accommodate over 150,000 spectators.
The programme starts on Friday, but the highlights will be on Saturday and Sunday with the Ferrari Challenge Europe races, which count towards the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell. After making their debut at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, the 488 Challenges will once again battle it out along the 4km track that has hosted several editions of the Ferrari one-make championship.
However, there will also be other activities, including the first European stage of Passione Ferrari, an exclusive initiative that gives Prancing Horse customers and enthusiasts unique experiences on and off the track. The new hospitality lounge will make its debut in Valencia, offering guests time to relax between one track activity and another, with the chance to enjoy Italian culinary excellence. Professional Ferrari instructors will help customers and enthusiasts improve their driving techniques, while the new ‘Passion Ferrari Clinic’ will be on hand to give their cars a check-up.
During the week, in particular on 2 and 3 April, tests will take place behind closed doors featuring the cars of the XX Programmes and F1 Clienti. With the help of tutors Marc Gené and Olivier Beretta, more than 20 cars will take to the track, including some of the F1 single-seaters from the Schumacher era. There will also be appearances from the FXX-K Evo and other models, with which some exclusive customers will try their hand at the special role of driver-tester.