Ferrari Racing Days – A grand finale at Homestead
Posted: 06.11.2016
Source: Ferrari
Homestead, 6 November 2016 – The Ferrari Racing Days at Homestead, near Miami closed with a day of excitement and entertainment. Fans enjoyed a show from a handful of F1 Clienti cars and around 20 cars of the XX Programmes, including the wonderful FXX K and more than thirty 458 Challenge EVOs which battled it out on the Florida speedway.
Formula 1 and more. The F1 Clienti cars offered a spectacle that as usual aroused adrenaline, wonder and curiosity. The adrenaline came through seeing these cars live after having followed them from home on tracks around the world. To listen to the live sound of the 12 cylinder Formula 1 engine, mounted in this case on the 412 T1 and T2 of 1994 and 1995 is a fantastic experience for fans of the category. Then along with the single-seaters we also saw one of the most successful Ferraris in history, the F333 SP “barchetta” of 1998 that won so much in America and also secured the Prancing Horse its last overall win in the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona.
Technological jewels. As usual, the cars of the XX Programmes attracted the eye of the public and enthusiasts. The show included all three cars that have marked the history of this very special Corse Clienti activity. These vehicles are only approved for use only on track, but are made with total design freedom, as they don’t compete in any championship. They are entrusted to a highly select group of customers who also act as testers for Maranello helping the engineers by collecting telemetry data for the design of the Ferraris of the future.
Motorsport. The fans were also treated to competitive races. Sunday, like the previous day, saw two races of the penultimate round of the Ferrari Challenge North America. Then there was no shortage of opportunities for gathering in the paddock including of course the display of the range of road cars glittering proudly under the Miami sun. The sadness that came at the end of each event of the Ferrari Racing Days at Homestead was mitigated by the fact that in less than a month there will be an extraordinary opportunity to see a similar Ferrari show. Indeed, from 1 to 4 December the legendary Daytona track will host the Finali Mondiali, the first ever organised in America.
Ferrari Challenge NA – Courtney wins Coppa Shell championship
Posted: 06.11.2016
Source: Ferrari
Homestead, 6 November 2016 – A weekend of exciting races full of overtaking and tight duels at the Ferrari Challenge North America saw the award of the first of the three titles at stake in the series. Joe Courtney (Ferrari of San Francisco) ensured we wouldn’t have to wait until the Finali Mondiali at Daytona to find the successor to Jean-Claude Saada in the Coppa Shell roll of fame. He now commands an insurmountable lead of 57 points over Chris Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island). However, there is all still to play for in the other categories with Carlos Kauffmann closing in on the Trofeo Pirelli title, while just two points separate Steve Johnson and James Weiland.
Coppa Shell. The day began with the Coppa Shell, as usual packed with twists and turns and wheel-to-wheel duels. Matt Keegan and Karl Williams again took centre stage. At the end of a long battle Keegan (Ferrari of San Francisco) scored his second successive win, with his Ferrari of Beverly Hills rival finishing second just like Saturday. After a disappointing Race-1, Courtney did the necessary, notching up a good third place, which combined with a fifth for Cagnazzi, secured him the title.
Trofeo Pirelli. The Trofeo Pirelli at Homestead was once again dominated by guest stars attracted by the location and the fact that they could drive a performance car like the 458 Challenge EVO. Daniel Mancinelli grabbed a second successive victory at the wheel of the car normally driven for The Collection by the injured Gregory Romanelli. Just like Saturday he finished ahead of Cooper MacNeil and Martin Fuentes of Ferrari of Beverly Hills (Scuderia Corsa). Championship leader Carlos Kauffmann drove the car of Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale to an important fourth place that only leaves Emmanuel Anassis (Ferrari of Quebec) with a mathematical chance of catching him. However, the latter has missed all the recent rounds.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. In contrast the winner of the Trofeo Pirelli Am will only be decided at the Finali Mondiali from 1 to 4 December on the legendary Daytona track. There are still four potential champions although Steve Johnson and James Weiland are favourites, with just three points between them. Marc Muzzo (Ferrari of Ontario) triumphed in Race-2 and is now 36 points off top spot. Second place went once again to James Weiland (Boardwalk Ferrari) ahead of Steve Johnson (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) who had climbed above him on Saturday. Now there are only three points between them, but there is also a fourth driver who is still in with a shout. Arthur Romanelli (The Collection) has moved into fourth place and is now 41 points in arrears. Now we just have to wait for the two races of the Ferrari Challenge North America on for 2 and 3 December at Daytona.
Ferrari Challenge North America – A perfect day for Mancinelli, Johnson and Keegan
Posted: 05.11.2016
Source: Ferrari
Homestead, 5 November 2016 – It was a Saturday to remember at the Ferrari Racing Days in Homestead, where the first two races of the penultimate round of the Ferrari Challenge North America were held. The races, which were full of exciting and audacious overtakes, left the three remaining championship races wide open, with just the two races on Sunday and the World Finals to wait for at the end of the season.
Trofeo Pirelli. The Trofeo Pirelli race, held under the hot Miami sun, saw the guest stars of the weekend take centre stage. The overall victory went to Daniel Mancinelli, who was replacing the injured Gregory Romanelli in this event. The Italian driver for The Collection, who had already taken part in the Italian GT Championship in the 488 GT3 by Easy Race, put paid to the competition by winning ahead of the two drivers starting this weekend for Ferrari of Beverly Hills (Scuderia Corsa) team, Cooper MacNeil, and the fresh Pirelli World Challenge GTA champion Martin Fuentes. Kauffmann (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale), the leader in class, only managed to secure fifth place, after a race that was blighted by a number of issues from the very start. The Venezuelan driver, aided by the withdrawal of Emmanuel Anassis, is still leading the standings.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. The Trofeo Pirelli Am was also an extremely tight race, with Steve Johnson (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) successfully overtaking classification leader James Weiland. The two drivers took the top two places in the race, confirming the rivalry ignited at the start of the season. With third place in the race and in the championship, Arthur Romanelli (The Collection) managed to keep behind Marc Muzzo, in a gripping, intense duel. Elsewhere, Francisco Longo (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) took sixth place in his first race of the season.
Coppa Shell. Coppa Shell offered another exciting, eventful race, which saw Matt Keegan (Ferrari of San Francisco) secure his third win of the season, provisionally ushering Jean-Claude Saada (who came third in the race on the Boardwalk Ferrari’s 458 Challenge EVO) into third place in the standings. Second place went to Karl Williams (Ferrari of Beverly Hills), who succeeded in making life difficult for the winner of the day. No great shakes in the race for championship leader Joe Courtney, who finished sixth, two places behind his biggest rival in the classification, Chris Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island). However, Courtney nonetheless maintains a reassuring lead in the championship. Tomorrow they do it again, with the Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli second races at 2pm and 3pm local time (7pm and 8pm CET).
Ferrari Racing Days – Seventy Ferrari cars on track at Homestead
Posted: 04.11.2016
Source: Ferrari
Homestead, 4 November 2016 – The Ferrari Racing Days take place this weekend at Homestead, near Miami, with 70 Ferraris on track in the various activities organised by Corse Clienti. The drivers of the Ferrari Challenge North America will do battle on the infield of Miami Speedway, in the last act before the Finali Mondiali in just under a month at Daytona, but there will also be the cars of F1 Clienti and the XX Programmes, with all three of its vehicles represented, from the FXX of 2005 to the FXX K, the latest with over 1000 hp.
Infinite power. The FXX Ks are most eagerly awaited along the track’s 15 bends. Nine of these cars will be at Homestead, driven by the special customer-testers who at each session help Ferrari to understand the car better and thus design its next models. This hybrid car will also be driven by Jean-Claude Saada, one of the leading competitors at the Ferrari Challenge North America in the Coppa Shell class. In addition to the FXX K there will be the extraordinary 599XX and 599XX EVO, with their downforce particularly effective on a track like Homestead. The FXX of 2005, the founder car of the XX Programmes, will also be there showing how these cars never lose charm or performance.
F1 Clienti. Miami Speedway will see the cars of F1 Clienti cars that made the history of the category, and that thanks to an event that only Ferrari could put on, return to thrill the fans on tracks around the world in the hands of a few lucky customers. The models that will lap in this edition of the Ferrari Racing Days will span 16 years of history. They range from the 412 T1 of 1994, the car that thanks to Gerhard Berger at Hockenheim brought the Scuderia victory after three barren years, to the 412 T2 of 1995, the last Ferrari Formula 1 with a 12-cylinder engine. The sound of this car is intoxicating and is universally recognised as one of the most exciting of all time. The fans will then see two queens of the track, the F2003-GA and the F2004, cars that dominated Formula 1 in the golden era of Michael Schumacher. Also of note is the presence of the F150° Italia of 2011, the car that won the British Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso. Along with the F1 cars there will also be a prototype, an extraordinary F333 SP prototype of 1994, the last car to win an overall victory for Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1998.
Challenge. Homestead is also the scene of the sixth round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe, with 38 drivers raring to go at the wheels of their 458 Challenge EVOs in the last two races before the Finali Mondiali of Daytona. The rankings are very open so it is bound to be quite a show. The track activities kick off on Friday at 9 am local time (2 pm CET) with the Esperienza Challenge, the Challenge North America and the first sessions of the F1 Clienti and XX Programmes. Saturday and Sunday get going at 9 am with, in addition to the F1 Clienti and XX Programmes sessions, the two races of the Challenge, at 3 pm and 4 pm on Saturday and at 2 pm and 3 pm on Sunday. The show at Homestead is thus really something not to be missed.
Ferrari Challenge NA – Championship goes to Homestead for 6th round
Posted: 04.11.2016
Source: Ferrari
Homestead, 4 November 2016 – The grand finale of the Ferrari Challenge North America gets underway this weekend with the sixth round of the world’s most famous one-make series as part of the Ferrari Racing Days at Homestead. It takes place less than a month from the final act of the season, the Finali Mondiali in Daytona from 1 to 4 December. The rankings are all very open but Homestead could prove to be a springboard to the title.
Trofeo Pirelli. Carlos Kauffmann tops the standings in the Trofeo Pirelli with the Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale team. After winning five podiums in the first eight races of the season, he launched an assault on top spot at Lime Rock with two victories that took him above Emmanuel Anassis (Ferrari Quebec). The fight for the title is now between these two drivers after Gregory Romanelli, third in the standings, pulled out injured. The Italian-American who races for The Collection team, won’t be there but his car will be driven by Daniel Mancinelli, who Romanelli partnered in the Italian GT Championship in a 488 GT3 for Easy Race team. Besides Mancinelli, there is also Wei Lu, fourth in the standings, and the two Scuderia Corsa drivers, Cooper MacNeil and especially Martin Fuentes, the Mexican phenomenon fresh from victory in the GTA class of the Pirelli World Challenge.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. The battle in the Am class of the Trofeo Pirelli is wide open. Four title contenders will be on the track at Homestead. James Weiland (Boardwalk Ferrari) and Steve Johnson (Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale) have a 138-point lead at the top of the standings. Weiland, also competing in the Challenge Europe and the Asia-Pacific, boasts four victories (the two races at COTA and Montreal) against the three for Johnson but, besides Race-1 in Sonoma, his two wins came in the first round of the season at Daytona, where he will return in December. If Johnson doesn’t cede too many points to Weiland at Homestead he could arrive at the Finali Mondiali in a position to turn things around. There are two other awkward customers: Arthur Romanelli (The Collection), fresh from victory in Race-1 at Lime Rock, on 109 points, and Marc Muzzo (Ferrari of Ontario) whose win in Race-2 at Lime Rock has put him on 105 points.
Coppa Shell. The Coppa Shell also sees a two-man fight for the title, although in this case there is a favourite: Joe Courtney, who has won six races out of 10 at the wheel of the 458 Challenge EVO of Mille Motor Cars. The US driver will have to guard against the attacks of Chris Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island) whose strongpoint is consistency and who is still battling for the title. Also in with a shout is defending champion Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari), as well as Matt Keegan (Ferrari of San Francisco) and Rick Lovat (Ferrari of Ontario), with two wins each so far.
Programme. Four races are scheduled for the weekend for the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell. After testing on Friday, qualifying for the Trofeo Pirelli is at 11:25 am local time (4:25 pm) with Race-1 at 3pm (8 pm CET), while Coppa Shell qualifying is at 11:50 am (4:50 pm CET) and Race-1 at 4 pm (9 pm CET). On Sunday qualifying is at 10.50 am and 11:15 am (4:50 pm and 5:15 pm CET) with Race-2 of the Coppa Shell at 2 pm (8 pm CET) and the Trofeo Pirelli at 3 pm (9 pm CET).