Ferrari Challenge North America – MacNeil, Chouest, Millstein, Tippl and Burrowes Take the Top Step at Watkins Glen
Posted: 26.07.2018
Source: Ferrari
WATKINS GLEN, NY (26 July) A gorgeous, almost cloud-free day greeted Ferrari Challenge drivers at the historic Watkins Glen International circuit. Using the same 3.5 mile layout used in the 6 Hours at Watkins Glen, Ferrari Challenge drivers tackled the classic layout and largely stayed free of the iconic blue-painted guardrail that is never more than a few feet away from the blacktop. At an average speed of just over 110mph, drivers never dip below 3rd gear on a lap and reach speeds in excess of 170mph before braking for the bus stop chicane.
The day’s racing began at 9:30am with a 30 minute warm up session followed by 15 minutes of qualifying for each of the five classes in attendance. Racing action took place in the afternoon in three separate groups, starting with Trofeo Pirelli, followed by the 458 EVO cars and ending with the Coppa Shell competitors.
TROFEO PIRELLI
Cooper MacNeil (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) again took the top step of the podium in a caution interrupted race where many of the battles raged further back in the field. Cooper’s win over Peter Ludwig (Wide World Ferrari) was a critical result for the championship as Cooper has bought himself some breathing room over his nearest rival. Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari) took third in the final results after finishing behind Naveen Rao (Scuderia CAVA – Ferrari of San Diego) on the road. Naveen however received a time penalty for passing under yellow and thus dropped to 10th in class.
Trofeo Pirelli AM
A caution triggered by car to car contact and subsequent damage to Dave Musial’s (Lake Forest Sportscar) Ferrari 488 Challenge car brought out the loan caution period in the race as his car came to a stop in the blind turn 9. Further up the field, Ross Chouest (Ferrari of Palm Beach) took the win, besting John Boyd (Ferrari of Denver) and Murray Rothlander (Ferrari of Vancouver) to the checkered flag. At the close, the three were only separated by three seconds.
Coppa Shell
A crowded field of 26 Coppa Shell cars took the green flag in the late afternoon as large storm clouds began to loom over the circuit. The threat of rain, however never materialized and the race was able to run its full length without interruption. At the front, it was another dominant performance by Thomas Tippl (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of Beverly Hills), besting the rest of the field by over seven seconds and continuing his consecutive win streak. Further back, Mark Fuller (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of Westlake) and Chris Carel (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of Beverly Hills) rounded out the podium.
Coppa Shell AM
Kevan Millstein (Scuderia CAVA – Ferrari of San Diego) claimed the most dominant victory of the day, winning by over 10 seconds over Tomas Cabrerizio (Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale). Tomas, however was not second on the road. That distinction went to Scuderia Corsa -Ferrari South Bay driver Bradley Smith. Incident responsibility however knocked him down to 4th, behind Roberto Cava (The Collection).
458 EVO
The 458 race also went off without a hitch, and while the battle was never far away, Martin Burrowes (Ferrari Ft Lauderdale) was able to control the field from the front and seal the win over Trevor Baek (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) and John Farano (Ferrari of Ontario). Lisa Clark of Scuderia Corsa Ferrari Beverly Hills took the Ladies Cup.
Schedule
Racing will commence with a 9:00am warm up. Qualifying will be just 1 hour later at 10:00am and continuing through 11:35 while racing will begin just 1 hour later, at 12:40pm
Ferrari Challenge North Continues to Watkins Glen
Posted: 23.07.2018
Source: Ferrari
Englewood Cliffs, 23 July 2018 – Ferrari Challenge continues its North American series with a stop at the historic Watkins Glen circuit in upstate New York. The 3.4 mile circuit and the town it was named for were critical to the establishment of road course racing in the United States, hosting the United States Grand Prix from 1961 to 1980. Now home to one of three road course rounds for the Nascar series, Watkins Glen continues to challenge drivers with a fast, rewarding layout that has little margin for error. As the series moves to the back half of the schedule, these tight margins for error will take added importance as the championship picture begins to clarify.
Trofeo Pirelli. Cooper MacNeil (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) has the top spot over reigning champion Peter Ludwig (Wide World Ferrari) in the Trofeo Pirelli championship standings with a 17 point difference separating the two. Cooper’s strong performances in the opening couple of rounds combined with Peter’s misfortune at the first race at Laguna Seca are all that separates the two. A bit further back, Marc Muzzo (Ferrari of Ontario) holds a 10-point advantage over James Weiland (Boardwalk Ferrari) for the final step on the championship podium.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Rob Hodes (Scuderia CAVA – Ferrari of Washington) holds a 10-point advantage over Dave Musial (Lake Forest Sportscar), an advantage that was significantly reduced at the most recent round in Montreal. Alfred Caiola (Ferrari of Long Island) trails Dave by only three points, using a strong run of podiums at Laguna Seca and Montreal to close up on those in front of him.
Coppa Shell. Thomas Tippl (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) has taken a commanding lead in the Coppa Shell category, leading Mark Fuller (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Westlake) by over sixty points. The American executive can afford to drive conservatively, but has also won every race dating back to Race-2 at Daytona at the start of the season. Mark holds an 11-point lead over American movie star Michael Fassbender (Ferrari North America) though the series does not expect Michael to return for the remainder of 2018, leaving Chris Carel (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) to take up the charge.
Coppa Shell AM. Dale Katechis has the narrowest championship lead at just a single point over John Megrue (Ferrari of Long Island). Dale was able to capitalize when John missed the most recent round in Montreal but will not be attending the round at Watkins Glen, so will automatically cede his advantage back to John at the end of the weekend. Slightly further back, Kevan Millstein (Scuderia CAVA – Ferrari of San Diego) has a five point lead over Brian Simon (Cauley Ferrari of Detroit) for third in the championship.
458 Italia Challenge EVO. Martin Burrowes (Ferrari Ft Lauderdale) has claimed an 18 point lead over Trevor Baek (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo). Martin will be looking to extend his championship advantage in the more limited schedule offered to 458 Challenge EVO drivers in 2018. The most recent action for this class took place at Laguna Seca in May, hopefully the two month hiatus has allowed drivers to sharpen their skills before returning to the track. James Walker (Ferrari of Houston) is making a strong challenge for second in the championship, sitting only six points behind the young Trevor Baek.
Schedule. On track action will begin on Thursday for unofficial testing while official sessions will be from Friday to Sunday. As has become du rigor for Ferrari Challenge in North America, track time will be split where Trofeo Pirelli, Coppa Shell and 458 Challenge EVO categories will all have their own sessions. Those will begin at 9:00AM on each day while track action will conclude by 6pm.