Ferrari Challenge concluded its Montreal weekend with relief from the rain that had battered the Challenge competitors for much of the weekend. Drivers were able to fit the slick Pirelli rubber to their 488 Challenge Evo competitors for the first time as the cars lined up for the grid on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. As with the previous race on Saturday, all of the competitors regardless of class competed in a single race as the championship crossed the halfway mark of the 2023 season. Considering the close barriers and high car count, attrition unsurprisingly played a significant factor as drivers looked to balance their levels of aggression as the season enters its decisive phase.
Trofeo Pirelli
Matt Kurzejewski (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) returned to his winning ways in Sunday’s race, rebounding from his incident on Saturday and extending his championship advantage over second-place finisher Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle). Carlos De Quesada (Ferrari of Quebec) rounded out the top three, having earned both of his podium finishes in the 2023 season on the Montreal circuit. A significant caution period interrupted the proceedings but Kurzejewski was able to manage it perfectly and hold off a charging Perrina. The duo were in a class of their own, finishing just one second apart, but also nine seconds ahead of de Quesada in third.
In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Tony Davis (Continental Autosport) returned to the top step of the podium on Sunday, leading home Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) and Justin Rothberg (Ferrari of Palm Beach). While Rothberg maintains his points advantage heading into the next round at Sonoma, Davis has closed the advantage to just four points, making the next rounds essential. The class was a bit more competitive as the top five competitors were all line astern at the end with just one second separating Davis and Cook, while a further two seconds proved the gap to Rothberg in third.
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Coppa Shell
Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) secured his second win of the 2023 season on Sunday, leading John Viskup (Boardwalk Ferrari) and Eric Marston (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) in second and third respectively. Second and third in the category was certainly the battle of the race as Marston closed to within 0.7s at the line as he chased Viskup for second.
The result was certainly a bit of a shakeup for the category, as of the top three, only Choksi is simultaneously in the top three in championship points. Thus current championship leader Cameron Root (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) has seen his lead reduced by seven points, leaving the gap at 14 between the two drivers. Choksi, meanwhile, also grew his lead over David Voronin (Foreign Cars Italia) who currently sits third in the championship.
In Coppa Shell Am, Dan Cornish (Ferrari of Austin) responded to Lisa Clark’s win from a day earlier with a win of his own, an important result as Clark seemed ready to re-ignite her momentum from earlier in the season. The pair are now separated by 12 points in the championship. Bruce Cleveland (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) repeated his second-place performance on Saturday with a repeat on Sunday while Paul Lin (Ferrari of Newport Beach) did the same with the third step on the podium.
Schedule
Ferrari Challenge resumes next month with a more traditional stand-alone weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Testing sessions will take place on July 19 and 20 followed by official sessions beginning on the 21st. Qualifying and race sessions will be on July 22 and 23.