Category: Ferrari Challenge

Racing in damp conditions just prior to Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix, Ferrari Challenge North America put on a show for the droves of sports car fans in Montreal. Hear from the Race 2 winners as the 2024 season officially reaches its halfway point.

Wet conditions fell over Montreal for Ferrari Challenge North America Race 2 on Sunday, but did little to hinder drivers’ ambitions for a victory or podium on the big stage of the Canadian Grand Prix — and as the 2024 season officially reached its halfway point.

Watch video highlights below:

 

Trofeo Pirelli

Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida) advanced to the top-tier Trofeo Pirelli class this weekend in Montreal, previous running in Trofeo Pirelli Am the past two events, and quickly found success on Sunday with an overall victory.

After earning pole position, Companc was overtaken before the green flag by Dylan Medler (The Collection), who led the majority of the race but was assessed a 15-second time penalty for his actions at the start. Despite Medler’s looming penalty, Companc still fought back to ensure he crossed the finish line first and passed Medler with five minutes remaining.

Medler’s deduction would have proved less costly if not for a race-ending yellow flag, which dropped him to sixth-in-class after winning Race 1 less than 24 hours earlier. Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) finished second and hometown hero, Martin Burrowes (Ferrari of Quebec), finished third on the podium after a runner-up finish on Saturday.

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In Trofeo Pirelli Am, it was Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) coming away with a weekend sweep in Montreal after his first victory of the season the day prior. While Davis’ race was fairly uneventful, championship leader Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) looked to bounce back from a DNF on Saturday by starting second, but met the same fate on Sunday after an early spin in the wet conditions.

Omar Balkissoon (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) mirrored his performance in Race 1 with another second-place result, while Brandon Kruse (Ferrari of Central Florida) finished third-in-class.

Coppa Shell

The Coppa Shell class saw some of its best driving of the season on Sunday, with race winner Robert McWilliams (Ferrari of Washington) and others pulling off impressive maneuvers to advance throughout the race. McWilliams managed a double pass on polesitter Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) and a competitor from Trofeo Pirelli Am to solidify his position in the lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Choksi – looking to rebound from an unfortunate Race 1, Turn 1 incident on Saturday – attempted to hold on to second place. However, Chuck Whittal (Ferrari of Central Florida) flew from fifth at the start to Choksi’s bumper by the halfway point. Whittal made the pass to clinch his second runner-up finish of the weekend, while Choksi welcomed a return to the podium in third.

In Coppa Shell Am, Steve Check (Ferrari of Rancho Mirage) stood his ground to capture his second win of the season. Polesitter and Race 1 winner Darren Bernstein (Ferrari of Washington) fell off at the start of the race, leaving Check and Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) to duel for the lead. The two bumped door-to-door and Monteforte momentarily gained the lead, but Check ultimately battled back for the win.

Bernstein reclaimed second place by the race’s end, and Monteforte crossed the finish line third.

New York bound

Ferrari Challenge North America will not need to travel far for its next doubleheader, which takes place at Watkins Glen International on July 10-14. This will mark the series’ return to Upstate New York for the first time since 2022, and the 488 Challenge Evo classes will once again reunite with Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell. Three events remain for the three categories in 2024 and all races, including replays from this weekend in Montreal, are available on the Ferrari YouTube channel.

As Canadian fans gathered at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Saturday afternoon ahead of Formula 1 qualifying, Ferrari Challenge North America gave the audience plenty of excitement across all four classes –– including a first-lap stack-up and a last-lap lead change — in the first of two races for the series this weekend in Montreal. Race highlights below:

Trofeo Pirelli

Martin Burrowes (Ferrari of Quebec) showed up for his hometown crowd with a pole position in Trofeo Pirelli, but was outdueled by championship leader Dylan Medler (The Collection) on the first lap. Medler continued in dominant fashion by winning his second race of the season by more than eight seconds. 

Burrowes, who was victorious in Race 1 last year in Montreal, easily held on to finish second place, while David Musial Jr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest) finished third. 

The winner of Trofeo Pirelli Am was decided on the last lap of the 30-minute race, as Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) was poised to capture a flag-to-flag victory after earning his first pole position of 2024. However, Cook’s car suddenly dropped down the charts in the closing seconds and elevated Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) to his first win of the season.

Omar Balkissoon (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) finished second behind Davis, while the Trofeo Pirelli Am class podium saw another local driver, Benoit Bergeron (Ferrari of Quebec), stand on its steps in third.

Coppa Shell

Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) continues to reap the benefits of Sureel Choksi’s (Ferrari of Denver) misfortunes, carrying over from last round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to Race 1 in Montreal. 

Choksi started on pole and was eager to gain crucial points after not running one of two races at Laguna Seca due to a qualifying incident. But another incident plagued Choksi on Lap 1 on Saturday afternoon when he was an innocent bystander to a first corner incident, but was nevertheless collected in the melee.

After starting second, Marston then inherited the lead and went on to his third consecutive win of the season. Chuck Whittal(Ferrari of Central Florida), who started sixth-in-class, dashed through the field and made a maneuver on Bruce Cleveland (Ferrari Silicon Valley) late in the race that finished the pair second and third, respectively.

In Coppa Shell Am, Darren Bernstein (Ferrari of Washington) capitalized by keeping competitors from other categories around him to maintain a buffer and lead from start-to-finish for his first win of 2024. Two cars behind him was Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) finishing second while another Canadian, Jerri Walters (Ferrari of Vancouver) finished third, capturing her best result of the year and also theclass’s fastest lap of the race.

Sunday Schedule

One final race is on the books for Ferrari Challenge North America in Montreal, taking place on Sunday morning just prior to Formula 1 pre-race activities. The green flag for Ferrari Challenge will fly at 10:55am ET and stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel. 

Of the four Ferrari Challenge North America winners on Saturday in Montreal, two controlled their class with ease and two happened into the right spot at the right time. Hear from each driver about their experience at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in front of an enthusiastic Canadian crowd.

 

After a stellar Ferrari Racing Days event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last month, Ferrari Challenge North America returns to an even bigger stage this weekend at the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada.

Ferrari Challenge brings its Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell classes to Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve racetrack, as it has every year since the championship’s inception, with only 2008 and the coronavirus pandemic years as exceptions. And as in years’ past, this weekend marks the end to the first half of the season before drivers turn their attention towards the final races of 2024.

From the streets of Old Montreal to the numerous fan zones, terraces and compounds at the racetrack, a similar attendance to last year’s record-breaking 345,000 fans is expected again in 2024. In addition to seeing Ferrari Challenge north of the border for the single time this season, the crowds will also get their first look at the Ferrari 296 Challenge race car as it competes for the first time in Canada.

To kickstart and celebrate what will be a historic weekend for the series, the Ferrari Challenge grid will unite with Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 drivers — Charles Leclerc, coming off a historic victory in his hometown of Monaco, and Carlos Sainz, also a winner this year in Australia — in an exciting opportunity on Thursday to mingle and pose for a group photo.

The most recent doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca did little to separate the Trofeo Pirelli pack, as four drivers are within 10 points of each other in the championship.

Dylan Medler (The Collection) holds a narrow two-point lead over Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle). Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) scored his first win of the season at Laguna Seca to stay within eight points of Medler, but only one point ahead of Dave Musial Jr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest).

In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Brian Cook’s winning streak came to a halt at Laguna Seca after Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida) sped his way to an overall pole position and victory in Race 2. At Montreal, Companc will test that pace in the Trofeo Pirelli class, leaving fellow Am competitors such as Dave Musial Sr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest) and Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) – who are second and fourth respectively in the title hunt — to challenge Cook for a win.

In Coppa Shell, Laguna Seca brought a surplus of success for Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake), who earned two pole positions and two victories to catapult him to the top of the class championship. After missing Race 1 in California, Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) is eager to make up ground in defense of his 2023 title, with a handful of drivers also in search of podiums in Montreal.

Lastly, the Coppa Shell Am class boasts the tightest championship battle, with seven drivers in a 15-point margin. Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) looks to repeat his Race 1 victory at Laguna Seca, as a double-digit number of drivers — such as Bryan Waltersdorf (Continental AutoSports) and Monteforte’s teammate Jeffrey Nunberg, who are tied for second in points — are in hot pursuit. However, just out of reach of the top seven is Jerri Walters (Ferrari of Vancouver) racing in her home country and looking to finish strong after her best showings of the season at Laguna Seca were cut short by late incidents.

Walters is one of four drivers on the grid this weekend representing Canada, with her Ferrari of Vancouver teammate, John Horejsi, and Ferrari of Quebec drivers, Martin Burrowes and Benoit Bergeron, waving the famous red-and-white Maple Leaf Flag.

Schedule:

Friday opens with a trio of practice sessions for Ferrari Challenge, before qualifying gets underway on Saturday morning.

The Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell classes will combine for two races, the first on Saturday afternoon at 2pm ET and the second on Sunday at 10:55am before the Formula 1 race at 2pm.

All Ferrari Challenge races will stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel and FerrariRaces.com.

An immense weekend of Ferrari Challenge North America and Ferrari Racing Days celebrations concluded with three races on Sunday for the series’ second doubleheader of 2024. Hear from the Race 2 winners after a sunny afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca proved to be a perfect host for the second round of Ferrari Challenge North America, and for Ferrari Racing Days which invited Ferrari enthusiasts for a weekend to celebrate in northern California.

Sunday’s trio of Ferrari Challenge races capped off the festivities, with some winners furthering their dominance and others learning from past mistakes to take the win.

Trofeo Pirelli. Jeremy Clarke (Ferrari Beverly Hills) wasted no time getting to the Trofeo Pirelli class lead, getting a great start at the drop of the green flag to lead every lap of Sunday’s race. Dylan Medler (The Collection) attempted to chase him down, but finished two seconds behind in second place. The battle for third, however, stole attention as Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) hunted David Musial Jr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest) for the spot, but the latter persevered to finish third.

After a promising start but unsatisfactory finish on Saturday, Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida) achieved redemption with a flag-to-flag Trofeo Pirelli Am victory. Companc broke Brian Cook’s (Ferrari of Seattle) three-race win streak, although the latter still finished runner-up on Sunday. David Musial (Ferrari of Lake Forest) mirrored his son’s performance in Trofeo Pirelli with a third-in-class finish of his own.

Coppa Shell. Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) was king of Coppa Shell at Laguna Seca, sweeping the weekend with another pole position and victory on Sunday. Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle) improved from third on Saturday to runner-up in Race 2, and Chuck Whittal (Ferrari of Central Florida) fended off an eager Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) – who was forced to forgo Race 1 after an incident in qualifying – for the final podium spot.

While Coppa Shell ran a clean race, it was anything but for Coppa Shell Am. Roy Carroll (Foreign Cars Italia) started from pole, but found himself fifth after the first lap. He valiantly fought back to regain the lead from Dana Goodwin (Ferrari of Seattle), going on to win Sunday’s race. It was Goodwin, Jerri Walters (Ferrari of Vancouver) and Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) who vied for the remaining podium positions, but each driver had their own spins and lost valuable track position. While fighting for second and third place, Goodwin and Walters even collided in the final three minutes of the race, causing a yellow flag and moving Monteforte, Saturday’s winner, to second and his Ferrari of Central New Jersey teammate, Jeffrey Nunberg, to third.

488 Challenge Evo. Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) proved yet again that late cautions could not disrupt his dominance, as he endured a six-minute shootout en route to victory just one day after experiencing nearly the same. Perrina and Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) finished 1-2 as they did on Saturday, while Marc Muzzo (Ferrari of Ontario) held off Logan Broughton’s race-long pressure to secure third place.

After relinquishing his lead during Saturday’s last-lap shootout, Gregory Hopkins (Foreign Cars Italia) learned from his errors on Sunday to secure the Coppa Shell victory. Hopkins passed Gerdas Venslovas (Continental AutoSports) mid-race for the top spot, while Venslovas finished second ahead of Saturday’s winner Richard Pineda (Ferrari of Washington) in third.

Canada Calls. Ferrari Challenge travels internationally for its next round, going north of the border for a pair of races at the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada in Montreal, Quebec. This will be the 10th year that Ferrari Challenge has participated at the event after its first visit to the circuit in 2013 and a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Montreal will host the doubleheader on June 7 – 9 and all races, including replays from this weekend at Laguna Seca, are available on the Ferrari YouTube channel.

Trofeo Pirelli

Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) captured his elusive first Trofeo Pirelli victory of 2024 on Saturday, but withstood constant pressure and a late restart to do so. After two competitive, albeit winless, rounds at Circuit of The Americas last month, McCarthy held off hard-charging efforts from Dylan Medler (The Collection) and Jeremy Clarke (Ferrari Beverly Hills) throughout the 30-minute race, which saw the three drivers finish within one second.

Watch highlights below:

In Trofeo Pirelli Am, it was Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) who cruised to his third win in as many races this season. Cook started behind Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida), who impressively qualified first overall on the grid on Saturday morning. While Companc was poised for a podium, a last-lap misstep in the dirt dropped him down the order and elevated David Musial (Ferrari of Lake Forest) to second and Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) to third.

Coppa Shell

Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) scored his first victory of the year on Saturday after starting from pole position. At the drop of the green flag and even after a lengthy mid-race caution, Marston controlled the pack and went on to win by more than four seconds over Robert McWilliams (Ferrari of Washington) and Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle), both of whom earned their second podium finishes of 2024.

The result for all three drivers could prove to be crucial as the Coppa Shell season goes on, with championship leader Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) unable to start Saturday’s race following an incident in qualifying earlier in the day.

In Coppa Shell Am, Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) sealed his first victory of the year in similar fashion to Marston by starting and finishing first in class. Bryan Waltersdorf (Continental AutoSports) finished in second place, while Paul Lin (Ferrari of Newport Beach) jumped from sixth at the start to complete Saturday’s podium.

488 Challenge Evo

Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) remained perfect on Saturday by earning his third pole position, fastest lap and win in the Trofeo Pirelli class this year. Even while navigating lapped traffic, the youngster’s pace could not be matched by 296 Trofeo Pirelli winner Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) and Logan Broughton (Ferrari of Lake Forest), the latter of whom earned his first podium finish of 2024.

In the Coppa Shell class, Richard Pineda (Ferrari of Washington) became a first-time winner in the series after making big moves on the final lap of the race. Pineda passed Gregory Hopkins (Foreign Cars Italia), who had led the entire race so far, following a late restart with two minutes remaining on the clock. Hopkins went on to finish third after Matt Dalton (Ferrari of Long Island) snuck by as well for second place.

Sunday schedule

The final trio of races on Sunday will take place for Coppa Shell at 12:35 p.m. local time (3:35 p.m. ET); for Trofeo Pirelli at 2:05 p.m.; and for 488 Challenge Evo at 3:25 p.m. All races can be streamed live on the Ferrari YouTube channel.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca brought new opportunities, changing conditions and captivating racing for Ferrari Challenge North America on Saturday. Hear from the drivers who emerged victorious after three races, with three more to follow on Sunday.