Altoè and Nussbaumer win first race at Balaton

Giacomo Altoè (Emil Frey Racing) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Alexander Nussbaumer (Gohm Motorsport – Haupt Racing Team) in the Coppa Shell drove the new Ferrari 296 Challenge to victory on the first day’s racing in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe, hosted for the first time at the Balaton Park Circuit, south-west of Budapest. The Hungarian track also saw victories for Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst) in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) in the Coppa Shell Am, while Fabrizio Fontana (Formula Racing) was the winning driver in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo class. 

The second round of the Prancing Horse single-make series, which concludes with Sunday’s races, will be attended by Nicklas Nielsen, Official Ferrari Driver and 2018 continental series champion, who will act as Race Advisor. In a fortnight, Nielsen will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Maranello manufacturer’s Hypercar 499P. 

Trofeo Pirelli. Giacomo Altoè made a victorious championship debut. After taking pole position with a time of 1’34”091, he retained the race lead, gradually increasing his advantage over his pursuers before crossing the finish line first. Behind the young Italian, who also set the fastest lap time of 1’34”789, were Philipp Baron (Gohm Motorsport - Baron Racing) and home driver Bence Valint (Ferrari Budapest – Rossocorsa), who finished close to each other.

Andrew Morrow triumphed after a similarly tight battle in the Trofeo Pirelli Am. Early on, he overtook poleman Claus Zibrandtsen (Formula Racing), who was delayed in the final stages by a collision that relegated him to sixth place. Joining the Briton on the podium were Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) and Hanno Laskowski (Emil Frey Racing), while Marco Zanasi (CDP – Pinetti Motorsport) finished fourth with the race’s best lap time of 1’36”046 in class.

Coppa Shell. Alexander Nussbaumer took advantage of a race start complicated by rain that fell just a few minutes before the green flag. Starting from eleventh on the grid with dry tyres, the Austrian quickly moved into the lead, holding off the rest of the group to pass first under the chequered flag. His pursuers fought a thrilling contest, with Britain's John Dhillon (Graypaul Nottingham) securing second place, while Thomas Gostner (CDP – MP Racing) achieved his first podium of the season in third. The Frenchman Henry Hassid (Kessel Racing), who finished sixth, received an extra point for the fastest lap with a time of 1'36"803.

The track gradually dried out after the rain, making the Coppa Shell Am race even more exciting and unpredictable. Eric Cheung claimed the win. Andrea Levy (Rossocorsa) finished second, and Talal Shair (Scuderia Lebanon) third. Poleman Andreas König (Gohm Motorsport – Haupt Racing Team) secured fifth place with the best lap time in class of 1’37”798.

488. Fabrizio Fontana claimed his second win of the season in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. Starting from pole position, he crossed the finish line with the best lap time in his class, ahead of Niels Zibrandtsen (Formula Racing) in his first race and Tommy Lindroth (Gohm Motorsport – Baron Racing Team).

Programme. On Sunday, 2 June, the qualifying sessions will kick off at 9 a.m. with the Coppa Shell Am, followed by the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 10 a.m., and concluding at 10:45 a.m. with the Coppa Shell and 488. The second races will start in the same sequence, at 2.00 p.m., 3.15 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.