It turned out to be the two pole-sitters from their respective classes who claimed the spoils at the first Coppa Shell race of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) got the better of Roger Grouwels (Race Art - Kroymans) in an intense battle, while in AM class "Boris Gideon" (Formula Racing) prevailed ahead of Michael Simoncic (Baron Motorsport).
Out on the track there was no shortage of thrills and entertainment. Getting the show underway from the top position thanks to the fastest qualifying time, Ernst Kirchmayr tried to break away in the early stages of the race, but behind him, Roger Grouwels and Axel Sartingen (LUEG Sportivo) were standing for no surprises. Elsewhere in AM class, a confident “Boris Gideon” (Formula Racing) was able to keep a cooler head to edge out rivals Michael Simoncic (Baron Motorsport) and “Alex Fox” (SF Grand Est Mulhouse).
The battle between the top three in the standings was growing ever tighter as the laps accrued and would continue for the entire 30 minutes of racing, held up only momentarily by the entry of the Safety Car due to a mid-group collision. Nevertheless, Kirchmayr managed to smoothly fend off the pressure exerted by Grouwels, setting the best lap time in the process, before eventually taking the final win. Third place went to Sartingen, just 2.28 seconds ahead of Christian Kinch (Formula Racing), who claimed fourth place in his class, remaining behind Thomas Gostner (CDP-MP Racing) and Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) after a lengthy spell repelling the attacks from Italian Corinna Gostner (CDP-Racing), who slowed down at the end due to contact whilst overtaking the same Scheltema. Brad Horstmann (Foreign Cars Italia), elsewhere, got the better of the other drivers from the Ferrari Challenge North America series.
The feat marks a fourth place overall victory for “Boris Gideon” in Coppa Shell AM. The driver, who also produced the fastest lap, finished ahead of Simoncic. Rounding out the class podium was Frenchman “Alex Fox”, ninth overall past the chequered flag, just ahead of Willem Van der Vorm (Scuderia Monte-Carlo). Lisa Clark (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) ahead of Eileen Bildman (Ferrari of Long Island) clinched the triumph among the female drivers competing in Ferrari Challenge North America. Third place went to Christopher Aitken (Ferrari of Houston), slowed up after a collision whilst overtaking some six minutes from the end of the race.