Victory at Donington for returning champion Khera; dewhirst keeps pressure on rees

Racing action continued today in the fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK race series at a sun-swept Donington Park. Lucky Khera’s (Graypaul Birmingham) return to the series surprised and delighted fans in equal measure and set the stage for a thrilling final race of the weekend. 

Qualifying. In Trofeo Pirelli, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) continued to display his dominant pace on track, posting a fastest time of 1’06’’027, almost 1-sec ahead of Khera who joined him on the front row. In Coppa Shell, Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon) continued his excellent Saturday form, achieving a best time of 1’07’’934 to take pole.  

Trofeo Pirelli. Yates didn’t hesitate in replicating his fine Saturday performance, quickly laying down a series of dominant laps to establish a comfortable 2.5-sec gap ahead of fellow Charles Hurst driver Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst). Morrow himself made an impressive race start, passing double-champion Khera as the pair entered Redgate to move up into second position.

As the race settled down, it seemed as though the order was set. But, halfway through the race, a problem to the car forced Morrow to retire. His misfortune benefitted Khera and Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) as the pair moved up into the podium positions. 

Yates continued to dominate as the race progressed; however, with just 2 minutes left in the race, the Irishman’s car developed an issue which hampered his race pace. Returning champion Khera did not need a second invitation, seizing the opportunity to pass the Charles Hurst Driver and claim his debut win of the 2024 season, with Vangala and Haymandhra Pillai (Jardine Colchester) joining him on the podium steps. Despite his misfortune, Yates comes away from round 4 leading the Trofeo Pirelli Championship.

Coppa Shell.  Robert Rees (Dick Lovett Swindon) once again showed his racing intuition as he forced his Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo around the outside to secure first position before the exit of turn one. Fellow championship rival Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) also found a way to slip past polesitter Dopson in the early exchanges before setting his sights on Rees. However, contact in the ensuing battle resulted in damage to Rees’s car and caused the Welshman to lose his race pace. Dewhirst found a way past, followed by Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) and Gary Redman (Graypaul Nottingham) a few laps later as Rees fell down the order.  

Hunter set about pursuing race leader Dewhirst, but the Dick Lovett driver was determined to avenge Saturday’s early exit and pushed on to build an impressive 5-sec gap. As the Chequered flag dropped, Dewhirst crossed the line to claim victory and finish his race weekend on a high. The result leaves the Coppa Shell Championship wide open, with the battle withing Rees and Dewhirst. 

Next Race. The final round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK series takes place at Silverstone on Friday 13 – Sunday 15 September 2024. Qualifying and Race sessions will be broadcast live via live.ferrari.com.