Multiple eras of Ferrari’s storied history will collide this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, as the circuit hosts the second round of the 2024 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli championship, in addition to the popular Ferrari Racing Days annual celebration.
While the series gets its first glimpse of the freshly repaved surface, the track and Ferrari enthusiasts will get their first glimpse at the Ferrari 296 Challenge racecar, which debuted last month at Circuit of The Americas.
Nearly fifty 296 Challenge cars will take to the track for a pair of half-hour races, while 27 competitors will fight for the pair of 488 Challenge Evo victories. The addition of numerous, eye-catching models from Racing Days is destined to bring the full Ferrari experience to northern California this week.
Ferrari Racing Days Returns.
Ferrari will tie together the old, the present and the new at Laguna Seca, as Ferrari Racing Days returns to the track that hosted the first ever Ferrari Challenge North America race in 1994.
On the heels of the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, a historic Formula One car from 2003 – Michael Schumacher’s record-breaking, sixth championship season – reemerges to take laps around Laguna Seca.
Representing the current era, the 499P Modificata – derived by the Ferrari’s winning centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans racecar, a strictly limited series for non-competitive events – will be spotted as part of the Sport Prototipi Clienti program.
Finally looking to the future, the XX Programme also joins in the festivities to highlight Ferrari’s continuous efforts in technological research and implementation, running models such as the FXX and FXXK FXX-K Evos and the 599XX.
Who to Watch.
After just two races, drivers to watch have already emerged across all six classes. Trofeo Pirelli features familiar faces with Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle), Dylan Medler (The Collection) and Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari), who finished 2-3-4, respectively, in last year’s championship. Of this trio, Perrina found the most success at COTA with a runner-up finish on Saturday and win on Sunday. However, it was Medler who nabbed the Race 1 victory and McCarthy who was ever-present throughout the weekend and finished on Sunday’s podium.
In the Trofeo Pirelli Am title hunt, Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) paces the field after two wins at COTA, while second-place Chris Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island) made a quick first impression amidst his first full season of Ferrari Challenge competition. Cagnazzi finished seventh on Saturday before leaping onto Sunday’s podium in third.
The Coppa Shell class showcases a driver shakeup for 2024 and Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver), the only driver from last year’s top five, returns with his experience to top the leaderboard. However, Robert McWilliams (Ferrari of Washington) and John Viskup (Boardwalk Ferrari) were hot on his heels, finishing within a second of Choksi on Sunday and Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle) prevented Choksi’s weekend sweep by winning the day prior.
Meanwhile in Coppa Shell Am, Steve Check (Ferrari of Rancho Mirage) vaulted from eighth in the final 2023 standings to first after the season opener. However, six drivers made up the six podium positions at COTA, and Laguna Seca offers the opportunity for one of those drivers to become the leader of the pack.
In the 488 Challenge Evo classes, Trofeo Pirelli competitor Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) returns to the series with a vengeance and two wins after a yearlong hiatus last season. In Coppa Shell, Gary Ott (Ferrari of Philadelphia) stormed onto the scene at COTA in his first ever Ferrari Challenge weekend and leads his class in the title hunt.
Schedule
Saturday’s race schedule consists of Trofeo Pirelli at 3:40 p.m. ET (12:40 p.m. local time), Coppa Shell at 5:10 p.m. and 488 Challenge Evo at 6:35 p.m. Sunday follows with Coppa Shell action at 3:35 p.m., Trofeo Pirelli at 5:05 p.m. and 488 Challenge Evo at 6:25 p.m.
All races will stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel and a total of six Ferrari Racing Days sessions will take place throughout the weekend. Spectator information can be found here and fans are encouraged to join the conversation on social media using the #FerrariRacingDays hashtag.