The Coppa Shell Am of the Ferrari Challenge Europe has a new protagonist. Kirk Baerwaldt (Kessel Racing), after taking part in the American and the Asia-Pacific series in which he won the 2021 Coppa Shell Am title, made his debut this year in the series in the Old Continent, now in its 31st year. A thrilling debut for the Singaporean driver, with two third places at Valencia and a win in Race 1 at Misano.
We meet him in the pits just after taking pole position for Race 2 at the Romagna circuit and he expresses his satisfaction for the season start of his new European adventure: “I’m really enthusiastic about the way it’s going, the excellent performance in Spain and, in particular, the first tests here at Misano, which is a circuit on which I don’t feel particularly comfortable. On the contrary to what I thought, however, I’m doing well, working well with the team and have some very good feelings with the car. I drove without forcing it too much in the first practice, which allowed us to stay out of the more delicate parts of the race, avoiding the various collisions that took place.”
You have raced in America and in the APAC series. What differences do you find between the various championships?
“Racing in this championship is really extraordinary. Here in the European series, there are more competitive drivers, in my opinion. The challenge is tighter. In North America there are actually a lot of participants, but here the level of competition is really high.”
How do you get on in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo?
“It’s an incredible car really. It’s amazing in the racing version, but the road version is fantastic too.”
Off the track, what do you think of the Ferrari Challenge atmosphere?
“It’s an incredible experience for me. I get on very well with everyone in this environment. I feel like a child who is living out his dream.”