Nürburgring: the final sprint of the Ferrari Challenge Europe begins

After the summer break, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe resumes with its final two rounds before the Finali Mondiali at Imola. This weekend (5-8 September), the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany will host the Prancing Horse single-marque series as part of the Ferrari Racing Days, which will see all the programmes and exclusive experiences dedicated to the clients of the Maranello-based manufacturer take to the track.

The German event will place the spotlight on the challenges at the top of the overall standings of the four classes in which the new, high-performing 296 Challenge cars will be competing, after the round at Paul Ricard in late July which saw the first 2024 title awarded in the Trofeo Pirelli 488.

Trofeo Pirelli. After his two victories on French soil, the clear favourite in the main class of the series is the young Italian driver Giacomo Altoé (Emil Frey Racing), already a prominent figure in GT3 championships. Altoé leads the standings by 27 points over Bence Valint (Ferrari Budapest – Rossocorsa) and 28 over Philipp Baron (Gohm Motorsport – Baron Racing Team), both of whom are tasked with keeping the competition alive. Among the drivers no longer in contention for the standings are American Dylan Medler (Pellin Racing) and youngster Luigi Coluccio (Radicci Automobili – Best Lap – FCI), who, having performed well in previous rounds, will aim for their first victory.

Five consecutive wins have propelled Claus Zibrandtsen (Formula Racing) to the top of the Trofeo Pirelli Am standings, with a comfortable margin over his closest rivals. Behind him, Marco Zanasi (CDP – Pinetti Motorsport) and Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing), respectively 25 and 26 points behind the leader, will attempt to make up ground on the Danish driver. Three new faces will liven up the Nürburgring track this weekend in a class featuring 20 out of the total 71 drivers: Michael Verhagen (Ferrari Warszawa) and the Italian Federico Al Rafai (Rossocorsa).

Coppa Shell. On his home circuit, Frenchman Henry Hassid (Kessel Racing) secured a double-win, bringing him closer to the title. The main challenger for the series crown remains the ever-competitive Manuela Gostner (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), trailing by 44 points, while Tibor Valint (Ferrari Budapest – Rossocorsa) and John Dhillon (Graypaul Nottingham) are not yet mathematically out of the running. There is also a new entrant in the Coppa Shell, with Polish driver Andrzej Lewandowski (Autohaus Ulrich).

Zois Skrimpias (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) holds a 45-point advantage over his closest rival after securing his fifth and sixth victories of an extraordinary debut season at Le Castellet. While Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) will attempt to challenge the Greek driver in the overall standings, other contenders will be seeking a prestigious victory in Germany.

Trofeo Pirelli 488. As mentioned, the title in the class dedicated to the 488 Challenge Evo cars has already been claimed by Fabrizio Fontana (Formula Racing), who will not be present at the Nürburgring. This leaves the field open for the other drivers in the series to compete in the two German races.  

Schedule. In the packed programme of the Ferrari Racing Days, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe will take to the track on Thursday 5 September, with tests and free practice sessions. Friday 6 September is dedicated to qualifying sessions, starting with Coppa Shell Am at 9 a.m., followed by Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 11.30 a.m., and Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli 488 at 12.15 p.m. The second qualifying session in preparation for Race-2 will take place in the afternoon, with Coppa Shell Am at 2.40 p.m., Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 5.10 p.m., followed by Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli 488 at 5.55 p.m. Race-1 will commence on Saturday 7 September, starting at 9.20 a.m. with Coppa Shell Am. The Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am races will follow at 12.30 p.m., and Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli 488 will round off the day at 3.20 p.m. An identical schedule will be followed on Sunday 8 September, when Race-2 for the various classes will be contested.

The qualifying sessions and races will be livestreamed free of charge, with commentary in English, at live.ferrari.com and on the official Ferrari YouTube channel.