Round four of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe kicked off with two hard-fought races at the challenging Hockenheim circuit. We heard from the Race-1 podium finishers.
Luka Nurmi, runner-up Trofeo Pirelli: “Today I had a good start, but then Doriane Pin overtook me. I managed to keep really close to her for many laps. Later, I had to slow down to manage the tyres and abandon my comeback attempt”.
Eliseo Donno, third place Trofeo Pirelli: “It’s an incredible result, as we started from seventh place in qualifying where we didn’t manage a clean lap. It’s an excellent result, and I hope it’s the first in a long series.
Nicolò Rosi, second place Trofeo Pirelli Am: “I’m delighted. It’s thrilling. I was hoping for a good start, and I must say that things exceeded my expectations. Then it’s certainly a lovely experience to be on the podium with Arno (Dahlmeyer) and Ange (Barde)”.
Arno Dahlmeyer, third place Trofeo Pirelli Am: “I am really pleased. It is a special day for me because it’s fantastic to make the podium on my home circuit. Besides, not only are we in Germany, my country, but we are forty minutes from where I was born. My family is here, so it is an extraordinary feeling.
Alessandro Giovanelli, Coppa Shell runner-up: “It was my first ever race in the Ferrari Challenge Europe and at the wheel of the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. I had been in contact with Andrea Zadra of Rossocorsa for years, and now I am finally here. Today was a wonderful experience organisationally for Ferrari and the team, which always supported me. It was quite a tough race due to the heat and my inexperience in driving the car, which should not be underestimated. I was very apprehensive, but it was an excellent start because my colleagues are experienced, and I tiptoed in and tried to do my best. I was assisted by engineer Gianluca and all the technicians, whom I would like to thank. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow”.
Axel Sartingen, third place Coppa Shell: “It was a challenging race. Until the entry of the Safety Car, I was unable to catch up with Franz (Engstler), who was incredibly fast. I tried to hold onto my second place, but I made a mistake, and in this race, even one error can jeopardise the final result. Indeed, I lost ground, and the new entry Giovanelli caught up and overtook me. I was very close on the last lap but couldn’t retake that lost position. Without that indecisiveness, I would definitely have finished the race in second place. Tomorrow will be another race, and we’ll see what happens”.
Andreas König, second place Coppa Shell Am: “It was a challenging start with so many cars on the grid, and I’m glad I managed to keep out of trouble. Luck was on my side, and I overtook a few rivals. I tried to hold a steady pace and sadly couldn’t take first place, but that’s alright. Let’s see what happens tomorrow!”
Alexander Nussbaumer, second place Coppa Shell Am: “It was a fascinating race. Unfortunately, I ended up in the grass in the early stages when I was in first place, so I had to work hard to regain positions. In the end, I must say that I moved up quite easily to third place. I also had some luck in overtaking various opponents”.