The 2021 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli calendar reaches round four out of seven at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit, with spectators admitted into the venue to witness the battles between the 44 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo entrants. After having welcomed the first spectators back at the previous round in Brno, 2,000 fans will again occupy the track’s main grandstand, while respecting safety measures and social distancing.
Trofeo Pirelli. Niccolò Schirò’s (Rossocorsa) superb return to the series, snatching both victories at Brno, will provide the leader of the standings, Danish driver Michelle Gatting (Scuderia Niki - Iron Lynx) with a high-level challenger, with the Dane currently holding a 58-point advantage over the Italian. The 29-point margin over John Wartique (FML - D2P), second in the standings, is wide yet contained, with Luka Nurmi (Formula Racing) and Matúš Výboh (Scuderia Praha) trailing by 2 and 8 points respectively. Behind, but not yet out of the title running, is Frederik Paulsen (Formula Racing), while Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi - Courage) makes his comeback in the series.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. Christian Brunsborg (Formula Racing) will look to break away at the top of the standings after two second-place finishes in Brno, holding off pursuers with 74 points at the top, compared to the 55 of Ange Barde (SF Côte d’Azur Cannes), the star in the Czech Republic with a peremptory double win, and Sergio Paulet (Santogal Madrid - MST Team) who heads to his home race hoping to put the double disappointment of Brno behind him. Not to be overlooked are drivers such as Hugo Delacour (Scuderia Monte-Carlo) and Marco Pulcini (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) as well as the reigning Coppa Shell champion, Roger Grouwels (Kroymans - Race Art), who have all raised their game in recent appearances.
Coppa Shell. The duel between provisional championship leader James Weiland (Rossocorsa) and Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport), some seven points adrift, looks set to continue in Valencia. The Austrian, who is a regular protagonist on this track, was twice on the top step of the podium at Brno ahead of the American. In a very tightly-fought class, ready to take advantage of any slip-ups will be Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo), Christian Kinch (Formula Racing), “Alex Fox” (SF Grand Est Mulhouse) and Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing).
Coppa Shell AM. The gentleman drivers’ class continues to be very finely- balanced, with three drivers within six points of each other. Leading, on 61 points, is Willem Van der Vorm (Scuderia Monte-Carlo), who dominated the previous round at Brno, with a three-point advantage over Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) and six over Swedish Joakim Olander (Scuderia Autoropa). Also worth highlighting will be the participation of Lisa Clark (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) in the event, one of the protagonists of the Ferrari Challenge North America, who will compete with Germana Tognella (Rossocorsa) in the Ladies Cup, the series debut of Patrick Leyseele (Monza NV) and the return of 2019 world champion Ingvar Mattson (Scuderia Autoropa).
Schedule. On-track activities get underway on Friday with the timed testing and free practice sessions, while on Saturday and Sunday the drivers will take part in qualifying (Trofeo Pirelli at 09:00 local time, Coppa Shell at 09:45) prior to the races: the thirty-minute Trofeo Pirelli challenge will start at 14:30, while the Coppa Shell protagonists will do battle at 15:45. In Italy, pre-recorded races will be broadcast on channel 205 Sky Collection (the Trofeo Pirelli race on Saturday at 16:00, followed by the Coppa Shell race at 17:00, while on Sunday, Race 2 of the Coppa Shell will be shown at 20:15, followed by the Trofeo Pirelli race at 21:15). Live qualifying and races will be available, free of charge, on live.ferrari.com with commentary in English.