02 November 2018
Monza, 2 November 2018 – Cooper MacNeil (Scuderia Corsa–Ferrari Beverly Hills) and John Megrue (Ferrari Long Island) confirmed their status as champions of the North American series of Ferrari Challenge at Monza. Racing under grey skies and starting on a dry track, Race-1 soon took a dramatic turn as light sprinkles and then a full on downpour wet the circuit. In the drama, some drivers elected to pit, gambling the time lost would be made up as the rain continued. Others elected to stick it out - betting on their own ability would be worth more than the time lost. The result was a thrilling and chaotic start to the Finali Mondiali.
Trofeo Pirelli. Having started on pole, Cooper MacNeil started from pole and did not look back, maintaining a 1.5 second advantage over the well-qualified Thomas Tippl (Scuderia Corsa–Ferrari Beverly Hills). Despite some dramas further back at the first corner that eliminated Angie King (Scuderia Corsa-Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and Murray Rothlander (Ferrari of Vancouver), Cooper was able to establish a gap and control the race from the front. Cooper’s win, his ninth of the season, was enough to secure him the championship in North America. Further back, Benjamin Hites (The Collection) held second against a hard-charging Peter Ludwig (Wide World Ferrari). As the rain began to fall, Peter became ever more aggressive, saving some lurid moments in the treacherous conditions. Ultimately, however, he was able to pass Benjamin and as the rain intensified, Hites made the decision to pit for rain tires, loosing significant time in the process. That also promoted Chris Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island) into third place. But as the conditions worsened, Chris was unable to hang on to the position, ultimately crashing in the Lesmo corners, ending the race early and promoting Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari) to the podium.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Ross Chouest (Ferrari of Palm Beach) took the win in Race-1 – earning critical points that have put him in the lead of a very tight Trofeo Pirelli AM championship. He now leads Rob Hodes (Scuderia CAVA–Ferrari of Washington), who managed third in class, by three points. Second place was claimed by John Boyd (Ferrari of Denver). The championship contender Murray Rothlander suffered a serious blow to his championship hopes after a first corner, first lap incident that involved Angie King. Murray’s car became airborne briefly over the high curbs and he retired soon after due to suspension damage.
Coppa Shell. Thomas Tippl (Scuderia Corsa–Ferrari Beverly Hills) did an exceptional job to qualify second overall and he maintained that position through the opening few laps. As the rain intensified, he was able to dice with the top Trofeo Pirelli drivers before ultimately finishing third overall and first in class. Further behind, Brian Kaminskey (Ferrari of Long Island) claimed a well deserved podium in his black 488 Challenge car, accented distinctively by neon green wheels and striping. He finished only five seconds ahead of Chris Carel (Scuderia Corsa-Ferrari Beverly Hills) who took the final podium position.
Coppa Shell AM. John Megrue (Ferrari of Long Island) secured his first Ferrari Challenge championship in his first season of competition with the series in the Coppa Shell AM category. Capping an impressive season, John finished among drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli AM category, and nearly 13 seconds ahead of his nearest Coppa Shell AM competitor. That nearest competitor was Brian Simon (Cauley Ferrari) who was closely followed by Theodore Giovanis (Boardwalk Ferrari).
Schedule. Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli North America will return to action on Saturday morning at 11.15 for qualifying followed by racing action at 16.40.
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