Yates and Rees reign supreme in race 1 at Donington

The penultimate round of the 2024 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK race series kicked off today at Donington Park race circuit, a fast, undulating track considered by many Ferrari Challenge UK drivers as a highlight in their racing calendar. The early threat of rain did not materialise, giving confidence to the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell drivers who pushed their Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo race cars to the limit. 

Qualifying 1. Consistency was the order or the day in qualifying across both classes. In Trofeo Pirelli, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) found his form early in the session to post the quickest flying lap. His 1:06.317 time secured him a fifth consecutive pole of the season. In Coppa Shell, Gary Redman (Graypaul Nottingham) once again showed his quality to string together a best time of 1:08.291, securing his third consecutive pole in the process. 

Trofeo Pirelli. A turn one incident on the first lap resulted in an early appearance of the red flag, delaying proceedings by 30 minutes. Upon the restart, Yates worked quickly to capitalise on his pole position and pushed hard to consolidate his lead. He did so successfully, building a 9-sec gap ahead of his Charles Hurst counterpart Andrew Morrow. Morrow, who started the race in third position, capitalised on an opportunity to slip past the inside of Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) as the pair entered Redgate to ascend into second place.

Further back, strong early progress from Lee Frost (Graypaul Birmingham) and Haymandhra Pillai (Jardine Colchester) tightened the gap between second and fifth to just 3 seconds. However, Morrow and Vangala improved their lap times as the race wore on causing the pack to disburse. 

As the flag dropped, it was Yates who converted his strong qualification into an impressive race victory, his third this season, crossing the line a full 14 seconds ahead of championship rival Morrow to bring home the victory and move to the top of the Trofeo Pirelli championship table.

Coppa Shell. In Coppa Shell, Robert Rees (Dick Lovett Swindon) once again demonstrated his lightning reflexes to launch up the grid, before an incident in turn one saw the emergence of a red flag and the subsequent retirement of Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon), Darren Howell (JCT600 Leeds), Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) and Gary Redman. 

The restart was a head-to-head battle between championship leader Rees and season debutant Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon). Dopson piled the pressure on Rees in the early stages, cutting the interval to less than 0.5 secs. However, a nervous moment in the Cramer Curves unsettled Dopson, who subsequently struggled to replicate his initial pace that threatened Rees in the early stages. As the chequered flag dropped, it was Rees who secured the win, with fellow Dick Lovett stablemate Dopson joining him on the podium in second. 

Tomorrow. Race 2 takes place on Sunday. Qualifying 2 will commence from 10:30 and Race 2 begins at 14:30. Conditions are expected to remain unchanged. Both sessions can be spectated live at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com