13 May 2018
Francorchamps, 13 May 2018 - Even the rain failed to quell the passion of the Ferraristi, from sports customers, to road cars drivers, to fans. During the weekend the grandstand on the main straight was packed with spectators, as was the paddock, with thousands of people gathering at Spa-Francorchamps. On Sunday the program offered the second two races of the Ferrari Challenge Europe, along with the F1 Clienti and XX Programmes sessions. On the final day of the event, official Ferrari drivers Davide Rigon, Olivier Beretta and Alessandro Pier Guidi starred in a fantastic track show.
Superfast trio. The performance began on the main straight shortly after 1 pm, when Alessandro Pier Guidi set off in the new Ferrari 488 Pista, Olivier Beretta climbed into the 488 GTE of MR Racing, in which he came fifth a week ago in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, and Davide Rigon took the wheel of a 488 Challenge. After this display of Maranello's V8 sportcars, Rigon slipped into the cockpit of a 2009 F60 to thrill the public with fast laps and lightning quick tyre changes performed by the Scuderia Ferrari mechanics.
F1 Clienti. Anyone arriving early was treated to the sight of the Formula 1 single-seaters cornering the spectacular Eau Rouge and Raidillon turns, with their rain tyres spraying out a classic water trail, while still allowing the drivers to top 300 km/h on the Kemmel straight and on the final turns of one of the world’s most beautiful tracks. The 2013 F138 shared the track with two F2008s and one F2007, two F2001s and one F2002. Then there was also an F333 SP, the barchetta that still holds a place in the hearts of endurance racing fans. Indeed, this car triumphed at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Petit Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
XX Programmes. The XX Programmes cars didn’t slip under the radar either. These vehicles, homologated for track use only, stand out for their power and cutting-edge technology. The original FXX was driven by two customers, who were joined by host of 599XXs, 599XX Evos and FXX Ks that clocked excellent times despite the rain. There was also an FXX K Evo, which put in the best performance thanks to its greater downforce.
Ferrari Challenge. The Ferrari Challenge offered two more races, although the second was marred by the fog that descended on the Ardennes track in the mid-afternoon. The first, the Trofeo Pirelli, was chaotic with a second start after an accident at La Source. The winners were championship leader Nicklas Nielsen (Formula Racing) and Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126), the fastest woman in Ferrari Challenge history, who had previously won at Imola last year in the Coppa Shell. The race officials spent 20 minutes trying to start the Coppa Shell race but the conditions were never right to withdraw the Safety Car from in front of the group. So, the final standings were just like qualifying with James Weiland winning the Coppa Shell and Ingvar Mattsson the Coppa Shell Am.
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