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25 AugCorse Clienti, Ferrari Challenge Japan, Okayama 2024

Furutani wins Race 2, Hiwatashi took the championship

Okayama 25 August 2024

The ultimate round of the 2024 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan was held at the Okayama International Circuit. 20 cars participated in the last 488 Challenge Evo one-make race, just like the day before. The Trofeo Pirelli was dominated by the talented Yuga Furutani (Ferrari Japan), who claimed victory from pole position with exceptional speed. In Coppa Shell, Yasutaka Shirasaki (Rosso Scuderia) secured his second consecutive pole-to-win, solidifying his class championship. In Coppa Shell Am, Ryutaro Saito (Mid Sapporo) took the win, while Masafumi Hiwatashi (European Version) finished 4th and sealed the class championship despite Saito aiming for an upset.

Trofeo Pirelli. In the Trofeo Pirelli class, Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia) led the race, aiming to secure his second consecutive win since Race 1 the day before. However, on lap 6, Rin Arakawa (Auto Speciale), who had qualified third, overtook Uchida and claimed second place. Unfortunately, Uchida had to retire from the final race of the 488 Challenge Evo on lap 9 due to suspension issues, resulting in the deployment of the safety car to clear his car. After the restart, Furutani (Ferrari Japan) maintained his lead against Arakawa, ultimately taking his third win of the season after winning two races in Round 1.

In the four-car Trofeo Pirelli Am class, defending class champion Akita (Cornes Nagoya) took pole position in his class, followed by Motohiko Isozaki (Cornes Shiba), who qualified second, and Cold Max (Cornes Osaka), who took his first win of the season in Race 1. During the race, Akita and Isozaki quickly took the lead, with Akita ultimately emerging as the victor after the first corner. A close tail-to-nose exchange followed, but Akita was forced to pit on lap 6 due to mechanical issues, giving Isozaki an easy opportunity to take the lead. In a dominating performance, Isozaki swiftly passed Max for second place and secured his second win of the season, his first since Race 1 of Round 2 at Fuji International Speedway.

Coppa Shell. During the qualifying event for the five-car Coppa Shell class, Shirasaki, the previous day's class champion who took the pole-to-win position in Race 1, secured the pole position for the race. Phil Kim (Nicole Competitizione) qualified 2nd, with Kazutaka Miura (Auto Cavallino) following in 3rd place. During the race, Kim managed to overtake Shirasaki on the second lap and took the lead, but in a surprising turn of events, Shirasaki was able to pass him again on lap 6. In the end, Shirasaki finished 3rd overall and claimed the class victory.

Coppa Shell Am class had a record number of 8 entries, and Norikazu Shibata (Cornes Osaka) secured his first pole position in his class. Behind him was Saito, determined to upset the championship. Meanwhile, Hiwatashi, who was just a few points away from the top spot, promised to make up for his 4th place qualifying position. In an intense race, Saito passed Shibata on the first lap and maintained a close lead for the remaining 19 laps. Although the battle continued until the end, the order remained the same with Saito claiming his second consecutive victory. Despite finishing 4th, Hiwatashi secured the class championship.

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