Isozaki wins 2023 Coppa Shell Am Europe on second day of racing at Mugello

The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe and North America concluded the 2023 season at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello ahead of the Ferrari Finali Mondiali races on Sunday. In the European championship, Stefano Marazzi (Rossocorsa) won the Coppa Shell Am race while Motohiko Isozaki (Cornes Motors Shiba) clinched the title, the last one still hanging in the balance. Thomas Fleming (HR Owen - FF Corse) put the last seal on the Trofeo Pirelli 2023, won yesterday by Eliseo Donno (Radicci Automobili). Japan's Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia) and Ernst Kirchmayr (Gohm – Baron Motorsport) scored double-wins, respectively in the Trofeo Pirelli Am and the Coppa Shell.

The North American series goes into the archives with wins in the second round in Tuscany for Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) in the Trofeo Pirelli, Justin Rothberg (Ferrari of Palm Beach) in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, Cameron Root (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) in the Coppa Shell and Jeffrey Nunberg (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) in the Coppa Shell Am.

Ferrari Challenge Europe. The final triumph in the 2023 season of the European series of the Trofeo Pirelli for Thomas Fleming, his fifth of the season. The young British driver – once again starting from pole position – kept his closest pursuers at bay, while also setting the fastest lap time of 2’10”232, in a race complicated by wet conditions on the asphalt, due to rain that began before the start. In the hotly-contested challenge behind, Bence Valint (Rossocorsa – Ferrari Budapest) came out on top, while the newly crowned class champion Eliseo Donno clinched third place for his tenth podium of a triumphant year.

Another Japanese triumph in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, with Yudai Uchida giving a repeat performance of yesterday’s victory and clinching the bonus point for the best lap time, in a thrilling race featuring 160 overtakes. Nobuhiro Imada (Rosso Scuderia), who was second across the finish line, was subject to a 25-second penalty at the end of the race for having caused a collision with another car. Runner-up spot therefore went to Marco Zanasi (CDP – Pinetti Motorsport), who managed to skilfully fend off Mohamed Hamdy (Ezz Elarab Automotive Company), who started from first place on the grid and finished in third. 

Ernst Kirchmayr also secured a double-win in Coppa Shell Race-2, which finished behind the Safety Car that made a second appearance in the 30-minute race to clear the track following a collision between drivers Christian Herdt-Wipper (Emil Frey Sportivo) and John Dhillon (Graypaul Nottingham) as they battled for second place. Both drivers emerged unscathed. The Austrian, who started from pole and set the fastest lap, shared the podium with the Japanese Kanji Yagura (Cornes Osaka) and Manuela Gostner (CDP – MP Racing), thus consolidating her runner-up spot in the overall standings behind the champion Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo – Herter Racing).

The last race of the Ferrari Challenge Europe season decided the Coppa Shell Am 2023 title winner. While Stefano Marazzi, again starting from pole in Race-2, claimed his first win in the Prancing Horse one-make series, also turning in the best lap time, second place allowed Motohiko Isozaki to seal the title, completing the season with eight podiums, including two on the top step. Josef Schumacher (Eberlein Automobile) finished third.

Ferrari Challenge North America. The North American championship season also drew to a close at the Scarperia circuit. Following Matt Kurzejewski (Ferrari Beverly Hills)’s win in the Trofeo Pirelli, yesterday’s race decided the remaining 2023 titles in the other classes. The final race, made more treacherous by the rain that began to fall in the closing stages and soaking the asphalt, witnessed Roberto Perrina secure the win in the Trofeo Pirelli. After taking the lead in the initial part of the race, he successfully passed the chequered flag in first place. Second spot went to Dylan Medler (The Collection), after a 25-second penalty for exceeding track limits was inflicted upon Kurzejewski, third, after starting from pole and setting the fastest lap time. In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, Justin Rothberg celebrated his title, earned the previous day, with a victory and a fastest lap. Sharing the class podium with him were Marc Muzzo (Ferrari of Ontario), who clawed back 18 positions from the grid and Omar Balkissoon (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale). The race took an unfortunate turn for pole-sitter Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle), who ended up in the gravel after a last-lap collision.

Another triumph, with the fastest lap and pole position, for the freshly-crowned champion of the 2023 Coppa Shell, Cameron Root, who kept John Viskup (Boardwalk Ferrari) and Frank Szczesniak (Ferrari of Austin) at bay. In the Coppa Shell Am, lastly, Jeffrey Nunberg claimed his first win of the season, outpacing pole-sitter Bruce Cleveland (Ferrari Silicon Valley), who also posted the fastest time and Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey).

Schedule. The Finali Mondiali qualifying sessions take place on Saturday, 28 October, at the Mugello circuit, with the addition of the new Superpole in which the six best in each class will take part. The first Coppa Shell Am qualifying will start at 10.05 a.m., Coppa Shell at 11.35 a.m., and Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 1 p.m., all lasting 25 minutes. Superpole, lasting 10 minutes per class, will start at 3.35 p.m. and will be broadcast on live.ferrari.com and the official Ferrari YouTube channel with English-language commentary. All times are local.