Imola 04 July 2020
The reigning champion of the 2019 Trofeo Pirelli Am, Emanuele Maria Tabacchi, made the best possible debut in the premier class with a commanding victory in Race-1 held on Saturday in the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit at Imola. Matúš Vyboh won the Trofeo Pirelli Am after a prolonged duel with rookie Frederik Paulsen. Roger Grouwels triumphed in the Coppa Shell in a race featuring two appearances of the safety car, while Michael Simoncic prevailed in the Coppa Shell Am.
The Ferrari Challenge race, which marked the restart of motorsport activities in Italy, was held in strict compliance with the safety measures imposed by the national and sporting authorities.
Trofeo Pirelli. Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa) won the first race of the 2020 Trofeo Pirelli at the end of a solitary breakaway. His path to victory was smoothed by the battle for runner-up that lasted almost the entire thirty minutes, between Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126) and Michelle Gatting (Niki Hasler). The reigning Trofeo Pirelli Am champion enjoyed a brilliant start, passing Wohlwend, in pole after the morning qualifying session. From then on, Tabacchi managed his lead without needing to worry about a comeback from Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi - Courage) who had to finish the race early. In the final stages, after passing Gatting with a splendid manoeuvre, Wohlwend had to yield second position when she ran out of fuel on the last lap. However, she still finished third. Tabacchi clocked the fastest lap of the race in 1:44.221.
In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, victory went to Matúš Vyboh (Scuderia Praha), an excellent third overall. The Slovak driver got the better of rookie Frederik Paulsen (Formula Racing), author of the pole position. Vyboh, who repeated last year's win at the Nürburgring, surprised his rival at the start before holding off his attacks down to the chequered flag. Third position went to another Formula Racing driver, Oliver Grotz.
Coppa Shell. Roger Grouwels (Kroymans Automotive) recorded a commanding victory in Coppa Shell Race-1 at Imola. Setting off from third, Grouwels took advantage of the exit of Thomas Gostner (CDP - MP Racing), who didn't start due to a technical fault. The Dutchman's first win of the season came at the end of a hard-fought race. He took the lead in a brilliant passing move against Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing), who finished the race on the lowest step of the podium behind Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport).
In the Coppa Shell Am, victory went to Michael Simoncic (Baron Motorsport), who got the better of “Alex Fox” (SF Grand Est Mullhouse) and Dusan Palcr (Scuderia Praha).
Programme. Sunday’s programme will be similar to today’s, although the Trofeo Pirelli will start an hour earlier at 2 pm. However, the Coppa Shell outing will stick to its original timetable with the green light at 4:20 pm. Once again, the race will be broadcast live exclusively on Sky Sport Arena (channel 204) and on the Ferrari Races website.