Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific will continue its tour of the United Arab Emirates this week, with Round 6 of the series taking place in Abu Dhabi. Held in conjunction with the Ferrari Racing Days, Yas Marina’s Circuit will see drivers competing for what is set to be another exciting round of races. Last weekend’s Ferrari Challenge event in Dubai, coupled with this weekend’s in the UAE capital, make up the Winter Challenge, which is open to drivers from other Prancing Horse championships in Europe, North America and UK.
Winter Challenge. Continuing the action of last weekend’s action-packed races at the Dubai Autodrome, there will be strong competition between title rivals as drivers go face to face on the track. All eyes will be on Matt Kurzejewski (Ferrari Westlake), whose great performance landed him first place in both the first and second races of the Trofeo Pirelli. His championship in the first race came after a fierce and exciting duel with Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia), who started in pole position on the grid. Jeremy Clarke (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and Carl Cavers (Graypaul Nottingham) came in second and third respectively. In Race 2, Kurzejewski also secured the championship, with Jeremy Clarke and Carl Cavers securing second and third.
In the Coppa Shell Winter Challenge, the first race saw James Geddie (Al Tayer Motors) take the lead from Tani Hanna (Formula Racing) in the early stages to win the race. Tani Hanna’s second position seemed secure until the last lap, where he was overtaken by Maya Hartge (Al Tayer Motors). In Abu Dhabi, eyes will be on James Geddie, who successfully retained first position in Race 2 followed by Tani Hanna, whose superb comeback saw him overtake Maya Hartge following a drive through penalty. Maya Hartge also secured a position on the podium, finishing third.
Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell APAC. Abu Dhabi will also be the stage for the continuation of the Trofeo Pirelli AM Asia Pacific. The first race’s fierce competition, along with the back and forth between winner Yudai Uchida and Nobuhiro Imada, both from Rosso Scuderia, sets an ideal teaser for Abu Dhabi’s races. Races 1 and 2 saw Uchida secure first position on the podium followed by Philippe Prette (Blackbird Concessionaires), while Imada finished in third during Race 1. The coming weekend will see if Uchida can continue his dominance while Prette and Imada follow closely.
Extraordinary driving in the Coppa Shell Asia Pacific is also coming to Abu Dhabi following an optimum performance from Jay Park (FMK), who lead Race 1 from pole to flag, followed by Kanji Yagura (Cornes Osaka) and his teammate, Kazuyuki Yamaguchi. Race 2 also saw a top-notch domination from Jay Park. The Coppa Shell AM class will also be coming to Abu Dhabi after a thrilling Race 1 in Dubai that saw Baby Kei (Cornes Osaka) secure first and Shigeru Kamiue (European Version) came second. In Race 2, however, Shigeru Kamiue secured first position followed by Baby Kei, leaving all drivers’ eyes on the prize in Abu Dhabi as they fight for the top spot on the podium.
Schedule. Practice sessions will run on Friday. Official sessions will begin on Saturday, with the qualifying session at 10.40am and Race 1 taking place at 6.30pm. The second qualifying session will take place on Sunday at 11.05am followed by Race 2 at 6.40pm (all times are local).