Rain Dominates Final Day for Ferrari Challenge at COTA

In contrast to Saturday’s sunny skies, rainy weather dominated the final day of Ferrari Challenge North America action at Circuit of The Americas.

While some drivers in Sunday’s three races for Trofeo Pirelli, Coppa Shell and 488 Challenge Evo fell prey to the conditions, most drivers navigated the slippery track to still provide an exciting end to the opening round of the 2024 season.

Trofeo Pirelli. After contact in Race 1 demoted him from a podium finish, Roberto Perrina (Ferrari Seattle) controlled his own destiny on Sunday, starting and winning from the pole position and running nearly uncontested. It was the battle for the remaining top-five positions, however, that captivated the audience, with Martin Burrowes (Ferrari of Quebec) and Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) emerging atop the four-way battle that ran to the checkered flag. 

In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) swept the weekend and finished sixth overall, with Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida) finishing closely behind in second, gaining one position from his finish on Saturday. Rounding out the class podium was Christopher Cagnazzi (Ferrari of Long Island).

Coppa Shell. Coppa Shell competitors were the first to race in Sunday’s conditions, and Sureel Choksi (Ferrari of Denver) led the field flag-to-flag, although tiptoeing around the circuit while doing so. John Viskup (Boardwalk Ferrari) chased Choksi throughout the race, and only with a miracle save after nearly spinning did he salvage a third-place finish. Robert McWilliams (Ferrari of Washington) narrowly snuck by Viskup in the chaos to finish second.

In Coppa Shell Am, drivers were patient throughout the 30-minute race and mostly maintained their position in the overall top 10. Steve Check (Ferrari of Rancho Mirage) took the second checkered flag of the weekend, with Bryan Waltersdorf (Continental AutoSports) and Dana Goodwin (Ferrari of Seattly) following suit in second-and-third-in class.

488 Challenge Evo. As an encore to Saturday’s action, Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) and Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) continued their back-and-forth battle while seeking the Race 2 Trofeo Pirelli class victory. Perrina started first, but gave way to McCarthy after overshooting a corner on the slippery circuit. While McCarthy stole the lead, he made a similar mistake only minutes later to give back the lead and eventual win to Perrina. McCarthy finished runner-up for the second consecutive day and Grey Fauvre (Ferrari of San Francisco) finished third.

In the 488 Challenge Evo Coppa Shell category, Gerdas Venslovas (Continental AutoSports) held off Race 1 winner Matt Dalton (Ferrari of Long Island) by only car lengths to initially score second-in-class. However, a post-race penalty issued for the leading car of Gary Ott (Ferrari Philadelphia) elevated Venslovas to the victory, and moved Dalton to second and Ott to third.

Upcoming Schedule. In less than one month’s time, Ferrari Challenge North America is westbound for its second round of 2024 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The Northern California circuit will host the doubleheader on May 15 – 20 and all races, including replays from this weekend at COTA, are available on the Ferrari YouTube channel.