The highly anticipated Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan Round 2 Race 2 took place at Fuji Speedway. The race saw a fierce competition among 30 488 Challenge Evo cars over a thrilling 19-lap race. Tsutomu Shimoyama and Yusaku Maezawa marked their first wins in the Coppa Shell and Coppa Shell Am categories, respectively.
Trofeo Pirelli. In the Trofeo Pirelli class, defending champion Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia) dominated from the start, maintaining a commanding lead after taking the pole position. Ferrari Japan's young driver Yugo Iwasawa (Ferrari Japan) couldn't catch up with Trofeo Pirelli Am leader Makoto Fujiwara. Uchida's impressive performance saw him finish over 25 seconds ahead of Fujiwara, securing a flawless Sunday of a pole-to-win triumph.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. Makoto Fujiwara (Cornes Shiba )continues to dominate in Trofeo Pirelli Am, securing his second consecutive pole position in Race 1 despite having to retire due to mechanical issues. He was closely pursued by his teammate AKITA (Cornes Nagoya) and Kanji Yagura (Cornes Osaka) at the front of the pack. Despite the challenging circumstances, Fujiwara proved his skill, ultimately taking pole-to-win victory.
Coppa Shell. Cornes Shiba's Tsutomu Shimoyama took the top spot in the Coppa Shell class, after making his debut in round 1 at Suzuka. Following closely behind was Yasutaka Shirasaki (Rosso Scuderia), who had dominated with three consecutive wins and a pole-to-win in Race 1. The competition was further intensified with Phil Kim (Nicole Competitione) joining the battle, resulting in a thrilling race between the top three cars. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Shirasaki spun out during lap 15, allowing Shimoyama to secure his first pole-to-win victory after successfully fending off Phil's pursuit.
Coppa Shell Am. Meanwhile, in the Coppa Shell Am category, Yusaku Maezawa (Cornes Shiba) shone in his Ferrari Challenge debut, earning the top spot in qualifying. Following closely behind was Masafumi Hiwatashi (European Version), who had also claimed a pole-to-win victory in Race 1. The two drivers put on a fierce battle for the lead from the start of the race, with Hiwatashi taking the lead on the first corner of lap 5. However, Maezawa came back strong and regained his position on the first corner of lap 8, taking a thrilling first pole-to-win victory in his debut round. An impressive feat for a debut round win.
Excitement is building as a multitude of 488 Challenge Evo cars gear up to compete in Round 3 of thrilling races at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture, taking place from June 7 to 9.