The season will reach its halfway point with round four of the thirtieth edition of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe during the Ferrari Racing Days over the weekend at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. Forty-seven 488 Challenge Evo cars will start on the historic and fascinating German circuit, where the Prancing Horse one-make series participants will compete to win and improve their positions in the overall standings ahead of the final rush.
Trofeo Pirelli. The young Doriane Pin (Scuderia Niki – Iron Lynx), the season’s star, arrives in Germany bolstered by a double victory in the last round at Budapest in June, which consolidated her lead in the standings. She is now 15 points ahead of the battle-hardened John Wartique (FML – D2P). Still with title ambitions, reigning World Champion Luka Nurmi (Formula Racing), third in the overall standings, will seek to show all his class on the German circuit. Former Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil (Gohm Motorsport) is among the weekend’s contenders, returning after his excellent victorious debut at the Paul Ricard. In contrast, the very young and promising Dane Conrad Laursen (Formula Racing), son of Johnny, will make his racing debut in the Coppa Shell. Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi – Courage), with three victories in 26 outings to his name, will also return to Germany. His last appearance was at the 2020 Finali Mondiali in Mugello.
Currently, one competitor is dominating the Am standings. With five victories in six races, Ange Barde (SF Côte d’Azur Cannes - IB FAST) has built a 31-point lead over his closest pursuer, Italian Marco Pulcini (Al Tayer Motors). The consistently positive Nicolò Rosi (Kessel Racing) will try to take advantage of the absence of Christian Brunsborg (Formula Racing), with whom he shares third place in the overall standings. The Swiss driver arrives fresh from his first win in the one-make series in Race-2 at Budapest.
Coppa Shell. The Coppa Shell battle is even more exciting, with the top three in the overall standings bunched within just six points. The German driver Franz Engstler (Scuderia GT) won the first race at Portimão on his season debut. He now lies just two points ahead of his compatriot Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo - Herter Racing) and six ahead of Roman Ziemian (FML – D2P), who, with his double-win in Budapest, emphatically re-launched his title bid. Currently 15 points behind the leader, a combative Manuela Gostner (CDP – MP Racing) is also in the running for the title. Alexander Nussbaumer (Gohm Motorsport – Herter Racing), who tops the standings, fourteen points clear of Joakim Olander (Scuderia Autoropa), is the current favourite in the Am. The Swedish driver, in turn, leads the group of closest pursuers, which includes reigning World Champion Peter Christensen (Formula Racing), Martinus Richter (MERTEL – Motorsport Racing) and Tommy Lindroth (Baron Motorsport).
30 years. The Prancing Horse’s one-make series’ thirtieth-anniversary celebrations also continue in Germany through the cars that have made its prestigious history. The Hockenheim circuit will host the F430 Challenge, based on the road-going 8-cylinder berlinetta of the same name. It has retained the 490 bhp V8 engine, combining the sporting and gran turismo souls that have always coexisted in cars from the Maranello-based manufacturer. The F430, which starred in the Ferrari Challenge from 2006 to 2011, will also serve as the warm-up act for the Trofeo Pirelli drivers ahead of Race-1, driven by Andrea Belluzzi from San Marino. Among his various career victories, he won the Italian and world titles in the Trofeo Pirelli with that car in 2011.
Programme. The fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe, which runs as part of the Ferrari Racing Days, will begin on Friday 22 July with free practice sessions, followed by qualifying on Saturday 23 July: the Coppa Shell at 9.05 a.m., followed by the Coppa Shell Am at 9.35 a.m., and the Trofeo Pirelli at 11.55 a.m. In the afternoon, Coppa Shell Race-1 will kick off at 2.20 p.m., and the Trofeo Pirelli race at 5.20 p.m. Sunday will see an identical programme. Qualifying and the races will be broadcast live with English-language commentary on Ferrari’s YouTube channel, while in Italy, the races can be seen on the Sky platform.