Louis Prette and Eric Cheung won Race-2 of the Ferrari Challenge Europe held today at Nürburgring, Germany, respectively in the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell. The day’s races, part of the Ferrari Racing Days, were as exciting as usual, and full of fascinating duels and passes.
Trofeo Pirelli. Louis Prette (Formula Racing) triumphed in the 30-minute race after masterfully protecting the lead he had built up early on over Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126) and Adam Carroll (Ferrari Budapest). There were few surprises during the 15 laps, with a special mention for Thomas Neubauer (Charles Pozzi - Courage), who started from ninth because of the Grid Handicap but finished fifth behind Lennart Marioneck (Gohm Motorsport). Race-1 winner Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) made a great start, before battling with Sam Smeeth (Baron Motorsport) and Neubauer to cross the line in sixth.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. The Trofeo Pirelli Am was a much more eventful race, won by Emanuele Maria Tabacchi (Rossocorsa) just four-tenths of a second ahead of Jack Brown (Graypaul Nottingham). The Italian driver had to recover from 11th on the grid, doing so in style to beat the Briton and even giving the Trofeo Pirelli drivers something to think about. Martin Nelson (Scuderia Autoropa) celebrated his 100th start in the Ferrari Challenge by joining Tabacchi and Brown on the podium.
Coppa Shell. Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) returned to winning ways for the first time since Race-1 in Valencia, ahead of Christian Kinch (Gohm Motorsport) and Ken Abe (Formula Racing). Victory was never in question for the Canadian driver, while behind him the Swedish and Japanese drivers fought a fascinating duel. Kinch put yesterday's race behind him in the ideal way, while the Japanese clinched his first podium of the season, after many near misses. Ernst Kirchmayr had a weekend to forget, retiring due to an accident at the start of both races. Similarly, James Weiland, winner of yesterday's race, retired after an early crash today.
Coppa Shell Am. Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) secured his maiden win of the season after a long battle with the Race-1 winner, Ingvar Mattson (Scuderia Autoropa) who spun when attempting to pass the Italian driver on lap 10 and crossed the line in fifth. Behind Ramelli, fifth overall, came Michael Simoncic (Baron Motorsport) and Matthias Moser (Baron Motorsport), with their first podiums of the season. The retirement of the championship leader, Laurent De Meeus (HR Owen), allowed Agata Smolka (Rossocorsa) to close the gap to just 15 points.