Winning return for Morrow. Rees continues his unbeaten run

The second round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK race series commenced today at Oulton Park, a scenic circuit renowned for its challenging corners and undulations. Optimal weather conditions graced the 2.7-mile track, allowing the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell drivers to extract maximum performance from their Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo race cars. 

In qualifying, in Trofeo Pirelli class, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) maintained his great pace from FP2 and secured P1 with a 1’39”077 time ahead of fellow dealer stablemate Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst). In Coppa Shell, Robert Rees (Dick Lovett Swindon) replicated his fine form seen in Brands Hatch posting a time of 1’41”482 to secure P1.

Trofeo Pirelli. Sunshine warmed the Oulton Park international circuit increasing track temperatures and improving tyre performance. The front three of Gilbert Yates, Andrew Morrow and Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) took full advantage of the optimal conditions, pushing from lap one to build a gap from the rest of the pack. As the race settled into a rhythm, Yates and Morrow pushed even harder, moving clear in what was promising to be an intense battle between the two Charles Hurst drivers.

Halfway through the race, having established a 2-sec gap to Morrow, race leader Yates suffered a technical issue forcing him to retire. Morrow was handed the lead, with fellow beneficiaries Vangala and Ajay Litt (Carrs Exeter) both moving up into respective podium places. From there, the order was set: Morrow took the chequered flag, Vangala secured his highest finish in the Trofeo Pirelli class to date, and Litt secured an impressive podium step on what became a remarkable racing debut.

Coppa Shell. Spectators witnessed a hotly contested battle in the Coppa Shell class. Straight from the start, an in-form Robert Rees crafted a clever move on Trofeo Pirelli driver Haymandhra Pillai (Jardine Colchester) to keep clear of Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) who was determined to achieve success on his home track. As the race wore on, Hunter pushed to catch Rees, but the Dick Lovett driver skilfully consolidated his leading position and kept Hunter at bay. 

Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) started well and maintained his position in the early stages; however, a focused Gary Redman (Graypaul Nottingham) found a way to close the gap. Dewhirst responded in kind, upping his ante to keep Redman at bay. Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon) took advantage of optimal track conditions and pulled together a sequence of impressive laps to catch up with Redman, passing him with just four minutes of the race remaining.

As the chequered flag dropped, Rees secured his third victory of the 2024 season, ahead of a consistent Hunter and Dewhirst, replicating the podium seen in Race 2 at Brands Hatch.

Tomorrow. Race 2 takes place on Saturday. Qualifying 2 will commence from 10:30 and Race 2 begins at 15:15. Conditions are expected to improve slightly. Both sessions can be spectated live at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com.