Pin and Ziemian’s double win in Budapest

The third round of the thirtieth edition of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe concluded with two more thrilling and hard-fought races at the Hungaroring circuit. The second round of the weekend saw repeat wins for Doriane Pin (Scuderia Niki - Iron Lynx) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Roman Ziemian (FML - D2P) in the Coppa Shell. Nicolò Rosi (Kessel Racing) gained his first victory of the year in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, while Herdt-Wipper (Saggio München), a newcomer to the class, did likewise in the Coppa Shell Am.

Trofeo Pirelli. Doriane Pin did well in Hungary, with her two victories extending her lead in the standings over her closest pursuer John Wartique (FML - D2P). The Belgian finished in second place in a race affected by an accident at the first corner that brought out the Safety Car. Many drivers were caught up in the collision, the worst affected being Eliseo Donno (CDP - Best Lap) and David Gostner (CDP - MP Racing), who were forced to retire. At the restart, Pin didn't allow the Belgian to pull any surprises and made the decisive push that allowed her to cross the finish line in first position with a comfortable margin over Wartique. Luka Nurmi (Formula Racing) took third place, while Josef Král (Scuderia Praha) finished just off the podium.

In the Am, Nicolò Rosi mounted a victorious comeback, taking advantage of a mistake by Marco Pulcini (Al Tayer Motors) while he was leading, to move into first and hold it down to the chequered flag. Alessandro Cozzi (Formula Racing) climbed the last step of the podium. Class leader Ange Barde (SF Côte d'Azur Cannes - IB FAST) was out of the running. After dropping places due to the initial accident, he served a drive-through for jump-starting, finishing in fifth position.

Coppa Shell. Romain Ziemian closed the Hungarian weekend with a splendid double win after a race he led from pole to finish. His victory was never in question, not even when his progress was slowed by lapping. His pursuers failed to close in on him, and Franz Engstler (Scuderia GT), who gained two positions at the start, had to settle for second place. Third went to Manuela Gostner (CDP - MP Racing), who having started from fifth on the grid, overtook Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo – Herter Racing) and then Ernst Kirchmayr (Baron Motorsport) at the end.

The Coppa Shell Am race was full of twists and turns, right from the start. Christian Herdt-Wipper set off from pole, but lost the lead to Henrik Kamstrup (Formula Racing), who, unfortunately, shortly afterwards was forced to pit and retire. Having regained the lead, Herdt-Wipper continued his march to victory while a bit of everything happened behind him, with contacts, retirements and penalties. In the end, the German was joined on the podium by Alexander Nussbaumer (Gohm Motorsport - Herter Racing), in second, and Tommy Lindroth (Baron Motorsport), third, who passed Andreas König in the final laps.

Trofeo Pirelli standings. Doriane Pin moved up to 91 points, stretching her lead over John Wartique to 15. In the Am, Ange Barde still sits firmly atop the overall standings, with 92 points, 31 ahead of Marco Pulcini.

Coppa Shell standings. Franz Engstler took the championship lead with a two-point margin over Axel Sartingen and six over Roman Ziemian. The Am also gained a new leader, with Alexander Nussbaumer now 14 lengths ahead of Joakim Olander and 15 in front of Peter Christensen.

Next round. The fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe will run from 22 to 24 July at Hockenheim in Germany, alongside the Ferrari Racing Days.