Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli completed the fourth round of seven in thrilling fashion this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. In a weekend defined by intense Texas heat, nearly 40 Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO cars took to the track for two races over the weekend, confirming Ferrari Challenge’s status as the largest single-make GT series currently running in North America.
Night-Racing Proves a Highlight. For the second time this season, Ferrari Challenge competitors in the Trofeo Pirelli, Trofeo Pirelli AM and Coppa Shell categories ran their race at night. There, the 488 Challenge Evo shone with glowing red brake rotors and blue exhaust flames lighting up the darkness. In addition, the Ferrari Challenge series ringed the 3.426-mile circuit with nearly 40 temporary light towers to ensure even drivers less accustomed to night running were able to attack the Austin circuit. For the Coppa Shell AM category, made up of drivers with less experience, the decision was made to run in the sunset hour, allowing drivers time to adjust to the dwindling light conditions over their 30-minute contest on Saturday.
Finali Mondiali Moves to Misano. During the course of the weekend, Ferrari Challenge officials confirmed the decision to hold the Finali Mondiali at the Misano World Circuit rather than the originally planned Yas Marina venue. The high-point of the Ferrari GT Sporting Activities season will be held from November 5-8 2020.
Highlights to Air on CBS Sports Network. Fans will be able to re-live the action from the weekend through a 1-hour highlights program to air on CBS Sports Network on September 6th with a debut airing at 6 p.m. EST and an encore showing at 8 p.m. PST. Recapping all of the best moments from the weekend’s action, while also providing some further insight into the Challenge series, the highlights program format made its debut following the third round at Indianapolis.
Trofeo Pirelli. Cooper MacNeil (Ferrari of Westlake) continued his dominant streak in the Trofeo Pirelli category with another perfect weekend of pole positions, fastest laps and two race wins. Cooper’s points lead has grown once again, though the championship fight is not over yet as MacNeil will certainly miss at least one race as he attempts to complete both the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season in addition to his Ferrari Challenge pursuits. In Trofeo Pirelli AM, Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari) sits atop the championship standings after a win and a second place finish over the weekend. Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) took the victory in Sunday’s race, his first in the Trofeo Pirelli AM category after having moved up from Coppa Shell earlier this year. With the win and otherwise strong weekend, McCarthy has established himself as well as a championship contender in the class, only 9 points behind Saada.
Coppa Shell. Kevan Millstein (Ferrari of San Diego) continued his streak of winning performances that began in July at Indianapolis. At the Circuit of the Americas he was largely untouchable, missing out on his own weekend hat-trick (pole position, fastest lap and the race win in both races) by just a few tenths during race 1. He comes away with a six point championship lead and will certainly look to carry that momentum into the next round at Laguna Seca. In the Coppa Shell AM category, Michael Watt (Ferrari of Atlanta) took his first win of the season on Saturday’s evening race. But it was Justin Wetherill (Ferrari of Central Florida) who won race 2 on Sunday and extended his championship advantage over the rest of the category.
Schedule. Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will continue its North America season with round 5 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 25-27. The weekend will again be preceded by two private testing days on the 23rd and 24th. The North American leg of the season will conclude at Sebring International Raceway on October 9-11 before racers continue to the Finali Mondiali at Misano World Speedway in November.