Ferrari Challenge team heads to Monza
Following an outstanding first season, with two wins, five poles and several podium finishes in 2006, the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB entered its second full year of competition this weekend with an even larger stable of “Cavallino Rampante” thoroughbred race cars which headed to Monza, “The Temple of Speed”, for the first of 14 races in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli European Championship.
The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli remains one of the most exclusive and exciting racing series for dedicated clients who crave the thrill of competing at the highest level of motor sport in one of the world’s most rewarding race cars, the Ferrari F430 Challenge.
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB is supported by H.R.Owen, alongside expert technicians from Ferrari GB and competes in both the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell categories of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli European Championship. The team’s stable of 490 hp V8 race-prepared F430 Challenge cars are fitted with GPS telemetry which enables the drivers to see a whole array of technical data and compare it with other members of the team to shave a few tenths of a second off their lap times.
Saturday 24 March
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB completed a successful start to the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli season with an excellent display in Qualifying and Race 1. The team has five cars, with two cars competing under the Team Vertu Racing banner and three cars in Ferrari Challenge Dealer team GB livery, driven by Ferrari clients who are taking part in the world’s most prestigious racing series for gentleman drivers.
The Team Vertu Racing drivers, Nathan Kinch in Car 27 and Jamie Constable in Car 152 qualified in 6th and 7th places, respectively, for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon. During the Trofeo Pirelli Race 1 on Saturday, Nathan maintained his position and demonstrated an excellent turn of speed, with a fastest lap of 1’55.299 which was only 8/100ths of a second off the winning speed. Finishing in 6th place in his first Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli race,
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB’s three drivers in the Coppa Shell include some new drivers to the series: Daniel Weachter and Peer Slipsager in Car 153, and Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier in Car 154. For Race 1, Daniel Weachter qualified 24th out of the 37, with a very respectable time of 1’57.731 on Monza’s long 5.793km circuit, and for Race 2, 28th with a time of 1’59.227. Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier qualified an excellent 14th for Race 1, with Jean Marc’s very quick time of 1’56.877; Yannick qualified for Race 2 in 34th in his very first Ferrari Challenge race. Peter Bamford in Car 151 is starting his second year as a Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB driver and aims to build on his experience which he gained in 2006 to improve on both his qualifying and, crucially, his race finishing positions during the 2007 season.
Sunday 25 March
It was another early start for the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB on Sunday morning, with Nathan Kinch in Car 27 starting on the third row of the grid.
In contrast to the previous day’s racing activities, Sunday morning in Milan was grey and damp, with Race 2 being declared a Wet race – meaning that the everyone’s qualifying times counted for little in the race because the qualifying sessions were conducted when the sun was shining and the track was dry. Switching to a fresh set of “wet” tyres, Nathan battled with the spray caused by the front runners on a very high speed circuit but was never more than 0.5 second of the pace of the leaders, bringing the car home a very respectable 7th place in a difficult race.
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB was also represented in the Coppa Shell category, with Jamie Constable in Car 152 starting from a similar 6th place on the grid as his team-mate, Nathan Kinch who competes in the Trofeo Pirelli. With a packed grid of 37 cars again for Race 2 on Sunday, Jamie had to contend with even greater amounts of spray, not only from the leading cars he was chasing hard, but also the slower traffic.
In only his second Ferrari Challenge race, Daniel Weachter in Car 153 showed impressive form by quickly moving up from his 28th starting position in Race 2 to finish a very credible 14th in an extremely wet race – with his lap times only 1 second off the leaders around the drenched 5.8km Monza circuit. Daniel quickly managed to get to grips with the 490hp Ferrari F430 Challenge and this bodes well for the team’s home race at Silverstone in early June, one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB once again hosted several VIP Ferrari clients and guests in the new hospitality unit which was the envy of the paddock, with cookery demonstrations throughout the day from a resident KitchenAid chef, entertainment provided courtesy of Meridian Audio and a welcome presentation by Alberto Torres, President of Vertu, to inaugurate the new partnership of the four luxury brands working together to support the world’s most exclusive single-make championship, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli.
Race Calendar
ROUND
DATE
CIRCUIT
COUNTRY
1
March 23,24,25
Monza
Italy
2
April 20,21,22
Misano
Italy
3
June 8,9,10
Silverstone
England
4
July 26,27,28
Spa
Belgium
5
Aug 31– Sept 1,2
Paul Ricard
France
6
September 21,22,23
Hockenheim
Germany
7
October 25,26,27,28
World Finals
Italy
Exclusive Ferrari Client Offer – Silverstone Race Day 8-10th June
The Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB will head to Silverstone and have the advantage of a home crowd and the support of the Ferrari Owners Club in the UK who are also celebrating their 40th Anniversary at the Ferrari Racing Days spectacular from 8th -10th June.
H.R.Owen has secured a number of special advance purchase “Weekend” entry tickets and is offering them to our Ferrari owners wishing to attend as our guests. Please email sales@hrowensportscars.co.uk with your contact details and Ferrari registration number.
VIP hospitality packages are also available – these include parking, Paddock access, catered hospitality and complimentary bar. Packages are offered at £293.75 per person.