Excitement at Monza in the Ferrari Challenge


Watched by a crowd of around eight thousand, the Ferrari Challenge weekend at Monza came to a close today. The big stars of the Italian series were Andrea Belluzzi (a win and a second in the Pirelli Trophy) and Benedetto Marti (both wins in the Shell Cup) while Philipp Baron in the pro class and Michael Cantillon in the gentlemen drivers won race 2 of the European series.
Andrea Belluzzi (Motor) was dominant in race 1 of the Italian series. Having started from pole, the man from San Marino driving for Motor quickly established a pace his closest pursuers could not match, so that in a matter of laps he had a lead of over 6" and that was enough to manage the situation to the flag. Behind Belluzzi came Giuseppe Ciro (Motor) and Nicola Gianniberti (Ineco) who both drove steady error-free races. It was all much closer in the Shell Cup which saw the win go to an on-form Benedetto Marti, making his debut racing the 430 Challenge, having started from fourth on the grid in his category to finish eighth overall. Second was Riccardo Ragazzi and third went to Massimo Mantovani.


There was no shortage of excitement and spectacle in the second race of the Italian series. At the end of a very closely fought contest, Gianniberti came out on top after a long duel between Sandro Montani and Belluzzi saw the former have to pull out with a puncture. The San Marino driver therefore finished second ahead of the young debutant, Marco Mapelli (Rossocorsa). In the Shell Cup, the podium was identical to that in race 1, with Marti the clear leader, able to lap in times similar to those running in the Trophy. Behind Motor's gentleman driver came Ragazzi and Mantovani.
A win for Austria and one for Great Britain in the second European series race. Both Philipp Baron (Baron Service) in the Pirelli Trophy and Michael Cantillon (Ferrari UK) transformed yesterday's pole position into victory. While the Austrian was dominant, leading from start to finish, followed home by Frenchmen Ange Barde and Nicolas Misslin, the Shell Cup was an altogether more exciting affair. Plamen Kralev (Kessel) had managed to dispense with Cantillon at the Ascari corner on lap five and seemed capable of cruising to victory. However, on the final lap, while trying to pass two cars having their own battle, the Bulgarian ended up off track and had to retire. Cantillon made the most of it and clinched the win ahead of Italy's Gianluca Carboni (Kessel) and Walter Forer (Rossocorsa/Pellin).
Results:
Pirelli Trophy Italy
Belluzzi 57 points
Gianniberti 51 points
Cirò 41 points
Shell Cup Italy
Marti 61 points
Ragazzi 52 points
Mantovani 42 points
Pirelli Trophy Europe
Baron 57 points
Barde 43 points
Blancardi 39 points
Shell Cup Europe
Forer 53 points
Carboni 50 points
Cantillon 45 points
All the Monza races can be watched on the Internet: just click on www.ferrariworld.com to see images from the first weekend of the Ferrari Challenge, with additional and exclusive interviews. It is also the place to acquire merchandise linked to the Prancing Horse's one-make series.
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