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Thrilling Races And Surprise Wins Define Ferrari Challenge UK At Donington Park
The penultimate round of the 2024 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK series began at Donington Park, a track cherished by many drivers. Despite an early threat of rain, the weather held up, allowing the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell drivers to push their Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo cars to their limits.
In the Trofeo Pirelli class, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) secured his fifth consecutive pole with a time of 1:06.317. Meanwhile, Gary Redman (Graypaul Nottingham) dominated the Coppa Shell qualifying with a best time of 1:08.291, marking his third consecutive pole.
During the first race in Trofeo Pirelli, an incident at turn one caused a red flag, delaying the race by 30 minutes. Once restarted, Yates capitalised on his pole position and built a significant lead. He finished 14 seconds ahead of Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst), who moved up from third to second place early in the race.
Morrow's strong performance saw him overtaking Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) at Redgate. Further back, Lee Frost (Graypaul Birmingham) and Haymandhra Pillai (Jardine Colchester) made early progress, tightening the gap between second and fifth positions to just three seconds. However, as Morrow and Vangala improved their lap times, the pack dispersed.
In Coppa Shell, Robert Rees (Dick Lovett Swindon) had a strong start but an incident at turn one led to several retirements including Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) and Gary Redman (Graypaul Nottingham). The restart saw Rees battling with Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon), who pressured Rees early on but later struggled to maintain pace.
Sunday's Racing Action
The racing continued on Sunday under sunny skies. Lucky Khera’s return to the series added excitement for fans. In Trofeo Pirelli qualifying, Yates again showed his dominance with a fastest lap of 1:06.027. In Coppa Shell, Dopson secured pole with a time of 1:07.934.
Yates maintained his form in Sunday's race, establishing a comfortable lead early on. However, halfway through the race, Morrow had to retire due to a faulty wheel speed sensor. This allowed Khera and Vangala to move into podium positions.
Coppa Shell Race Recap
In Coppa Shell's Sunday race, Rees initially took the lead but contact with Dewhirst caused damage to his car. Dewhirst then took over the lead followed by Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) and Redman as Rees fell down the order.
Dewhirst managed to build an impressive five-second gap and crossed the finish line first, ending his weekend on a high note after Saturday’s early exit.
The final round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK series will be held at Silverstone from 13–15 September 2024. Qualifying and race sessions will be broadcast live via live.ferrari.com.
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