Race report

Ferrari Challenge

MacNeil and Horstmann win at Laguna Seca

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli concluded its fifth round of North American competition in high style at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca where an intense second day of racing action brought many championship battles into further focus.

Jeffrey Grossbard

Edited: Sep 28, 2020, 9:30 PM

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Race action

Drivers reveled in the capabilities and power of the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo around the technical 11-turn circuit and particularly through the famed corkscrew corner.

Trofeo Pirelli

Cooper MacNeil (Ferrari of Westlake) came storming back from his disappointing result yesterday to take a dominant win in race 2 at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, beating the competition by nine seconds despite a mid-race safety car period. While Cooper stormed off from the pole, the action was fierce further back as the Trofeo Pirelli competitors had to duke it out with each other and also some of the Trofeo Pirelli AM drivers who had shown an impressive pace this weekend. Jordan Workman (Ferrari of Central Florida) came home second while Ross Chouest (Boardwalk Ferrari) and Joe Rubbo (Ferrari of Long Island) spent much of the race in an epic scrap with several drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli AM category, with the final order not decided until the last corner. Ultimately, it was Ross Chouest who took the third step on the podium.

Trofeo Pirelli AM

High drama in the Trofeo Pirelli Am category saw a change in the championship standings as Dave Musial (Ferrari of Lake Forest) took the win and the championship lead in the Trofeo Pirelli Am category as Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari) crashed out at the top of the corkscrew and triggered the only full course caution of the race. Yesterday’s winner Brent Holden (Ferrari of Newport Beach) confirmed his excellent pace from yesterday with 2nd place in today’s race, as he was in the midst of a multi-car battle that included several Trofeo Pirelli drivers. John Megrue (Ferrari of Long Island) was also in the midst of that battle and put on a remarkable defense for much of the 30-minute contest and came across the line in third.

Coppa Shell

Brad Horstmann (Foreign Cars Italia) finally converted his excellent qualifying pace into a race win as he led the Coppa Shell field home in race 2, beating Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) and Jim Booth (Ferrari of Atlanta) who finished second and third respectively. The championship leader at the start of the race, Kevan Millstein (Ferrari of San Diego) suffered a bit of a difficult day by his standards at least, finishing in 4th and thus will cede his championship lead to Jim Booth, though the two remain impossibly close on points as the championship heads to Sebring International Raceway.

Coppa Shell AM

Michael Watt (Ferrari of Atlanta) claimed victory with a lurid, last corner pass over Dave Musial Jr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest) as the duo came upon lapped traffic in the closing minutes of the race. From the start, Musial Jr. leapt to the front and gradually expanded his lead until he started to encounter traffic. Meanwhile, Michael Watt never let up and was more successful in navigating the lapped traffic and used that advantage to close the gap before making a last second lunge that proved the move of the race. Championship leader Justin Wetherill (Ferrari of Central Florida) meanwhile took a third-place finish, and thus minimized his losses in the 2020 championship.

Schedule. Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will complete its North American schedule at the Sebring International Raceway with testing sessions on October 7 and 8, before moving into official practice on October 9 and qualifying and racing action on the 10th and 11th. All qualifying and racing action will again be streamed live on live.ferrari.com and motorsports.tv.

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