This
weekend, 1-3 September, sees the Ferrari Challenge
Dealer Team GB arrive at the Nürburgring circuit in
Germany with the momentum of Ross Kaiser’s first win in
the Trofeo Pirelli series at Paul Ricard which gives him a
realistic chance of securing second place in the
championship with only four races remaining, and a
competitive three-car line-up in the Coppa Shell which
continues to push towards the front of the grid with
improved qualifying and finishing positions.
In
only its first year in the championship and with only a
4-car entry, the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB has
managed to score the greatest number of points per car
over the first five rounds, despite other teams filling
up more slots on the starting grid (Ferrari GB 35.5 pts
per car, Ferrari Suisse 15.5 pts per car, Ferrari West
Europe 12.24 pts per car, Ferrari Deutschland 9.2 pts
per car).
This
impressive points haul has seen the team finish on the
podium in more than half of the Trofeo Pirelli races
contested so far, including 2 wins (at Valencia and Paul
Ricard), 2 second places (at Valencia) and 2 third
places (at Silverstone and Spa). And, in the Coppa Shell
category, three new drivers to the championship have
consistently improved on qualifying times and finishing
positions – with Borislav Maletić and Peter Bamford not
only new to the championship, but new to racing.
“The
drivers have done an incredible job this year, with
several podium finishes and a strong commitment to push
to the front of the grid at every single round,” Massimo
Fedeli, Managing Director of Ferrari GB, said. “We have
brought three new drivers into the championship this
year, demonstrating that Ferrari GB can offer Ferrari
owners what no other manufacturer can – the opportunity
to go from owning a Ferrari for the road, through
Fiorano Ferrari our unique driving programme, and into
professional racing in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo
Pirelli series which is the ultimate expression of the
Ferrari lifestyle.”
The
Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB driver line-up is
headed by Ross Kaiser, a talented 24 yr old who competes
in the Trofeo Pirelli category and has previously won
both the Formula Ford 2000 and Series Radical
championships. “I’m incredibly happy to have won a race
in my first season with the Ferrari F430 Challenge –
especially since most of the other drivers have far more
experience of racing in Ferraris. I can’t believe the
level of competition at each race – everyone in the team
works so hard because they know every driver wants to
win.”
In the
Coppa Shell category, the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team
GB has three drivers who are new to the championship
this year. In car 89 is Borislav Maletić, a 46 yr old
Croatian who has shown steady progress throughout the
year in only his first year of motor racing – in a 490hp
Ferrari F430 Challenge! Growing in confidence and racing
ability with each race, Borislav’s best finish this year
has been a 10th place at the historic and
technically challenging Monza circuit – no mean feat in
a field of 36 cars in which two-thirds of the field all
finished on the same lap.
In car
103, Geoff Farmer has several years of experience in
racing historic F1 cars and has adapted well to the
different driving style of the Ferrari F430 Challenge
and the larger grids in the Challenge series. With top
10 place finishes at Valencia and Monza, Geoff has been
involved in several tough battles for position but has
consistently improved his timings throughout each race
weekend, with this year a preparation for an all-out
assault on the Coppa Shell title in 2007.
The third driver in the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team
GB’s Coppa Shell line-up is 52 yr old Peter Bamford who
joined the team at Paul Ricard and drives car no 108.
