The Mugello International Circuit yesterday (Friday) hosted the first events of the final weekend of the season in the Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy. Apart from the F430 cars competing in the Italian, European and North American categories of the one-make series, there were also no less than 27 single-seaters prepared by the F1 Clienti department and 13 laboratory-cars entered in the exclusive FXX programme.

The Italian Pirelli Trophy series saw the title go to Niki Cadei with one race in hand: the Rossocorsa team driver finished Race 1 ahead of Giorgio Sernagiotto (Motor/Piacenza) and Marco Mapelli (Rossocorsa.) As for the gentlemen drivers in the Shell Cup, Massimo Mantovani (Motor/Malucelli) crossed the line ahead of Emilio Ferroni (Rossocorsa/Pellin) and Benedetto Marti (Motor/Piacenza.)

In the European and North American series of the Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy, the German Bjorn Grossmann (Autohaus Gohm) came out on top, ahead of Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) and Poland's Michael Bronizewski (Kessel,) thus getting ever closer to the title. In the Shell Cup, England's Michael Cantillo (Ferrari GB Dealer Team) only needed to finish twentieth to take the title as he had a dominant 55 point lead. Standing on the top step of the podium after this first race was Hungary's Tibor Valkint, followed by the German Frank Gelf (Warm Up) and Britain's Jaimie Constable (Ferrari GB Dealer Team.)

The jewels competing in the Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge took to the track for qualifying sessions. In Grid A, the best time was set by Stefan Schollwoeck in his 1932 Maseratic 4CM, pole in Grid B went to Daniel Maier in a Maserati 300 S, setting the second fastest time. Behind him were Willi Balz, Lukas Huni and Sean Danaher. Quickest in Grid C was Paul Knapfield a the wheel of a Ferrari 312 P.