With new signing Fernando Alonso set to make his first public appearance for Ferrari in Valencia tomorrow and the recovering Felipe Massa also scheduled to take part, the Ferrari Challenge has crowned its first champions as the Finali Mondiali cranked up a gear yesterday.

The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli crowned with one race to go two new champions for the 2009 season at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit, at the seventh and last round, where, as an exception, also the drivers from the North American single-marque’s series participated. Scuderia Motor/Piacenza is celebrating Giorgio Sernagiotto, the driver from Treviso, who won the title in the Italian series of the Trofeo Pirelli, and the French duo Jean-Marc Bachelier and Yannick Mallegol, who just needed a third place today to win the Coppa Shell. But at the Spanish circuit, dressed in red for the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, there is more than just races: the jewels from the Shell Historic Challenge went onto the track for their free practice sessions and the qualifying, followed by eleven laboratory cars from the exclusive FXX Programme and eighteen historical single-seaters from the F1 Clienti department in Maranello.

In the Italian Trofeo Pirelli Giorgio Sernagiotto dominated the race, conquering victory and title ahead of Marco Mapelli (Rossocorsa) and Lorenzo Casé (Motor/Piacenza), while amongst the gentlemen drivers in the Coppa Shell the new champion Stefano Gai (Rossocorsa) managed again to stay ahead of Massimo Mantovani (Motor/Malucelli) and Eugenio Amos (Ineco/Ram).

At the end of race 1 held by the participants in the European and North American series, victory in the European series of Trofeo Pirelli went Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli), crossing the line ahead of the Austrian Philipp Baron (Baron Service) and the Frenchman Nicolas Misslin (Stradale Automobile), while the British driver Oliver Morley (Motor/Malucelli), the Sweden Torbjorn Ekstrand (Autoropa) eand the new champion Jean-Marc Bachelier stood on the Coppa Shell podium. In the North American series Scott Tucker (Boardwalk Ferrari) crossed the line first ahead of Henri Richard (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) and Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston).

In the conclusive Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge race, with grid A and B for cars with drum and disk brakes respectively, the fastest lap in the qualifying was driven for grid A by Sean Danaher with a 1038 Maserati 6CM, ahead of Gigi Baulino with a 1958 Maserati 250F and the leader in the overall standings Nicolas Zapata with a 1956 Ferrari 625 TR. In grid B the fastest lap was driven by Darius Ahrabian with a Ferrari F40 LM (1992), followed by Dieter Roschmann with a 512M (1970) and Christian Traber with a Ferrari 512 BBLM (1980).

Last Friday was Alonso's first working day at Maranello and now Ferrari fans will be able to welcome the Spaniard in Valencia, where for the first time, the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, the event which traditionally brings to a close the Maranello marque's racing season, is taking place outside Italy. The recovering Felipe Massa will also take part. "We are pleased that Fernando will be able to attend what, for us, is a very important event," said Stefano Domenicali. "It will be a great opportunity for all our fans who will be able to give him a warm welcome and for Fernando, who, for the first time, will be able to see and experience an insider's view of the world of Ferrari. I wish to thank the Renault F1 Team for making it possible for Fernando to be in Valencia; a generous gesture which is much appreciated." Meanwhile the Brazilian driver will arrive from Sao Paulo while the Scuderia's third driver for next year, Giancarlo Fisichella, and the two test drivers Marc Gené and Luca Badoer.

Today, Saturday, 14 November 2009, will see another round of races and free practice sessions held in Valencia with the single-seaters from the F1 Clienti department as well as with the sports cars from the exclusive FXX Programme also taking to the track.