Once again this year, the Monza Autodromo Nazionale will host the opening round of this season’s Italian and
European one make series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli,
which takes place over the weekend of 9-10 April.
Competitors in the Prancing Horse marque’s one-make
series will be embarking on a season that features many
significant changes, the most obvious of which is the fact
that the brand new 458 Challenge race car makes its debut alongside the
incumbent F430 Challenge.
As from this season, the length of the races changes,
with a first one lasting 25 minutes and the second
extending to 35. The only exception to this rule will be
the unique round at the French Le Mans circuit, at the
same meeting as the legendary 24 Hours race, which takes
place over the weekend of 11 June. On this occasion,
entrants in both the Italian and European series will
tackle just one race with separate classifications,
lasting 45 minutes.
With the introduction of
the new racing car, the classification of the series will again
feature the two categories for the Trofeo Pirelli and
the Coppa Shell for drivers running the 458 Challenge,
while there will now be just a single category for those
entered in the Trofeo Pirelli driving the F430
Challenge. Still the same is the timetable that includes
two 30 minute qualifying sessions (in addition to the
sixty minute Free Practice sessions,) in which the first
qualifying session decides the grid for Race 1 and the
second for Race 2. As in past years, for crews made up
of two drivers, the sum of the points scored by both
will count towards the final classification. In
addition, at each race there will be one point given out
for pole position, (or to both drivers in the case of a
crew of two) one for the fastest race lap and one for
each crew on the grid in every race and class.
The famous Ferrari one-make series is now in its
nineteenth year and, in addition to the usual three
series – Italy, Europe and North America – for this
year, there is another for those owners based in the
Asia Pacific region, who will contest a five race
series, starting with a round at the Japanese Fuji
circuit.
