Furutani dominates, Shirasaki celebrates in Race 1 at Suzuka

Yuga Furutani (Ferrari Japan) and Yasutaka Shirasaki (Rosso Scuderia) are the first Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan drivers to take victory in the opening round of the Japanese series, staged today at the iconic Suzuka track, in the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell. Akita (Cornes Nagoya) and Masafumi Hiwatashi (European Version) won their respective Am classes. In front of packed stands, ready to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix qualifying that would take place a few minutes after the race podium, twenty-eight 488 Challenge Evo cars offered a spectacle that was much appreciated by the fans over the course of the thirty minutes.

Trofeo Pirelli. In a race that was characterised by the double entry of the Safety Car, halfway through the race and in the closing stages, Furutani displayed a pace that was unsustainable for his rivals. After overtaking the poleman, a surprising Akita, the young 23-year-old making his debut in the Prancing Horse series quickly built up an advantage with which he managed his pace and his rivals. The reigning champion, Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia), easily carried his Ferrari to the finish line without having to defend himself against potential attacks from Nobuhiro Imada (Rosso Scuderia), who was busy dealing with Akita himself. The Trofeo Pirelli Am driver, after getting off to a flying start, was the protagonist of a level performance that gave him his first win in the series, ahead of Kanji Yagura (Cornes Osaka) and James Weiland (Ferrari of San Francisco). The latter, along with Cold Max who had been among the most effective drivers up to that point, were engaged in a very intense duel that lasted for several laps and drew much applause from the stands.

Coppa Shell. Thirty minutes, in which there was no shortage of twists and turns in the finishing order, were not enough to determine the podium positions for the Coppa Shell and Coppa Shell Am. At the end of the race, a 30-second penalty imposed on Tsutomu Shimoyama (Cornes Shiba), who had crossed the line first under the chequered flag, handed victory to Shirasaki, ahead of Kazutaka Miura (Auto Cavallino) and Masaru Yoneda (Cornes Osaka). For Shirasaki, today's victory is his second in Ferrari Challenge Japan after Sugo last season. It came after he made an excellent comeback from sixth on the grid and overtook Miura on lap 12. After dominating the qualifying session, Ryuichi Kunihiro (M-Auto Italia) ended the race prematurely by crashing a few seconds before the chequered flag while in 14th position overall. In the Coppa Shell Am, Korean Phil Kim (Nicole Competizione), who had taken pole, was forced to retire after a collision with Shimoyama that cost the latter the penalty that deprived him of victory. This episode paved the way for victory for Hiwatashi who took his first triumph in the series ahead of Ryutaro Saito (MID Sapporo) and Norikazu Shibata (CORNES Osaka).