First wins for Scarpetta and Kirchmayr in Race-2 at Brno

On day two of racing at the fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe at Brno, Vincenzo Scarpetta (Radicci Automobili) claimed his first overall victory in the Trofeo Pirelli, triumphing in his 296 Challenge home ahead of Felix Hirsiger (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), who further extended his lead in the overall standings. Home driver Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) won in the Am class. Ernst Kirchmayr (Kessel Racing) claimed his first victory of the season in the Coppa Shell, while Jan Sandmann (Kessel Racing) finished first in the Am category.

Ferrari Driver Ambassador Giancarlo Fisichella was also at the historic Czech circuit, serving as Race Advisor for this fourth round of the Prancing Horse one-make series.

Trofeo Pirelli. On a rain-soaked track, with conditions wet for most of the day, Vincenzo Scarpetta claimed victory with a late comeback, executing a decisive overtake just minutes from the finish to pass pole-sitter Felix Hirsiger. The young Italian also earned the bonus point for the fastest lap, while Hirsiger extended his lead in the overall standings. He is now 13 points clear of Jasin Ferati (Emil Frey Racing), who finished fourth today. Max Mugelli (Eureka Competition) secured third place, returning to the podium for the first time since Valencia in 2023.

The Trofeo Pirelli Am witnessed a closely fought 30-minute race, with Michael Verhagen (Ferrari Warszawa) starting from pole after a rain-affected qualifying session. The Dutchman successfully fended off Hendrik Viol’s repeated overtaking attempts for much of the race, only yielding the lead in the closing stages. The Czech driver crossed the line first, ahead of Verhagen, who edged out Marco Zanasi (Motor Service – Pinetti Motorsport) in a sprint finish. James Owen (Meridien Modena – Engstler) posted the fastest lap. Viol now leads the standings by eight points over Zanasi and 34 over Verhagen.

Coppa Shell. Following his podium finish at Hockenheim, Ernst Kirchmayr claimed his first win of the season in a race made more challenging by the rain, which forced the 296 Challenge cars to start behind the Safety Car. The Austrian, who started from pole position, also set the fastest lap of the race. Behind him was Manuela Gostner (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), whose weekend results gave her the lead in the overall standings with a seven-point advantage over John Dhillon (Formula Racing), who finished third today. The British driver took the final step of the podium after a protracted head-to-head battle with yesterday’s winner, N.M. (Rossocorsa), who ultimately finished fourth and now sits third in the championship standings, nine points off the top.

Jan Sandmann secured pole position and transformed it into a lights-to-flag victory, also earning the bonus point for the fastest lap. This result enabled him to narrow the gap in the standings to leader Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg), who finished second today. Third place went to Japanese driver Norikazu Shibata (Formula Racing). 

Next round. The Ferrari 296 Challenge cars will be back on track at the end of June, from 26 to 29 June, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia for the fifth round of the championship.