Following the August break, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe returns to the track for the penultimate round of the season, as part of Ferrari Racing Days. This special and eagerly awaited event will feature the Prancing Horse’s non-competitive programmes on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit: F1 Clienti, Sport Prototipi Clienti, Club Challenge and the XX Programme, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The Prancing Horse’s one-make series will provide the competitive element of the Belgian weekend, with over sixty 296 Challenge cars on track as the championship enters its decisive stage. All four classes remain open ahead of the finale at the end of October at Mugello during the Finali Mondiali Ferrari.

Trofeo Pirelli. The main class of the series has featured a season-long battle between two young Swiss drivers. Felix Hirsiger (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), fresh from a double-win in the last round at Barcelona and now with seven victories to his name, leads the standings by 11 points over fellow countryman Jasin Ferati (Emil Frey Racing), who took both of his victories at Valencia. Although no longer in contention for the title, several other drivers will still be looking for the victory. Among them are experienced competitors such as Björn Grossmann (B.I. Corse – Octane126) and Max Mugelli (CDP Eureka Competition). They will be joined by rising talents including American Dylan Medler (The Collection) and local driver Gilles Renmans (Francorchamps Motors Brussels) – the only two to have interrupted Swiss dominance with a win apiece.

Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) is the title favourite in the Am class. The Czech driver opened up a 29-point lead over second-placed Michael Verhagen (Ferrari Warszawa) with his double-win in Barcelona. Verhagen has still shown consistent progress in his 296 Challenge. Marco Zanasi (Motor Service – Pinetti Motorsport) remains in contention in the overall standings after finishing third at the Catalan circuit. Among the other expected frontrunners are series returnees the Bidstrup brothers, Anders and Jacob (Formula Racing), both of whom delivered strong performances in Valencia.

Coppa Shell.  Championship’s leader is Manuela Gostner (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) with an excellent season with three wins and seven podium finishes.. The Italian currently holds a 27-point advantage over the ever-determined John Dhillon (Formula Racing), and 31 over N.M. (Rossocorsa). The standings remain tight, with several contenders aiming for a podium finish. Among them are Zois Skrimpias (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) and Oscar Ryndziewicz (Kessel Racing), who split the wins in Barcelona with one victory each.

Three drivers will make their series debut at Spa: Belgian entrant Robert Maes (Monza N.V.), Eric Marston (Pellin Racing), who arrives from the North American championship, and Italian driver Stefano Inama (Modena Cars – D&C Racing).

Based on the current standings, the Coppa Shell Am also has a clear title favourite: Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg) leads with 127 points after two wins and nine podium finishes. Fellow German driver Jan Sandmann (Kessel Racing) trails him by 28 points, while Austrian Andreas König (Emil Frey Racing) sits third, 36 points adrift. Two new faces will also line up in Coppa Shell Am, with leading figures from the British series making their debut: Steven Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon) and Darren Howell (JCT600 Leeds) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the final standings of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK Coppa Shell, which concluded on Sunday, 7 September at Silverstone.

Programme. As part of the busy Ferrari Racing Days programme – which will see cars from across the Maranello manufacturer’s various departments take to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit – the 296 Challenge cars will contest their first qualifying sessions on Friday, 19 September. The Coppa Shell Am will open proceedings at 9 a.m., followed by the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 10:35 a.m., and the Coppa Shell at 12:50 p.m. The second qualifying sessions will also take place on Friday: the Coppa Shell Am at 1:35 p.m., the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 3:15 p.m., and the Coppa Shell at 5:25 p.m.

Race-1 will take place on Saturday, 20 September: The Coppa Shell Am will start at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 1:40 p.m., and the Coppa Shell at 3:45 p.m. Race-2 will take place on Sunday, 21 September and will follow the same schedule.

All qualifying sessions and races of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe will be streamed live for free with English commentary on live.ferrari.com and Ferrari’s official YouTube channel.