On the opening day of racing in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with over fifty 296 Challenge cars on the track, victories went to Felix Hirsiger (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Oscar Lee Ryndziewicz (Kessel Racing) in the Coppa Shell, his first win in the series. There were also victories for Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) in the Trofeo Pirelli Am and for “Boris Gideon” (Autohaus Ulrich) in the Coppa Shell Am.

The young Frenchwoman Lilou Wadoux, a Ferrari official driver for the past two years, served as Race Advisor for round six of the Prancing Horse’s one-make series at the Catalan circuit.

Trofeo Pirelli. Felix Hirsiger returned to winning ways to reclaim the lead in the championship standings ahead of compatriot Jasin Ferati (Emil Frey Racing), continuing an all-Swiss battle that promises to be thrilling and unpredictable until the end of the season. Hirsiger made a decisive pass in the opening corners to take the lead from Ferati, who had started from pole with a qualifying time of 1’41”244. After a Safety Car period, following a collision between Dylan Medler (The Collection) and Vincenzo Scarpetta (Radicci Automobili), Hirsiger held firm at the front and crossed the line first, also setting the fastest lap of the race in 1'43"944.

With Ferati finishing second, and after Qwin Wietlisbach (Emil Frey Racing) and Gilles Renmans (Francorchamps Motors Brussels) retired following a clash while contesting third, it was Björn Grossmann (B.I. Corse – Octane 126) who claimed the final podium position. He also benefited from the last-lap retirement, due to a puncture, of Franco Girolami (Radicci Automobili – Sanasi Racing Team), who had impressed on his series debut.

In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, Hendrik Viol came out on top, finishing third overall and further increasing his championship lead. With pole-sitter David Gostner (CDP – MP Racing) on the receiving end of a drive-through penalty for a jump start and causing a collision, the Czech driver seized the lead and kept it for the entire 30 minutes. Behind him, Nobuhiro Imada (Formula Racing) claimed his first podium of the season in second, while Michael Verhagen (Ferrari Warszawa) rounded out the top three. Gostner still earned the bonus point for the fastest lap in the class.

Coppa Shell. After earning pole position with a lap of 1'43"315, Oscar Lee Ryndziewicz secured his first Ferrari Challenge win in his debut season. The Scot resisted an early challenge from Manuela Gostner (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), steadily pulling clear to cross the finish line first. He also clocked the fastest lap of the race in 1’45”323. The Italian remained in second place, strengthening her lead at the top of the class standings. A thrilling three-way battle for the final podium spot saw N.M. (Rossocorsa) take the win, ahead of teammate Fouad Alghanim (Rossocorsa – Kuwait Automobile & Trading Co.) and Cristiano Maciel (FBO Motor Sports).

“Boris Gideon” claimed victory in the Coppa Shell Am in a race that finished under the Safety Car, which was deployed after a mid-pack incident from which the drivers involved escaped unscathed. Second place went to Charles Chan (Formula Racing), with Friedrich Müller (Gohm Motorsport – Engstler) third, both earning their first podium finishes of the year. Jan Sandmann (Kessel Racing) and pole-sitter Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg), who had crossed the line first, received ten-second penalties for a double yellow flag infringement, dropping them to eighth and tenth, respectively. Schömer, who maintains his lead in the standings, still claimed the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race.

Programme. On Sunday, 20 July, the 296 Challenge cars roar back into action from 9 a.m. with qualifying sessions for the Coppa Shell, followed by Trofeo Pirelli, Trofeo Pirelli Am, and Coppa Shell Am. The second races of the Spanish weekend kick off at 2 p.m. with the Coppa Shell, followed by the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 3:15 p.m. The day concludes with the Coppa Shell Am at 4:30 p.m.

All timed sessions and races will be streamed live, free to access, and with English-language commentary on Ferrari’s official YouTube channel and at live.ferrari.com.