Kurzejewski, Geddie, Uchida, Park and Kei triumph in Dubai Race 1

The Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Race 1 finally got underway at the Dubai Autodrome.  Races were delayed by one day due to the inclement weather which made the track conditions challenging.  Coupled with the Winter Challenge, 20 drivers from across the world descended on the iconic city of UAE to battle it out on track in their 488 Challenge Evo cars in front of legions of race enthusiasts. 

Trofeo Pirelli Winter Challenge.  Matt Kurzejewski of Ferrari Westlake was crowned the overall champion and winner of Trofeo Pirelli in Race 1.  Starting in 2nd position on the grid, he was determined to make an early impact from the get-go and his focus was rewarded in an assured performance that saw him overtake pole-sitter Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia) from Ferrari Challenge APAC following an exciting and aggressive duel early in the race.  Kurzejewski also had the fastest lap time of 2’03’’783 recorded in lap 3. Jeremy Clarke (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and Carl Cavers (Graypaul Nottingham) came in second and third respectively 

Coppa Shell Winter Challenge. It was a close-fought, thrilling race that produced a Scottish triumph in the Coppa Shell class with James Geddie (Al Tayer Motors) taking the lead in the early stages from Tani Hanna (Formula Racing), who headed off from pole thanks to an excellent 2'03"354 qualifying time. The Lebanese driver, however, was to remain in second position until the last lap, where Maya Hartge (Al Tayer Motors) managed to overtake him to take the second step on the podium, gaining four positions from the starting grid. 

Trofeo Pirelli AM Asia Pacific. As anticipated, the push for class domination between Yudai Uchida and Nobuhiro Imada, both from Rosso Scuderia, was an exhilarating one. With a good momentum in the early laps, Uchida looked set to start the weekend in the same dominating fashion that had seen him clinch pole position, but Imada had different plans. He closed the 2-second gap to his compatriot, completed a forceful pass to take the lead in the middle of the race and was about to sail away undisturbed to take the checkered flag. However, he found himself with some technical issues in the closing turns of the last lap.  Uchida seized the opportunity to overtake him and took the first position. Philippe Prette (Blackbird Concessionaires) followed in second place while Imada had to settle for third spot. 

Coppa Shell Asia Pacific. It was Jay Park’s (FMK) turn to take the stage. With a commanding performance, leading from pole to flag, he brought a fresh win home in what has been an extraordinary race. Second spot went to Kanji Yagura (Cornes Osaka) who thanks to an excellent start, finished ahead of fellow team mate Kazuyuki Yamaguchi, who had to settle for the third step of the podium. In the Coppa Shell AM class, Shigeru Kamiue (European Version) was leading his class until an unfortunate spin at Turn 6 during lap 5.  He was forced to surrender his position to Baby Kei (Cornes Osaka) who took the opportunity to push ahead and came in first while Kamiue took second position.

Schedule. The second qualifying session will take place on Monday at 11.45am followed by Race 2 at 4.35pm (all times are local).