Perrina Extends Championship Lead with Race 1 Win at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International played host to the fifth round of Ferrari Challenge North America competition, and the famous 3.4-mile circuit rewarded its victors on Saturday.
Across all classes, championship leaders were in play fighting for position – but also alongside drivers eager to climb to the top.
Trofeo Pirelli. Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) furthered his Trofeo Pirelli championship efforts on Saturday at Watkins Glen, winning for the fifth time in 2025.
Perrina started from pole position and led flag-to-flag throughout the 30-minute race, but his title hopes were helped when rival Dylan Medler (The Collection) suffered a tire puncture halfway through the contest and was forced to retire.
As a result, the fight for second and third place came down to two additional Ferrari of Seattle drivers – Brian Cook and Roberto Perrina. The pair ran side-by-side multiple times, with Cook edging out the elder Perrina by less than half a second at the finish line.
In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Michael Mathes (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) completed the ultimate comeback for his first victory of the year.
In a hometown race for the team, Mathes made the grid with his teammate’s back-up Ferrari 296 Challenge racecar after damaging his own in a practice incident on Friday. Mathes still started second and quickly passed for the lead, finishing first in his just his third Ferrari Challenge race of the season.
Polesitter and class championship leader Brad Fauvre (Ferrari of San Francisco) crossed the finish line in second place, followed by Sebastian Mascaro (Ferrari of Central Florida) in third.
Coppa Shell. Mitchell Green (Ferrari Westlake) returned to the top step of the Ferrari Challenge podium on Saturday, finishing first in the Coppa Shell class. Green, who started second but made a move for the lead early in the race, found victory for the first time this season since sweeping the opening event at Sonoma Raceway in March.
The win was crucial for Green, as he narrows the championship gap between himself and leader Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle). Bernier finished second ahead of polesitter Gary Ott (Ferrari Philadelphia) in third.
In the Coppa Shell Am class, Louis Flory (Ferrari of Houston) scored his third victory of the season after late-race maneuvers. While battling Michael Owens (Ferrari of Alberta) for the win, the pair encountered Coppa Shell traffic and Flory made a pass on Owens for the eventual victory. Owens had previously passed Flory at the start of the race, but held on to second place ahead of Jeffrey Nunberg (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) in third.
Sunday Schedule. Qualifying for Race 2 at Watkins Glen International starts Sunday at 9:35 a.m. ET prior to the final races of the event. The second Coppa Shell race goes green at 12:55 p.m., followed by Trofeo Pirelli at 1:45 p.m.
All Ferrari Challenge races throughout the weekend in Indianapolis stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel and FerrariRaces.com.