Ferrari Challenge North America – Romanelli, Weiland and Cagnazzi Winners in First Race at Mugello

Scarperia, 6 November – Today saw fifteen American and Canadian drivers from the North American Ferrari Challenge series participate in the first day of racing at the Mugello Circuit for the Finali Mondiali. A brisk air and some light fog covered the grounds of the racetrack early in the morning, however as the sun rose, warmer temperatures brought for perfect racing conditions. The morning qualifying session saw a mix of North American and European Coppa Shell drivers. Both series would race together in the afternoon, however the drivers would compete for points within their own series and class. Ultimately, the European Coppa Shell class would be staged at the front of the field with the North American drivers in the back. A total of 36 drivers started the race when the green flag wove high.   Trofeo Pirelli. The young Gregory Romanelli (The Collection) was in today’s hot seat, sitting in pole position at the front of the North American row. Running the race with the fastest time of 1:55:487 on Lap 5, Romanelli veered his way through the heavy traffic, remaining at the top and finishing first in his class. John Farano (Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale) finished in second place. The championship points leader, Emmanuel Anassis did not finish due to an incident with a European Coppa Shell driver early in the race. The Ferrari Quebec team was diligent to fix the car, but proved that there was insufficient time to do so.   Trofeo Pirelli Am. Finali Mondiali veteran, James Weiland (Ferrari of San Francisco), had a successful run today. Qualifying in the middle of the field, Weiland took advantage of some overtaking during the hairpin turns and apexes to finish on top of the podium steps. Anthony Imperato equally saw some action today, cutting through corners amongst the heavy traffic, finishing in second place. Mike Zoi (Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale) would finish third for the Trofeo Pirelli AM class.   Coppa Shell. Chris Cagnazzi’s first showcase at the Finali Mondiali was quite a success with a podium win in today’s race. Barry Zekelman (Ferrari of Ontario) finished in second, and Jean-Claude Saada (Boardwalk Ferrari) who was having issues gaining traction early in the race, managed to find himself in third place. The second race of the weekend will go green tomorrow at 3:25 PM EDT, with qualification prior at 11:35 AM EDT. But the true racing spectacle will be on Sunday when the champion is crowned!