Schirò wins on return; Barde first in AM

On his return to the Ferrari Challenge, a sensational Niccolò Schirò (Rossocorsa) triumphed in Race-1 at Brno in the Czech Republic. The fans were also back, albeit subject to Covid-related restrictions. In the AM class, Ange Barde (SF Côte d'Azur Cannes) pulled off an authoritative win.

The tricky track in the Moravian woods provided 30 minutes of excitement in the first of two races of round three of the Trofeo Pirelli season. The race ignited at the first turn when Niccolò Schirò, with a great throttle-down on the outside, pulled ahead of Michelle Gatting (Scuderia Niki – Iron Lynx) and Luka Nurmi (Formula Racing). The pair immediately set off in pursuit of the Italian driver. In the AM class, the lead also changed hands, with Ange Barde moving ahead of Tommaso Rocca (Rossocorsa) and poleman Roger Grouwels (Kroymans - Race Art). 

A few minutes later, a spin by Sergio Paulet (Santogal Madrid – MST Team) brought out the Safety Car to restore order. The restart was short-lived as the exit of Alessandro Cozzi (Formula Racing) led to a second outing for the Safety Car.

The finale saw plenty of excitement, with Schirò successfully holding off his rivals' attacks, partly thanks to the fastest lap of the race, and claiming his first win of the season on his debut. Behind him, after Gatting and Nurmi, who joined him on the podium, came John Wartique (FML – D2P), Frederik Paulsen (Formula Racing) and the home driver Matùš Výboh (Scuderia Praha). 

Ange Barde was first over the line in the AM class in his Ferrari Challenge Evo, taking the win ahead of Christian Brunsborg (Formula Racing), who made an excellent comeback that also gave him top spot in the overall standings. An excellent Tommaso Rocca (Rossocorsa) completed the podium ahead of Roger Grouwels and Roman Ziemian (FML - D2P).