Giacomo Altoè (Emil Frey Racing) and John Dhillon (Graypaul Nottingham) claimed victories on the second day of the fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe at the Portuguese circuit of Portimão this weekend. Claus Zibrandtsen (Formula Racing) secured a back-to-back win in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, while Jan Sandmann (Kessel Racing) clinched his first victory in the Coppa Shell Am. Fabrizio Fontana (Formula Racing) continues to lead among the drivers of the Trofeo Pirelli 488. The event featured Ferrari official driver Miguel Molina as Race Advisor. Molina, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Hypercar 499P No. 50, will race next week in the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil, the fifth round of the FIA WEC.
Pirelli Trophy: Giacomo Altoè returned to victory, claiming his fourth win in six races this season. This win propelled the young Italian driver to the provisional lead of the overall standings, with a two-point advantage over Philipp Baron (Gohm Motorsport – Baron Racing Team). After an intense early battle, Altoè capitalized on the withdrawal of leader Luca Ludwig (MERTEL Motorsport) to finish first in his Ferrari 296 Challenge. Philipp Baron secured second place, while Bence Valint (Ferrari Budapest – Rossocorsa) took third after a remarkable comeback and decisive overtake against Luigi Coluccio (Radicci Automobili – Best Lap – FCI), who finished fourth in his championship debut.
The Trofeo Pirelli Am race saw a tightly contested battle with 46 overtakes. Claus Zibrandtsen claimed his second win of the weekend after Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) was disqualified for failing to heed the orange and yellow flag. Marco Zanasi (CDP – Pinetti Motorsport) went off track, allowing Zibrandtsen to retake the lead and cross the line first. Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst) finished second, and Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo – Herter Racing), the reigning Coppa Shell champion, secured third in his Ferrari Challenge season debut.
Coppa Shell: John Dhillon claimed his first victory after a long battle with Henry Hassid (Kessel Racing), who crossed the line first but received a 10-second penalty for contact with Dhillon. Hassid, leading the overall standings, finished second with the fastest lap of 1’44”680, while Tibor Valint (Ferrari Budapest – Rossocorsa) took third. Manuela Gostner (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) retired after several laps despite starting from pole.
Jan Sandmann secured pole position in the morning’s qualifying session and maintained the lead throughout the 30-minute second race of Coppa Shell Am, celebrating his first victory in the Ferrari Challenge with the fastest lap in his class. He finished ahead of Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) and Zois Skrimpias (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), the current leaders of the overall standings.
Pirelli Trophy 488: Fabrizio Fontana continued his triumph in the 488 Challenge Evo class, securing victory from pole position in the second race of the weekend. Tommy Lindroth (Gohm Motorsport – Baron Racing Team) finished second, while Pino Frascaro (Rossocorsa) claimed third.
Upcoming Round: From Portugal, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe series moves to France for the final round before the August break. The fifth round will be contested from July 25 to 28 at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet.
