Fantastic race win for Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB at Monza

Under beautiful cloudless skies on a warm spring day in Italy, the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB kicked off their 2008 campaign with an excellent performance from the team, with one pole position, a race win and another podium finish in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli – Coppa Shell Championship which started at Monza this weekend.

Team Vertu Racing driver, Mike Cantillon in Car 128, scored another pole position and fantastic race win to add to his extensive tally of strong finishes last year. After starting from the front, Mike held the lead for most of the race and was under constant pressure from behind, with several close encounters particularly at the first chicane where the cars concertina heavy under braking and provide most of the action during the weekend. Although losing the lead temporarily towards the end of the race, Mike was determined not to lose the advantage of his pole position and managed to clinch the lead again on the last corner. Taking the top step of the podium, Mike was cheered on by the team and by guests from the Ferrari GB dealer network who were invited to enjoy the race weekend and the exclusive hospitality that is offered by Ferrari GB to valued Ferrari clients.

Team Vertu Racing’s second driver, Jamie Constable, started Race 2 in 6th place and was in the middle of a pack of cars which leaned on each other – quite literally – at every corner, but managed to scythe his way through the pack and finish an excellent 5th in a race which was a concentrated rush of adrenaline for both the drivers and fans. Jamie’s pre-race pace suggested he could have made up more places during the race, but the constant jockeying for position with those around him, and the back markers which became a feature of the latter half of the race, meant that Jamie’s 5th place result was well deserved.

Jack Gerber, a new driver who joins the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB this year, also competes in the Coppa Shell category for gentleman drivers and his car runs in a very distinctive team livery which also includes the flag of his native South Africa. After a successful first race on Saturday, when he qualified mid-field and brought the car home in

an excellent first race 18th position out of 25 finishers, Jack started Race 2 on Sunday in the middle of the field, this time in 19th out of 28 starters. Throughout the Race, Jack’s lap times kept showing significant improvement as he learnt his way around the circuit and challenged for places in the middle of the field. The Ferrari Challenge may be for gentleman drivers, but that doesn’t stop them from trying to go around the Monza chicane 2 or 3 wide, as Jack found out in the middle of the race when another competitor decided he’d like to occupy the same square inch of tarmac as the South African, with the Team GB car unfortunately having to retire from the race. Jack is excited about his first race weekend as a Ferrari Challenge driver and is confident of improving his qualifying and race positions now that he knows what to expect when the Ferrari Challenge comes to Silverstone in the middle of April.

The remaining Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB’s driver, Yannick Mallegol, also suffered from contact during Race 2 and finished watching from the side lines. However, Jean Marc Bachelier’s excellent qualifying and podium finish in Race 1 on Saturday demonstrates that Car 129 has the pace to keep up with the best of them, and Yannick now has the benefit of analysing the data and race telemetry from Jean Marc’s confident drive in Race 1 to understand how he can improve his racing lines, braking points and throttle modulation. This is one of the advantages of the Ferrari Challenge Dealer Team GB, with every car having full telemetry and experienced race instructors to help the drivers analyse their performance throughout the weekend and think about where improvements could be made.

The representatives from the Ferrari GB dealer network who were hosted by Ferrari GB throughout the weekend were treated to a very special event, not just at the track with exclusive pit and paddock access and unrivalled hospitality from Team Vertu Racing, but also with an exclusive demonstration and dining experience from luxury partners KitchenAid at the Sadlers Restaurant in Milan on Saturday evening. The Team Vertu Racing hospitality at the Ferrari Challenge events is reserved exclusively for VIP guests of Ferrari and the team’s partners at each round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. The next round of the championship is at Silverstone from 18-20 April, when the Ferrari Challenge drivers will have the chance to mingle with the FIA GT drivers who will also be racing at the Northamptonshire circuit during the same weekend.