Ferrari Challenge Infineon Race Report

May 1, 2011

The Ferrari Challenge 2011 season opened at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. with many new drivers, great weather and a huge turnout of fans who also came to see the exciting activities of Corse Clienti. Drivers and spectators alike were highly anticipating the racing debut of the 458 Challenge, and nobody was disappointed as the racing provided steep competition among the many 458’s filling the grid with the F430 Challenge racecars.

Close action in the first race between Enzo Potolicchio (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale), newcomer Cooper MacNeil (Ferrari of Houston) and Scott Tucker (Boardwalk Ferrari) saw just one leader change in the first race and left Potolicchio the victor. In the second race, Potolicchio took the lead and never let it go, while Harry Cheung (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) did the same with second, crossing the finish.581-second behind Potolicchio. Competition among the top five finishers remained tight throughout the second race. MacNeil dueled with Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston) and Mike Zoi (Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale) to clinch third.

For 2011, the 458 Challenge and F430 Challenge racecars compete in one grid, and the 430’s showed their strength with Rob Metka taking 11^th in his. Two cars received one-race probation for avoidable contact that disabled the 458’s of Jay Lee (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and John Farano (Algar Ferrari).

Fan excitement carried over from the Challenge racing to the Corse Clienti driving. Here, at select tracks and events around the world, owner/test drivers lap the track in the FXX and 599XX development cars, and new client-owners of previous F1 cars get to drive the ultimate Ferrari race machines for hot laps. (More information on Corse Clienti.)

This was the first “Ferrari Racing Days” event of 2011. We look forward to the next Laguna Seca in just a few weeks.