Giddings, Morici Continue Shell Historics Domination at Infineon Raceway

May 8, 2009

 

Peter Giddings and Todd Morici, both previous champions in the Shell Historic Ferrari Challenge and the only two drivers to be named "Masters" in the series, continued their winning ways this weekend at the second event of the 2009 season. Giddings was the overall winner of both Drum Brake Group races at the Shell Historics event at Infineon Raceway, and Morici was a double winner in the Disc Group. The driver with the best overall weekend might have been Tom Price, a past champion in both groups; Price leaves Infineon as the points leader in both Drum and Disc standings.

Peter Greenfield qualified on the Drum pole on a wet track, driving the oldest car in the field, a 1935 Alfa-Romeo 8C/35 once raced by the great Tazio Nuvolari. Giddings was alongside in the front row in his Maserati 250 F Grand Prix car, a former Sir-Stirling Moss mount. Jeff Abramson upheld the Ferrari marque by qualifying third, the fastest sports car, in his four-cylinder Ferrari 500 Mondial. 

Greenfield’s lead was brief in the Saturday Drum race, as Giddings passed almost immediately on the drying track, taking a lead which was never challenged. A large group of sports cars of the ‘50s, all painted red and all with engines between two and three liters, battled for the entire race before Tom Price, in a Maserati 200 SI took the class win over Jon Shirley in his Maserati 300 S, followed by Chuck Wegner, Steven Read, and Nick Colonna, all in Maseratis. Abramson won the two-liter class over Spencer Trenery, in a Maserati A6GCS, and Greenfield won his class as well. Giddings margin of victory was 54 seconds for the overall win; he was a class winner as well, over Jeff O’Neill in a similar Maserati 250 F.

The wet track also produced an unusual grid for the first Disc race. Stephen Dudley qualified on pole, his first, in his 308 GTB/Michelotto, a Group B car intended for rallying – the wet Infineon track was ideal for the car, and Dudley took full advantage of its capabilities. Todd Morici, in a five-liter 512 BB/LM started alongside Dudley, followed by John Goodman in a similar BB/LM. Steven Read was gridded fifth in his 312PB on slick tires, not the ideal combination. 

The track was drying when the green flag fell, and Morici passed Dudley almost immediately to take the lead. Dudley held off Goodman for a short time, but the superior power and torque of five liters over three left no doubt, and Goodman passed Dudley to take second overall. Dudley held on for third place and a class win. The excitement was in the Berlinetta class. Chuck Wegner had been quickest in his 275 GTB, but Tom Price (250 GTO) took the class win. Nick Colonna (250 GT SWB) and Wegner battled for the entire race, with Colonna finally taking second over Wegner, Peter Giddings (250 GT/L) and Greg Whitten (250 GTO/64) 

The sky remained overcast on Sunday but the track was dry. Drum and Disc grids were set from Saturday’s results, so Giddings started from pole. O’Neill seemed to enjoy the dry track and was able to stay with Giddings for the entire race, the pair of dark red Maserati Grand Prix cars carving through the field. Giddings won over O’Neill, but his margin was only 11 seconds. Tom Price won the over-two liter sports cars in his Maserati 200 SI (that’s three trophies so far if you’re counting) over Shirley, Wegner, and Colonna, and Greenfield and his Alfa 8C/35 was a class winner again. Spencer Trenery’s Maserati took the under two-liter class from Abramson. 

Morici and Goodman started their 512 BB/LMs on the front for Sunday’s Disc Group race, and Goodman used his outside position to take the lead into Infineon’s uphill left hand Turn One, followed by Morici, Dudley, Price, and Wegner. Goodman led the first three laps with Morici close behind, but halfway through lap four, as he exited Turn Six onto the drag strip, he suffered a gearbox shaft failure in his ex-Prancing Horse Farms BB/LM. Morici then took an easy win over Dudley, both winning their classes. Tom Price won the Berlinetta class again in his GTO (that’s four trophies) over Wegner, Colonna, and Whitten. 

The Shell Historic Challenge is organized by Ferrari North America, and sanctioned by Grand-Am. Ferrari North America, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and is the exclusive North, Central and South American importer of Ferrari vehicles including the 599 GTB Fiorano V-12 sports coupe, F430 Berlinetta, F430 Spider convertible sports car, 430 Scuderia, California Gran Tourer and 612 Scaglietti (luxury performance 2+2). Additional support for the series comes from Shell fuel and lubricants, and from Panerai watches.  

The series is open to authentic Ferrari and Maserati competition cars built before 1980, and pre-war Alfa Romeos of the type raced by the Scuderia Ferrari. Further information on the Shell Historics can be found at www.ferrarichallenge.com. 

The next race for the Shell Historics will be at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on June 26-28.