Tucker Doubles in FL

March 25, 2009

The opening round of the 16th edition of the Ferrari Challenge North America was contested at Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend, March 20-22nd. The field at Homestead was stacked with the best Ferrari racers from across the Americas, but headlining the news from the paddock were strong performances from 2008 front runners Scott Tucker and Mark McKenzie and a return to form from 2007 champion, Mike Zoi.

The action began on Saturday with Boardwalk Ferrari’s (Dallas, TX) Scott Tucker capturing pole position by five tenths of a second for the first of the weekend’s two races over Ferrari of Houston’s McKenzie. When the green flag flew, Tucker showed the merits of his off-season testing program and immediately opened a sizable gap. Over the ensuing 45 minutes, Tucker comfortably controlled the gap to Ferrari of Houston’s dynamic duo of McKenzie and Richard Fant who entertained the crowd with a game of cat and mouse as they battled for second position.

Showing the depth of the field, 2008 series champion, Roberto Fata, was able to move up from his ninth starting position to sixth place at the finish. Notable performances were also turned in by The Collection (Coral Gables, FL) teammates Jeff Soffer and John Devaney.  Soffer drove a controlled race and advanced six places from his qualifying position to finish in 7th place. Devaney went one better, moving forward seven places in the race and finishing in the top 15 with a 13th place finish.

Sunday’s action began with Saturday’s runner-up, McKenzie, taking to the track in the opening minutes of qualifying and immediately posting a flyer, stopping the clocks at 1:28.045. Betting that track conditions would improve over the 40 minute qualifying session, Saturday’s winner Tucker decided to wait until the waning minutes of qualifying to go out for his flying lap. The gamble did not pay off and Ferrari of Houston’s McKenzie held advantage over cross state rival Boardwalk Ferrari’s (Dallas, TX) Tucker by a mere 15 one hundreds of a second when the checker flag ended qualifying. The top five starting positions were rounded out by Richard Fant, Mike Zoi, and Roberto Fata, respectively.

When the 45 minute timed race went green, it was Tucker, starting on the outside of row one, who got the drop on the field and moved into the lead by the first corner. Also getting a good start was fourth place starter, Mike Zoi, who quickly moved into second place. In the opening laps, Zoi hounded Tucker looking for every opportunity to pass. By lap 4, Zoi looked intent on working pass but on the approach to turn 2 needed to brake heavily to avoid colliding with Tucker. With Zoi’s momentum broken, Tucker was able to nudge out a gap. Despite two full course yellow flag caution periods, Tucker, Zoi, McKenzie and Fant retained their grip on the top four positions.

Veteran drivers Henri Richard (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and John Farano (Ferrari of Ontario) put in fast and consistent drives to capture the fifth and sixth place finishing positions. Also improving their positions during the race were Ferrari of Newport Beach rookies Steve Hill and Jacinto Peynado, advancing to 7th and 8th place finishing positions.

With the weekend’s racing over, Tucker heads to the next round of the Ferrari Challenge at Road Atlanta on April 18th and 19th with a 70 point advantage over McKenzie. Last year’s Road Atlanta double winner Roberto Fata will look to regain his championship form and contest for the overall win.

After Road Atlanta, the season will then continue to Infineon Raceway in California [May1-3], Road America in Wisconsin [June 26-28], Mt. Tremblant in Canada [July 24-26] and the New Jersey Motorsports Park [Sept. 18-20].

The Ferrari Challenge is one of the numerous "exclusive" experiences that Ferrari offers its customers -- and whether owners are actually racing in the series, dining in the luxurious VIP hospitality tents, participating in weekend driving clinics or socializing with those that share their enthusiasm for Ferrari, the weekend provides a unique atmosphere and incomparable experience.

General public can enjoy the races, peruse the paddock areas, and enjoy the overall Ferrari-festival type of atmosphere.

The Ferrari Challenge Series is organized by Ferrari North America, Inc., and sanctioned by the Grand American Road Racing Association.  Complete Challenge information can be found on www.ferrarichallenge.com.  Tickets for the Road Atlanta Ferrari Challenge weekend can be purchased directly at the track.

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). For more information please visit www.ferrariusa.com.