On track at the racetrack this weekend. Ferrari Challenge Europe returns to Monza after four years: seventy-one drivers at the start

The engines of the “Ferrari Challenge Europe” are revving up. After four years, the Monza racetrack is back to host (free entry) the first round of the longest-running single-make series in the world with its 33 editions. This weekend in the Temple of Speed, the protagonists will be the 296 Challenge (“shod“ by Pirelli), the ninth model in the history of the championship and the first with a de-hybridized V6 engine with 700 horsepower. 71 drivers will be at the start (21 new talents on the grid compared to last year), representing 22 countries, ready to challenge each other to conquer the traditional 4 categories.

In the Trofeo Pirelli, the main class, the hunt will be for the title won in 2024 by Giacomo Altoé, now a regular in endurance racing with the Ferrari 296 GT3 and fresh from fourth place at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in the GTD Pro class. In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, 20 drivers will be ready to take up the legacy of Claus Zibrandtsen, including Henry Hassid, winner of the Coppa Shell. In this last class, the 2024 Coppa Shell Am champion, Greek Zois Skrimpias, will be at the start together with 19 other competitors who rise to 24 in the class dedicated strictly to gentleman drivers.

Today tests and free practice, tomorrow morning the qualifications then the three races of 30 minutes each (Coppa Shell Am, Coppa Shell and, together, Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am). Same program for Sunday.

Marco Galvani