Ferrari Challenge North America - Race 1 at Sonoma: wins for Anassis, Imperato and Saada

Sonoma, 25 April - Amidst the crowds and vast excitement for the race weekend, 31 drivers and 458 Challenge EVOs took the main stage at Sonoma Raceway for the third round of the North American Ferrari Challenge. Everyone showcased strong efforts in yesterday's practice sessions, but today was the true racing spectacle, with more than 140 cars showcased in the Ferrari corral and a brilliant lapping of Ferrari's most coveted supercars: the LaFerrari and Enzo.

Today's fastest qualifier and pole sitter, Emmanuel Anassis led the field from start to finish, attacking each turn of the 2.22-mile road course at full force. He finished the race with a 1.810-second lead ahead of Ricardo Perez, who charged ahead of three Trofeo Pirelli drivers to finish second on top of the podium steps. The contention for the third place finisher came between Wei Lu and Damon Ockey. Lu, who had the fast lap time of 1.41"949 in today's race, overtook Ockey at Turn 9 after the downhill straightaway, finishing third overall and for his Trofeo Pirelli class.

The assemblage of drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class truly proved their skill levels as all drivers intermingled with those in the Trofeo Pirelli category throughout the race. Anthony Imperato captured the fans enthusiasm as he maintained his ground from the first to very last lap. He jumped two positions in the race, holding Gregory Romanelli behind and overtaking Ockey and Scott Tucker (Ferrari of San Francisco) to finish in first place in his class. It was a double podium achievement for local team Ferrari of San Francisco, as it saw its two drivers, James Weiland and Ross Garber, bring home their second and third place trophies respectively.

The battles were just as fierce in the Coppa Shell category as Jean-Claude Saada (Ferrari of San Francisco) and Joe Courtney caused much excitement for the already exuberant crowds. Both drivers continuously overtook one another throughout the race, performing a ballet of racing endeavors. And not only did the challenge remain with them, but Dan O'Neal and Chris Cagnazzi also fought for a place on the podium. Ultimately, Saada finished at the top of the podium steps, Courtney in second place, and Cagnazzi in third.

North American Ferrari Challenge - Perez, Conde and Courtney Sweep with Victories

Sonoma, 26 April - Boisterous excitement and racing activities filled today's agenda for the final day of the Ferrari Challenge at Sonoma Raceway. The 2.22-mile circuit in Northern California called upon the local Ferraristi this weekend for the Ferrari Challenge's 10th consecutive return, as well as the vast car corral which featured some of Ferrari's most renowned classics like the Dino Spider, 250 GTE, 308 GT4 and 250 GTO. Even the Enzo and LaFerrari, Ferrari's limited supercars, came to the track for lapping sessions.

The real excitement came this afternoon when 31 drivers set themselves on the starting grid for the second round of racing of the weekend. Mexican favorite, Ricardo Perez , qualified fastest in today's session, and continued to maintain his ground throughout Race 2. Although the race was held under caution after Turn 1 in the first lap due to an incident, Perez was quick to jump ahead of his contender, Emmanuel Anassis, at the restart. Perez finished in first place, 2.18 seconds ahead of Anassis, with his fastest lap marked at 1:42:328. Wei Lu finished in third place after battling Anassis throughout the race.

Carlos Conde finished first in his Trofeo Pirelli AM class after a steady pace, holding off Mike Zoi and yesterday's first place finisher, Anthony Imperato. Even Marc Muzzo joined in on the action, keeping his perfect lines and attacks ahead of Steve Johnson. Ultimately, Zoi and Imperato found themselves finishing second and third on the podium steps.

The Coppa Shell drivers mirrored yesterday's incredible competitive performance, with lead driver changes at nearly every lap. Joe Courtney and Jean-Claude Saada battled for a first place finish, while teammates Al Delattre and Rodney Randall fought for a third place finish. Ultimately, Courtney would finish first in his class, Saada second, and Randall third.

The next round of the North American Ferrari Challenge takes place in Montreal, Quebec, in conjunction with the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix June 5-7.