Silverstone, home of UK motorsport and one of the most famous tracks in the world. But also the track where, in 1951, Ferrari began its legendary history in Formula One, with the first in a long series of victories stretching to this day. Today, it staged the season’s fifth round of the Ferrari Challenge Europa, which returns to the track after the long summer break. A weekend of red passion with the Challenge, the cars of the XX Programme and the single-seaters of Maranello’s F1 Clienti department, all contributed to the spectacle on the blindingly fast bends of the British track. A magnificent parade of Prancing Horse cars further adorned the meeting on Albion’s isle.
SATURDAY
Kessel Racing team drivers battled on the track although, for everyone, it was a complicated weekend. The first Shell Cup race, which took place on Saturday, saw Fons Scheltema close in fifth place, while Claudio Schiavoni was 11th at the checkered flag, whereas Rick Lovat, currently on the virtual podium in the overall standings, came seventeenth. In his debut, both in Kessel Racing and in the Ferrari Challenge, Turkish driver Volkan Ekinci, finished tenth among the PRO-AMs.
SUNDAY
The second race of the Shell Cup had an extremely aggressive start and Fons Scheltema confirmed his fourth position while Rick Lovat came in tenth. Claudio Schiavoni, unfortunately, had to stop after a few laps. In the Pirelli Trophy, Ekinci finished seventh in the category in a complex race, a good performance especially for a debut in such a high-performance car as the 488 and in a competitive environment like that of the Ferrari Challenge.
Although the satisfaction of a podium was missing, the Kessel team picked up important points at Silverstone as they began to gain numbers in view of the World Finals at the end of October. With the English leg out of the way, next up for the Ferrari Challenge Europa is scheduled for 15 days’ time at Imola, on the track dedicated to Enzo and Dino Ferrari, for the penultimate meeting of the 2017 calendar.
Ronnie Kessel (Team Owner): "It's been an exciting weekend as always and our drivers have shown guts and passion. We are now focusing on the upcoming commitments, starting with next week’s very important stage, when we will be competing in Barcelona in the last Blancpain Endurance Series of the season and in the GT Sports Club."