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DIAZ DOMINATES FERRARI 360 CHALLENGE AT BRANDS HATCH
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Spain’s Javier Diaz dominated the UK rounds of the Ferrari 360 Challenge during the Ferrari Festival at Brands Hatch by taking first place in both races.
The two victories moved Diaz into third place in the Ferrari 360 Challenge (West) Trofeo Pirelli series, with 116 points.
French driver Ange Barde maintained his championship lead by following Diaz home in second place on race one and then picking up further points for a fifth place finish in the second race. Belgium’s Stefan Van Campenhoudt maintains second place in the championship by picking up points for a third place finish on the Sunday, after failing to finish on the Saturday.
Stuart Roden and Hector Lester led the Ferrari UK team home with creditable fifth and sixth places in race one but Roden could only manage ninth in the second, while Lester finished 11th. Local Brands Hatch favourite Michael Cullen improved from ninth place in race one to seventh in race two.
The UK team’s John Seale took an exciting Class Two win on the Sunday, holding off a desperate final lap challenge from Belgium’s Nicholaas Hommerson, who spun off in a last-ditch attempt to repeat his win in Saturday’s race.
The festival marked the largest gathering of Ferrari cars ever assembled in the UK, with hundreds of Ferrari owners from the UK and the Continent driving to the Kent circuit for a weekend dedicated to the current F1 world champions. The event attracted a massive crowd of over 25,000.
In addition to races involving over 200 current and historic Ferrari models, there were demonstration laps by former Ferrari Formula One race cars to mark the 50th anniversary of Ferrari’s first Grand Prix victory. The rare gathering of exotic sports cars also included a significant presence by Maserati, which operates as a sister company to Ferrari and is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of Brands Hatch.
Richard Mackay, Managing Director of Maranello Concessionaires, distributor of Ferrari and Maserati in the UK, said: "As we had planned, this was the most spectacular event ever dedicated to Ferrari in this country – and it was clear from the quality of the grids and the size of the crowd that there is enormous interest and support for the marque."
The next round of the Ferrari 360 Challenge will take place in Germany at the Nurburgring on 8/9 September.