Ferrari Racing Days Press Release
Hockenheim 1 September – The sun shone on the final day of Ferrari Racing Days at the Hockenheim Circuit where the crowds numbered over 5,000. Dirk Adamski took a second victory in an incident filled second Coppa Shell Race and Philip Baron scored a vital first victory for his Octane 126 team.
The second race of the weekend for Coppa Shell had hardly got started when the safety car was deployed due to a first corner accident involving much of the last half of the grid. As local hero Dirk Adamski showed the following field a clean pair of heels seven cars were tangled up in the first corner smash including Britain’s Rupert Martin who was launched into the air. Despite the damage, all drivers walked away unscathed.
By the time the safety car released the field there was just over 13 minutes of the race remaining. The order was Adamski, Vincenzo Sauto and Thomas Kukkuka. Sauto received a drive through penalty for an infringement during the first start, which demoted him to 8th and eventually 11th. Adamski couldn’t be beaten and new driver Kukkuka joined him on the podium with Eric Prinoth taking third.
Adamski take a commanding lead in the championship with 153 points from David Gostner, who finished fourth. Ukrainian Driver Andrii Lebed has made a late charge in the season standing third with 107 points.
The second race of the Trofeo Pirelli was a much calmer affair, despite another first corner accident which only involved two cars. In addition Dario Caso had failed to start the race, despite the best efforts of his team, after a heavy frontal impact in qualifying.
Daniel Mancinelli took avoiding accident at the first turn and managed to move from eighth to third in the doing. Sergey Chukanov also made up good grid places, despite the delayed start seeing him in a small accident which cracked the radiator. Baron put aside all his problems from yesterday and with five minutes left to run the order stood Baron Mancinelli, Chukanov and it would remain so for the final laps. This meant that Baron’s Octane 126 team scored not only a first pole position, but followed it with a vital first win – he stands fourth in the championship.
Mancinelli’s first lap manoeuvre may be crucial in the championship, he takes the lead from Chukanov but by just one point (123 to 122). The unlucky Dario Caso retains his third place position with 97 points. Ferrari Challenge Europe now moves on to Imola, Italy on the 28th and 29th September.
The crowds in Germany were also able to enjoy practice sessions from the F1 Clienti cars and the XX Programme, over 1,000 Ferrari road cars of all models, alongside a stunning F1 show with the 2009 car driven by Ferrari test driver Marc Gené.