Even as stamina should have been fading towards the end of the race, Harry Cheung managed to dig deep and lay down a blistering lap time that showed why he deserves the podium spot he earned.
The Ferrari Challenge series was invited to participate in the Formula 1 event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, during the weekend of June 11 to 13, 2010. Race cars have been circling Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for over 30 years, but unlike many other tracks that are long in the tooth, this one has remained predominantly unchanged. For better or for worse, it retains its classic composition on the Ile Notre-Dame.
Certainly a unique setting, the Circuit hosts the only Ferrari Challenge event held in Canada during the 2010 season. The track neighbors the Casino de Montreal, an establishment with architecture that would embarrass most hotels on the Las Vegas strip, as well as venues from Expo 67. Behind the garages lies the rowing basin where the 1976 Olympics were held.
During most of the year, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an exercise course where runners, bicyclists, and inline skaters travel at adagio speeds. Only two times a year does the city put the cyclists on pause and open up the garages for heavier machinery. (In addition to F1, the track also hosts the NASCAR Nationwide series.) As a result, drivers must wait until race weekend before they can navigate the track at speed.
In addition to the lack of track time, Montreal’s weather chose to increase the difficulty by threatening to rain all weekend. The track remained dry during Friday’s practices, but the skies opened up on Saturday morning during qualifying. As a result, the qualifying session was changed to a practice session to provide the drivers with a chance to familiarize themselves with the rain tires should they be needed for the race. (Amazingly, this was the first time during the 2010 Ferrari Challenge season that rain tires were mandated by Grand Am.)
When a qualifying session is cancelled, the starting grid for the race is determined by overall championship points. Enzo Potolicchio (The Collection) had the most points and started on pole, with Harry Cheung (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) to his right. Francesco Piovanetti (The Collection) and Darren Crystal (Ferrari of Houston) made up the second row. Scott Tucker (Boardwalk Ferrari) is the current series points leader and would have started on pole, but he chose to skip the Montreal event to drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race instead.
By the start of Saturday’s race, the track had dried up and the green flag brought forth a clean start. Potolicchio and Cheung quickly established a fast race pace and created a five second gap between them and the field. Piovanetti had plenty to worry about, though, as both Ty Hubbard (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) and Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston) challenged him for the third position during the race. Piovanetti managed to hold on, and the race ended with Potolicchio taking the checkered flag, Cheung in second, and Piovanetti in third.
The Montreal race weekend had an abbreviated format, and the starting grid for Sunday’s race was determined by finishing position from the first race. The front row for the second race was exactly the same as the first, and the only change to the second row was that Hubbard obtained the fourth position. At the start of the race, it appeared that history would repeat itself, with Potolicchio and Cheung establishing a gap between themselves and the pack. At about lap 11, though, Cheung began to mount an attack on Potolicchio, gaining ground during successive laps. Unfortunately, with the 30-minute race format, there was not enough time for him to overtake the Venezuelan, and despite setting the fast lap of the race, Cheung had to settle for second, with Mike Zoi (The Collection) taking third.
Sunday’s Ferrari Challenge race provided plenty of excitement for fans, with Crystal and Michael Louli (Ferrari of Ontario) battling for position throughout most of the race. In the end, Louli won out, but the two drivers made numerous clean passes to wow the crowd.
The next Ferrari Challenge event will be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park on July 31, 2010. With only three events remaining, the hotly contested Championship is still up for grabs.
Montreal Race 1 Results
Montreal Race 2 Results
Montreal Drivers Points Standings
Montreal Dealers Points Standings