Emmanuel Anassis returns to the Ferrari Challenge after a multi-year hiatus, and shows that he has not lost a step by stunning the championship front runners and stealing a win at Lime Rock.
The atmosphere that Lime Rock provided was a stark contrast to the previous two events. The races in Montreal and Toronto were extremely energetic, as the F1 and Indy events contributed to the festivities. The Lime Rock track is situated in the sleepy town of Lakeville, with bed and breakfast inns dotting the countryside. Green farmlands and forests complete the calming effect, and hide the fact that a historic race track is nestled within.
Despite the quiet lifestyle the surrounding area promotes, many race fans came out to view the magnificent machines. Part of the draw was the Shell Historic Race series, where gentlemen drivers compete in older Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, and Maseratis. The series provides a fun, safe environment for owners and fans to appreciate these vehicles the way they were designed to be used. The Shell Historic series also showcases the lineage from where the new F458 Italia descends.
Qualifying on Friday allowed the drivers to sort themselves out, and when the dust settled, only one tenth of a second separated the drivers in the first two rows. Enzo Potolicchio (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) grabbed pole with a lap time of 55.238 seconds. Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston) trailed Potolicchio by only 0.002 seconds. If that margin seems close, Harry Cheung (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) and Emmanuel Anassis (Ferrari of Quebec), the third and fourth positions on the grid, respectively, were separated by a scant 0.001 seconds.
The F430 Challenge drivers proved that they were no slouches by delivering respectible lap times during their qualifying session. Juan Hinestrosa (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale) set the fast qualifying time with a 57.351 lap, followed by Damon Ockey (Ferrari of Ontario) and Guy LeClerc (Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale).
The first race would prove chaotic, and many of the top qualifiers would be felled by contact with other vehicles. LeClerc was the first to encounter catastrophe, tapping Chris Ruud (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) entering Turn 5. The bump was enough to send both vehicles into the grass. Ruud was able to continue, but LeClerc could not. Then, entering Turn 1, Cheung had a mishap while fending off an attempt to pass by Cooper MacNeil (Ferrari of Houston). Both Cheung and MacNeil missed the braking zone and carreened off into the grass. MacNeil was able to continue, while Cheung ended up with a blown tire from his romp in the field. Anassis could not overcome adversity, either, and fell back to fifth place.
In the end, it was Potolicchio and McKenzie staying in front of the carnage and holding on to first and second places, respectively. Darren Crystal slid into the last F458 podium spot. For the F430s, Hinestrosa and Damon Ockey also maintained their positions throughout the race. Ryan Ockey (Ferrari of Ontario) joined his brother on the podium by finishing third.
With the unique format of this weekends activities, the first race was quickly followed by qualifying for the second race. The top cars for both the F458 and F430 series remained the same, with Potolicchio and Hinestrosa maintaining their fast times for their respective classes. For the F458s, Cheung qualified second, and MacNeil third. LeClerc qualified second for the F430s, swapping places with Damon Ockey, who qualified third.
The front row of the second race did not have much luck, though, with both drivers retiring due to mechanical issues. This opened the door for Anassis to seize victory in only his second race of the 2011 season. MacNeil came in second, and McKenzie third. Hinestrosa won again in the F430 class, firmly placing him at the top of the standings. LeClerc learned from the morning's mistakes, and drove cleanly to take second, followed by Ruud in third.
The next Ferrari Challenge event will be held at Homestead Miami Raceway on September 23 to 25, 2011.
Lime Rock Race 1
Lime Rock Race 2
Lime Rock Points Standings