Companc inherits, others cruise to FCNA Race 2 wins at Watkins Glen
In Race 2 at Watkins Glen International, several championship leaders in Ferrari Challenge North America expanded their points gap after securing victories on Sunday.
Trofeo Pirelli: Matias Perez Companc (Ferrari of Central Florida) scored another victory this season while crossing the finish line second in the Trofeo Pirelli class. Polesitter Dylan Medler (The Collection) was penalized for accelerating too early to start the race and 15 seconds was added to his final time. As a result, Medler finished fifth while Companc was awarded the win. Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) followed in second, while David Musial Jr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest) finished third for back-to-back podiums this weekend.
In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) regained the top spot of the podium and earned his third victory in the last four races. Davis started from pole position but faced Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) looming large in his mirrors throughout the race. Cook’s efforts could not be converted as he finished runner-up, and Brad Fauvre (Ferrari of San Francisco) finished third.
Coppa Shell: Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) won Race 2 on Sunday in the Coppa Shell class, making it his second weekend sweep of the season and his fifth victory in last six races. Marston defended his position against Bruce Cleveland (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) after a restart with five minutes remaining, but took advantage of Cleveland’s own defensive maneuvers versus Rey Acosta (The Collection) to secure another victory.
The battle for the Coppa Shell Am class victory nearly came down to the wire if not for a late race yellow, as Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) also took home both wins at Watkins Glen. Monteforte passed polesitter Jerri Walters (Ferrari of Vancouver) with 20 minutes remaining, but was pressured until the final moments. Walters finished runner-up narrowly behind Monteforte, with Roy Carroll (Foreign Cars Italia) following in third for his second podium of the weekend.
488 Challenge Evo: Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) withstood the toughest challenge yet from Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari), driving to his sixth win of 2024 in the 488 Challenge Trofeo Pirelli class. McCarthy put the nose of his Ferrari ahead of Perrina’s at the start, but Perrina used the racing line to maintain his lead from the pole position. While McCarthy held on for runner-up, Grey Fauvre (Ferrari of San Francisco) followed in his father’s footsteps during the 296 Challenge race to finish third.
In the Coppa Shell class, Saturday’s victory was awarded to Matthew Dalton (Ferrari of Long Island) after a post-race penalty was assessed to Gerdas Venslovas (Continental AutoSports) prior to Sunday’s race. It was Dalton’s first win of the season, and he put in the work again on Sunday to earn his Race 2 victory.
Stephen Chen (Ferrari of Houston) and Richard Pineda (Ferrari of Washington) finished second and third, respectively, while Venslovas clawed back from last on the grid on Sunday to fourth place.
Back to California: Ferrari Challenge North America now approaches its penultimate event of 2024, with Sonoma Raceway scheduled to host the series on August 21 – 25. This is the Ferrari Challenge’s second trip to Northern California this season, after previously racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in May.
All races, including replays from this weekend in Watkins Glen International, are available on the Ferrari YouTube channel.