Yahoo Autos McCarthy returns to winning ways at Watkins Glen
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Ferrari Challenge North America drivers brought the heat throughout three races at Watkins Glen International. This weekend marks the beginning of the second half of the season, and all three classes saw some drivers celebrate and some drivers falter with another round to compete in on Sunday.
Watch video highlights below:
Trofeo Pirelli
In the Trofeo Pirelli class, Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari) sought and found redemption on Saturday, winning Race 1 at Watkins Glen after misfortune in Montreal forced him to withdraw from the previous two Ferrari Challenge rounds. This was McCarthy’s second win of the season, the first coming at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and McCarthy started from pole position and navigated a mid-race restart well en route to victory.
Roberto Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) and championship leader Dylan Medler (The Collection) battled behind McCarthy, with Perrina ultimately holding off Medler for second- and third-place finishes, respectively.
Brian Cook (Ferrari of Seattle) also found his way back to the top step of the podium on Saturday, breaking a three-race winless streak in Trofeo Pirelli Am after starting the year with three consecutive wins. While Cook cruised to his victory, Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports) was positioned for a runner-up position after starting fourth-in-class ahead of David Musial Sr. (Ferrari of Lake Forest), who started ninth. However, Musial leapt to third by the final laps and pressured Davis into a wiggle in the bus stop, passing for the runner-up spot and moving Davis to third.
Coppa Shell
The top three finishers in Saturday’s Coppa Shell race mirrored the top three in the class championship standings, with Eric Marston (Ferrari of Westlake) finishing on top once again. This was Marston’s fourth win in five races and Chuck Whittal (Ferrari of Central Florida) finished in second. Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle) started sixth and enjoyed a lengthy battle with John Viskup (Boardwalk Ferrari), but emerged ahead for the final podium spot.
In Coppa Shell Am, Jerri Walters (Ferrari of Vancouver) started from pole position for this first time this season, but lost her lead early to eventual winner, Roger Monteforte (Ferrari of Central New Jersey). Steve Check (Ferrari of Rancho Mirage), meanwhile, gained four positions to finish third and Roy Carroll (Foreign Cars Italia) made a passioned charge through the top five to finish third.
488 Challenge Evo
The 488 Challenge Evo classes returned to Watkins Glen after last running at Laguna Seca, and Massimo Perrina (Ferrari of Seattle) did not miss a beat by starting from pole position and maintaining his undefeated status this season. Perrina has now gone five-for-five in the Trofeo Pirelli class and benefited from a late caution that ended the race in advance.
Jason McCarthy (Wide World Ferrari), winner earlier in the day’s 296 Challenge Trofeo Pirelli class, finished runner-up for his second podium of the day, with Grey Fauvre (Ferrari of San Francisco) following in third.
Leading a stacked, 17-car Coppa Shell class, Gerdas Venslovas (Continental AutoSports) secured his second win of the season. Matthew Dalton (Ferrari of Long Island) scored another podium in second place, although still seeking his first win of 2024, while Gregory Hopkins (Foreign Cars Italia) came home third.
Sunday schedule
The final three Ferrari Challenge North America races at Watkins Glen will get underway on Sunday afternoon. Coppa Shell goes green at 1:10 p.m. ET, with Trofeo Pirelli at 2 p.m. and 488 Challenge Evo at 2:50 p.m. All races will stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel.
