The fifth and final round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli – Asia Pacific got underway last weekend at the Singapore circuit, prior to the Finali Mondiali which takes place at Valencia in December.
The Asian version of the Ferrari one-make series is now in its second year, but this was the first time that the cars have tackled Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit and its maiden appearance in support of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
This round came three weeks after the last one in Sepang and there were 29 cars entered. Among them was Marc Genè, the Catalan driver who is on the books at the Scuderia for promotional and racing activities and as a special instructor to owners of Prancing Horse historic Formula 1 cars.
Friday saw a free practice session, followed by qualifying on Saturday. There was one race run with separate classifications for those in the Trofeo Pirelli and the Coppa Shell, which got underway at 15.00 on Sunday.
France’s Alain Li won the fifth and final round of the Asia Pacific edition of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli one-make series, now in its second year. The race ended behind the Safety Car following an accident involving Australia’s Steve Wyatt, a runner in the main Trofeo Pirelli category, on lap 5. Behind Li came his Thai team-mate Pasin Lathouras and local driver Ringo Chong.
In the battle between the gentlemen drivers in the Coppa Shell, first across the finish line was South Korea’s Tack Sung Kim, who beat Jacky Yeung from Hong Kong and China’s Junhan Zhu. Guest of honour Marc Gene took his 458 car to ninth overall, with its special livery in recognition of this being the 500th Grand Prix of the partnership between Shell and Ferrari.
The Spaniard was on the podium along with the top three, as the prizes were given out by Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari’s Commercial Director, Enrico Galliera. After the race, there was a group photo for all the competitors who were joined for this memorable event by Scuderia drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
