It was a good Saturday for Cooper MacNeil, a good weekend for Martin Burrowes and a showcase for a famous marque as the Ferrari Challenge North America series visited WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Perhaps the only real drama came after the cool down lap on Saturday, when MacNeil celebrated his triumph by shredding his tires as he turned rubber-melting donuts on the front stretch. Otherwise MacNeil made the first race in the Trofeo Pirelli class seem uneventful, as he led the way flag to flag in the opening 20-lap sprint race.
Although Benjamin Hites narrowed the gap in the final stages, MacNeil crossed the line more than two seconds ahead.
Martin Burrowes claimed the third spot on Saturday. On Sunday, however, he took the win after a hard fought battle that saw several drivers vie for a podium finish.
Burrowes edged to the front on the first corner and managed to hold on, despite being harried by Hites. Meanwhile, MacNeil started further back in the field after a problem in qualifying. As he charged toward the front, it appeared as if he would put on a reprise of last year’s show, when he gave a spectacular last-to-first performance.
With Burrowes slowing due to tire wear, MacNeil took aim at the top spot. But first he had to clear Hites. In the waning laps of the 30-minute sprint race, the two made contact in turn ten.
Both cars spun off the track. Hites stalled, but MacNeil was able to continue, falling to fourth behind Burrowes, Joseph Rubbo and Thomas Tippl.
Neil Gahani won the Pro-Am class on Saturday, while Karl Williams followed suit the next day. In the Coppa Shell class, it was Mark Issa’s show on both days, with Jay Schreibman the amateur winner Saturday and Joe Sposato on Sunday.
The rest of the weekend was given to Corse Clienti Formula 1 cars—Ferraris driven to wins in 2004 by Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, as well as the track-only hyper cars of the experimental XX program, with vicious engines developing over 1,000 horsepower.
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