Scuderia Corsa sees success at Sonoma

The four drivers that make up the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari Challenge team enjoyed a successful weekend at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. At the end of two days of competition, Scuderia Corsa drivers had scored a combined two wins and five podium positions.

Qualifying for Saturday's races would show that the Scuderia Corsa drivers would be in contention for victories in both the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell categories. Harry Cheung narrowly missed pole position in Trofeo Pirelli as he qualified in second position, while Chris Ruud beat out teammate Jon Becker for pole position in Coppa Shell by a mere 0.007 seconds. The race would see Cheung run uncontested to take second place, while Ruud and Becker put on a show for the duration of the race as they battled for the Coppa Shell victory. At the checkered, Ruud held on to the win with Becker close behind.

John Horejsi made his first start in Ferrari Challenge, and finished in twelfth position in the Trofeo Pirelli class.

Sunday would see Cheung take pole position in the Trofeo Pirelli class, two-tenths of a second ahead of his closest challenge, while Horesji qualified in seventh position. In Coppa Shell, Becker used a late flying lap to take pole position from Ruud, who ended the session in second.

Sunday's race saw Cheung lead from the start, pulling away from the Trofeo Pirelli and overall field while Becker held of Ruud in the early stages. However, Cheung's race would come to an end when he was run off track by lapped traffic, causing suspension damage that would force him to retire from the race. Horesji would also have an eventful race, but would ultimately finish in seventh position in the Trofeo Pirelli race.

"This was one of those roller coaster weekends that didn't end like it should have," said Cheung. "After starting Saturday with a mechanical during practice, the Scuderia Corsa team rallied together to allow me to qualify second for the first race, which is where I finished. Sunday, I qualified on pole for the second race and was leading the race when I had a mechanical again, ending my weekend. I look forward to having a clean weekend at our next stop at Laguna Seca."

A mirror of Saturday's race, Becker held off Ruud who pressured him throughout the nineteen-lap race to take the Coppa Shell victory.

"Sonoma Raceway was the first place that I ever raced a car and the first place I ever won a race," said Becker. "So to win again in Sonoma is not only an honor but a great joy. This weekend I had a great battle with my teammate and good friend Chris Ruud all weekend. We ended up splitting the wins as well as the qualifying sessions. The boys from Scuderia Corsa have prepared us both equally sharp swords and left it up to us to battle for the championship! What more can a Ferrari racer ask than great competition and a spectacular car to battle with?"

Becker and Ruud now each have two wins this season in the Coppa Shell cateogory.

"Racing in Sonoma has always been an exciting opportunity," said Ruud. "Racing against my teammate and friend Jon Becker, with both of us taking a first and a second, is extra special. And it is great to extend our lead in the Coppa Shell championship."

After enjoying a strong weekend in Sonoma for all of its drivers, the team is now looking ahead to the next Ferrari Challenge race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

"The Scuderia Corsa team enjoyed an amazing weekend full of positive results," said Roberto Amorosi, Technical Director of Scuderia Corsa. "Chris and Jon drove extremely well to score their victories, while Harry drove extremely well before having some bad luck. It was also a great return to racing for John Horejsi. Great teamwork by all and we are all looking forward to continue this success in two weeks at Laguna Seca."

Scuderia Corsa team owner Giacomo Mattioli was thrilled to see Scuderia Corsa's drivers enjoy success in Sonoma.

"What a fantastic weekend we enjoyed in Sonoma," said Mattioli. "Congratulations to John Becker and Chris Ruud for their victories, and also to Harry Cheung and John Horesji, for the great results they brought to the team last weekend in Sonoma."

The next round of the Ferrari Challenge Series will be on May 16-18 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in Salinas, California.

Scuderia Corse