Weekend notebook: Ferrari victories in Europe and US

A packed weekend of racing delivered several victories – including class wins – and many podium finishes for the Prancing Horse across America and Europe. In the US, Ferrari triumphed in the Am class of the GT World Challenge America at COTA, while in Europe, Visiom claimed a second consecutive victory in the Ultimate Cup Series – Endurance GT Cup at Mugello. Other notable wins came in the Sprint GT Cup at Scarperia and the International GT Open at Portimão, which also hosted the GT Cup Europe. Ferrari drivers in GT America, the NLS, the British GT, and the DTM season’s opening rounds delivered excellent performances.

GT World Challenge America. AF Corse’s Ferrari 296 GT3 secured first and second places in the AM class during the second round of the prominent American series. Oswaldo Negri and Jay Schreibman, in car number 163, claimed victory in the opening 90-minute race at COTA before finishing runner-up in Race-2. They posted the fastest lap in both contests.

Meanwhile, the second AF Corse entry – car number 16, crewed by the Brazilian duo Allam Khodair and Marcelo Hahn – finished in the top ten of the Pro-Am class in both races.

The championship’s third round runs from 16 to 18 May at Sebring International Raceway.

GT America. Marc Muzzo secured two fifth-place finishes in R.Ferri Motorsport’s Ferrari 296 GT3 number 13 in the two 40-minute races at the Austin circuit. Muzzo delivered impressive performances in both races, competing for podium positions down to the finish line.

The fourth round of the series is on 18 May at Sebring in Florida.

DTM. The three Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3s enjoyed a positive weekend in the opening round of the 2025 DTM season at Oschersleben. In Race-1, Jack Aitken turned in the best result in car number 14, finishing sixth after a determined and consistent drive. Thierry Vermeulen crossed the line thirteenth in car number 69, while Ben Green – at the wheel of car number 10 – fell out of the top ten due to a post-qualifying penalty for a weight irregularity despite having set the fastest time. In Race-2, the Swiss team’s three drivers finished thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth, with Vermeulen, Aitken and Green in that order.

Round two of the championship will take place from 23–25 May at the Lausitzring.

NLS. After qualifying tenth, Ferrari official driver Thomas Neubauer, Axcil Jefferies, and Felipe Fernández Laser in the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 45 of Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi, finished an excellent sixth in the ADAC Ruhrpott-Trophy – the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series. The trio spent the entire four hours near the top of the field, delivering a strong performance on Germany’s Green Hell.

The third round of the series, also over four hours, is on 10 May with the 56th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy.

Ultimate Cup Series. After starting from third on the grid, Visiom’s champions claimed their second consecutive win of the season in the Endurance GT Cup, once again at Mugello. Jean-Paul Pagny and Jean-Bernard Bouvet, joined on the Italian circuit by long-time teammate David Halliday – who missed the season opener at Paul Ricard – quickly took the race lead and steadily extended their advantage, crossing the finish line first at the wheel of their Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 1 in the UCS1 class.

In the Sprint GT Cup, a strong Prancing Horse presence dominated the four races at the Tuscan circuit. Young Irishman Lyle Schofield achieved a double victory in SR&R’s Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 353, winning both overall and in the Ultimate Cavallino Tridente Cup in Races 1 and 3.

Andreas Borris– another SR&R driver – took overall victory and the UCTC class win in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 351. Borris secured two additional UCTC podiums ahead of teammate Maurizio Fondi in the sister car, number 350. Mardeen Benjamin completed the all-Ferrari podium in the F430 Challenge of Motorchamps Motors Racing Classic.

Patrick Michellier also climbed the podium during the two days of racing, finishing third twice in his 296 Challenge for CMR, winning the class, and claiming two additional podiums in UCTC.

Grégoire Benedet, driving the Ferrari 430 GT3 number 96 for Francorchamps Motors Racing Classic, won all four races in the UCS1 class.

The championship will resume for round three from 29 May to 1 June at Portimão, Algarve. 

International GT Open. Ferrari’s haul in the series’ opening round, held at the Autódromo do Algarve in Portimão, included a third-place finish overall, a class victory, and an additional podium. The final podium spot in Race-2 went to the British pairing of Tom Lebbon and Tom Emson, competing in the Pro class with the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 17 from Elite Motorsport, capping off a positive weekend that had begun with a fifth-place finish in Race-1.

Just behind them in the Pro class, the AF Corse Ferrari number 51 – piloted by Carl Bennett and Italy’s Tommaso Mosca – finished seventh in Race-1 before narrowly missing the podium in Race-2, crossing the line fourth, just two seconds behind their fellow Ferrari drivers.

In the Am class, Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo triumphed in the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 number 21. The Italian pairing returned to the class podium in Race-2 with a third-place finish. Stanislaw Jedliński and Krystian Korzeniowski secured fifth in Race-2 with Olimp Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 number 5.

The Polish team’s second entry – car number 777 – finished eighth and eleventh in the Pro-Am class. Meanwhile, Laurent De Meeus and Vincent Abril secured consecutive ninth-place results in their AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, while Luca Ludwig and Ivan Velasco finished tenth and twelfth in Mertel Motorsport’s Ferrari 296 GT3 number 80.

The next round on 18 May at Spa in Belgium will feature the Endurance Race GT Open 500.

GT Cup Europe. The seventh edition of the GT Cup Europe kicked off at the Algarve circuit with two thrilling races. Mertel Motorsport fielded three Ferrari 296 GT3s in the new Silver class, which is designed exclusively for drivers in this category. Matteo Luvisi and Davide Larini claimed fourth and fifth places in the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 83, trading positions with Antoine Berberich in the Ferrari 296 Challenge number 1. Simone Patrinicola and Luca Demarchi, racing the number 80 Ferrari 296 Challenge, retired from Race-1 but recovered to finish sixth in Race-2.

The weekend proved more challenging for the German team’s fourth entry – Mauro Trentin and Tommaso Lovati – competing in the Pro-Am class. After retiring from Race-1, they finished sixth in their Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 82. In the Am class, Leo Chen placed tenth in Race-2 with the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo number 81, another Mertel Motorsport entry.

The next round on 18 May at Spa in Belgium will feature the Endurance Race GT Open 500.

British GT. Making their British series debut in round two, the Ferraris had a challenging weekend at Silverstone. Marcos Vivian and Francesco Castellacci achieved the best result in Spirit of Race’s Ferrari 296 GT3 number 28, finishing sixteenth overall in the Silver-Am class after starting from the back of the grid. The sister car – number 55, crewed by Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin in the Pro-Am class – failed to classify, while the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 74 of Kessel Racing, with Andrew Gilbert and Fran Rueda in Silver-Am, did not start, despite qualifying ninth.

The next race weekend is from 23 to 25 May at Oulton Park.