FF Corse ended the GT Cup season with a magnificent treble victory for the Ferrari 488 Challenge of Graham and Dan de Zille at Snetterton last weekend.

The pair mastered ever-changing track conditions across the two-day event to end a remarkable season second in the GTC points and with the Driver of the Weekend award shared between them.

Dan gave notice of his intent to dominate the class on Saturday morning by topping practice and qualifying and then drove to a comfortable win in the opening sprint race; 13 seconds clear of his nearest rival.

He and Graham then combined to win the afternoon enduro; benefitting from a success penalty at their pitstop that was five seconds shorter than their key rivals, and revelling in the damp conditions in which Dan has become acknowledged as a master.

The younger de Zille delivered an even more impressive overall pole position by over 1.8 seconds from his nearest rival on Sunday in the damp conditions, despite a split water hose causing their session to end early.

As the weather improved by race time, Dan – his car repaired in double-quick time by the FF Corse mechanics – was powerless to prevent the GTOs passing him, but still finished second overall and 21s clear of his nearest GTC rival.

That class win was the eighth for the de Zilles since they switched from the Ferrari 458 Challenge they began the season with, to the newer 488. Nobody else in GTC has triumphed on more than five occasions in the same time period.

Second place in GTC Sunday’s enduro, after what Graham described as a ‘scrappy drive’ was the 26th podium finish from the 27 races the pair have contested in 2019.

Not only did this secure them second place in the GTC Championship, it also left them fourth in the overall end-of-season rankings and helped FF Corse seal third in the overall Teams’ Championship, despite having run just a single car for the final two events.

All the more remarkable was that for both drivers, 2019 marked a comeback season after a major layoff; Dan having last raced in 2012 and Graham returning to racing after a 27-year-layoff.

Graham de Zille said: “I’m very happy with the way the weekend’s gone and three wins out of four is a great way to end our comeback season. Daniel did a fantastic job in the wet, just like he always does, and was three seconds clear in Sunday practice, but once it tried it was impossible to keep the GTO cars behind as they began to stretch their legs. The lads at FF Corse did a fantastic job to fix the car after our issue in Sunday qualifying, and the car never skipped a beat in the race. I made a couple of mistakes in the Sunday enduro and that probably cost us the clean sweep, but I’m happy anyway.”

Dan de Zille said: “It’s been another great weekend and to end the year with eight wins since switching to the 488 is more than Dad or I could have hoped for because we’d both been away from racing so long. The car really is a joy to drive and in the damp we can really take some scalps against the more powerful GTOs, which aren’t as nimble as the Ferrari in the twisty bits. It was fun dicing with those guys because our cars had different bits of the track where we were quick. And to cap it all we got to share the Driver of the Weekend I wish the season wasn’t over.

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “I’m so pleased that Graham and Dan have had such a successful return season after a long time out of racing. It was obvious from the start of the GT Cup season that neither had lost the knack and the switch to the 488 has made them contenders for race wins at every round. It’s been a good season for us and we’ve sealed second and third places in the GTC points with Graham and Dan, and Laki Christoforou and Adam Carroll, and comfortably won more races than anyone else in our class. A big thank you to every member of our team for the work they’ve put in this year.”

 

FF Corse claimed a stunning victory at the Ferrari World Finals as Adam Carroll triumphed in a dramatic global contest at Mugello, Italy.

The Ferrari Budapest driver started the annual one-off race for Ferrari Challenge competitors from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region from pole position after qualifying faster than all 25 rivals from the regional Trofeo Pirelli divisions.

After briefly relinquishing the lead as the lights went out, the Northern Irishman showed his experience by nipping back inside two rivals who left their braking too late for the first corner and reassumed the lead.

He kept his head after his advantage was twice wiped out by the safety car, and resisted extreme pressure over the final few laps to take a famous victory at the circuit in Tuscany.

It was Adam’s first win at the World Finals and also the maiden success in Ferrari’s most prestigious race anywhere on planet earth for the team from Silverstone.

Adam’s victory came 24 hours after he had completed a dominant Ferrari Challenge Europe event at the same circuit.

Winning Race One from pole position, Adam was on course for a second victory the following day, only to incur a drive-through penalty for overtaking behind the safety car and drop to the tail of his class. A sterling recovery brought him to third by the finish.

Adam finished the season fifth in the points; a great achievement for a driver who didn’t enter the series until its third event of the year. He was just 12 points – the equivalent of a third-place finish – away from a top-three spot.

In Trofeo Pirelli’s Am division, HR Owen-Aerium’s Franck Ruimy returned to competition after missing the past few events.

Franck qualified 10th in class and recovered from a mid-race spin while battling for position to finish ninth.

He improved his pace in Saturday qualifying to put his car eighth on the grid and made further gains on race speed to finish seventh and end the season 11^th in the points.

FF Corse’s top finisher in Trofeo Pirelli Am was Graypaul Nottingham driver Jack Brown, who was not present at Mugello, but who secured second place in the Drivers’ Championship after a race-winning season.

In Coppa Shell Am, Laurent de Meeus; a season-long contender for the title, sealed third place in the end-of-season points in just his second full season of competition in the series.

Having qualified fourth, the HR Owen driver finished fifth in the opening race; a result that ensured a three-way fight for the crown in Saturday’s season finale.

He then narrowly avoided becoming involved in an incident that eliminated one of his key rivals in Race Two to again finish fifth.

The Belgian’s results meant he finished the season in a tie for second place overall, but missed out on the spot due to having won fewer races than his rival.

Unfortunately, he did not have much of an opportunity to improve on that result in the Coppa Shell Am World Final race after sustaining damage to his rear suspension in a first-corner collision and retiring a handful of laps later.

Adam Carroll, Ferrari Budapest, said: “What a fantastic weekend. Because we missed the first few events of the season, we knew winning the championship wasn’t a realistic target, so we put a mark against Le Mans and the World Finals as the ‘must win’ events, and we’ve managed to do both, which is incredible really. The competition was incredibly tough this weekend in both the Challenge Europe races and the World Finals, but the team at FF Corse have done a lot of work on the car since Imola to get it exactly the way I needed it, and it’s paid off hugely. A massive thank you Ferrari Budapest and Pizza Forte, because without them, this project would never have got off the ground. I feel very proud to take this win for them.”

Franck Ruimy, HR Owen-Aerium, said: “What an amazing event! From the organisation of the Ferrari village in the paddock with the classic cars, right through to the preparation of my race car by FF Corse and the help I’ve received from the engineers and driver coaches, I couldn’t have asked for much more. My pace improved across the weekend and if I’d managed to string my best sectors together in Sunday qualifying, I’d have been one second further up the grid. I guess because I’ve missed a few rounds and been out of practice, it was going to take me longer to get back up to speed. I was hit in Race One while battling, which dropped me back to ninth, but seventh in Race Two was quite alright. I’d like to do more of this next year.”

Laurent de Meeus, HR Owen, said: “Every time I am in a racing car, I enjoy it, and I felt quite emotional getting out of my car at the end of another Ferrari Challenge season because it’s a long wait to next year. Of course I’m disappointed not to win the Coppa Shell Am title after leading it for such a long time, and even to miss out on second place, because If I hadn’t been hit in Race Two and lost a position, I’d have had it by two points. The World Final was disappointing too because I put my car on the outside at Turn 1 to avoid the craziness, but got hit and broke the toe-link. I was certain I could have had a podium. I’ve still managed to win the big race at Le Mans and I’ll be back next year for my revenge.”

Tim Mullen, Sporting Director, said: “What a weekend! To take the biggest prize in Ferrari racing is an incredible achievement by the team at FF Corse. We underwent quite a changeover in personnel over the winter and you can see that with results like this that it’s had a positive effect. With this win, and the Le Mans success with Adam, we’ve won the two biggest races of the year and had victories in all three categories we entered in Ferrari Challenge Europe. I feel bad for Laurent because he led the Coppa Shell Am for so long, but he’s also had some bad luck, which you can never account for. Franck’s done a good job this weekend too after being out of the car for a while. A huge thank you to everybody who has supported this project in 2019 from HR Owen, Graypaul Nottingham and Ferrari Budapest, our drivers and team members. Thank you and well done.”

 

FF Corse secured a stunning podium finish at the Silverstone British GT season final. In a 40+ car line up, Laurent de Meeus and Jamie Stanley were the first Ferrari over the finish line claiming P2 in the GTC Class. 

The weekend didn’t kick off to a great start after a gearbox issue during the Friday Test. This resulted in a long night for the FF Corse mechanics and a gearbox change.

The Belgium driver started the Silverstone 500 annual race in P3, unfortunately the FF Corse car #15 got hit from behind by a Mercedes GT3 spinning Laurent off track early on. After some vital seconds were lost Laurent spent the next 30 minutes of his first driving stint climbing his way back up the ranks to P3.

Next behind the wheel was pro driver, Jamie Stanley who had a faultless first stint, maintaining position. With some clean racing and fast pit stops the driving duo maintained their position and seized the opportunity to claim second place towards the end of the 3 hour race. 

Stanley and De Meeus finished the race P2 in the GTC class; a great achievement for both drivers, making their debut pairing in British GT.
 
Jamie Stanley, said: “What a fantastic weekend. The competition was incredibly tough this weekend, but Laurent put in an excellent drive and the team at FF Corse did an incredible job on the car. It was great fun to get back behind the driving wheel in a British GT race and to be part of Laurent’s debut appearance. Silverstone 500, in my opinion is the best race of the British GT Calendar so it was a great way to end the season.  A massive thank you to the team who put in a big shift to get the back on track after an unsure start to the weekend.”
 
Laurent de Meeus, HR Owen, said: “We were meant to be racing in Misano for the Ferrari Challenge Finali, which was unfortunately cancelled, so it was great to be part of a new Championship. I thoroughly enjoyed the race and it was brilliant to finish on the podium and as the leading Ferrari.”

Anthony Cheshire, Team Principle, said: “It was great to be back in British GT and fantastic to get a podium finish on our return. It was especially good to do it at the blue ribbon Silverstone 500 event and our home track. We hope to return next year with Ferrari in either the GTC or GT3 class.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first round of the GT Open Championship took place last weekend at Estoril with Ivor Dunbar & Johnny Mowlem driving their FF Corse prepared, Ferrari 488 GT3.

The Portuguese round of the Championship saw a healthy grid of cars and high level of competition. The FF Corse entry was the fastest Ferrari during most sessions, including during race 1 and the second qualifying session. Unfortunately race 1 was disrupted when Ivor Dunbar had to take to the gravel in avoidance of a spinning car early in the race. He recovered well and put in a good stint before handing over to Johnny, who set a good pace in the second stint, but was unable to catch the leaders.

In the second race, the driver pairing rose from 12th on the grid to run as high as second place before the pit stops. The strong first stint from Johnny saw a daring move at the start in which he passed 6 cars before the end of the first corner. The car resumed from the pit stops in 5th position, before a tricky stint and an unfortunate spin dropped the car down the order. All in all a good debut showing from the British drive pairing, but for sure there is more to come. Watch this space……
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
More photos from this event can be found on our website gallery page by clicking here.

FF Corse are planning a trip to Italy later in the year to visit two Italian circuits, Imola and Vallelunga.

The trip will take place over 4 days with the team undertaking a track day at Imola first on August 28th, before heading down to the Vallelunga circuit for a day on August 31st.

 

 

 

 

Imola is situated around 30 minutes from Bologna towards the Rimini coast and Vallelunga is located further south, just outside Rome. With the two days in between, there is plenty of time to travel between the two venues and the possibility of some sightseeing and well-earned R&R.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further details and to register your interest, please contact Andy O’Dowd on [email protected], or telephone 01327 857601.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FF Corse entered a total of six cars for the second round of the Dunlop Britcar Endurance & Sprint Championships, held at Snetterton over the weekend.

The cars were entered for the Endurance and Sprint races and achieved considerable success, winning a total 6 overall and class wins throughout both Championships.

 

The first wins came in the first 50 minute race, with Bon Grimes & Johnny Mowlem leading the FF Corse Sextet home to win Class 2 of the Endurance Championship, in their Ferrari 458 Challenge GTC. The similar car of Marc Brough and Andrew Bentley won the same class in the Sprint Championship and the David Mason & Calum Lockie entry also won Class 1 in the Sprint division, after snatching the lead at the start of the race. Of other notable points was the Mike Wilds & Dino Zamparelli driver pairing, who put up a strong fight in race one in their Ferrari to take the fight to Bon & Johnny.

 

In the 2hr Endurance race held the same day, Bon Grimes & Johnny Mowlem again upheld FF Corse honours to take the Class 2 win and move to second place in the overall Championship (2 points behind the leader). The Graham Lucking/Leyton Clarke entry was a fighting second in class and challenged strongly throughout the race.

In the second 50 minute sprint race Laurent de Meeus and Jamie Stanley secured their debut first win together, winning overall as well as taking a well-earned class victory. David Mason & Calum Lockie again secure the Class 1 honours in their FF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3.

The next round of the Dunlop Endurance Championship takes place at Silverstone on June 24th.

FF Corse will hold their annual Goodwood exclusive track day at the famous circuit on July 5th this year.

The event features plenty of track time and an open pit-lane format for all the participants. The Goodwood circuit is an incredible step back in time, with the attention to detail and quaint feel unlike any other circuit. It is located within the Goodwood Estate, which along with the circuit houses two golf courses, a horse racing course, a hotel, a stately home and is also home to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A circuit to be respected, but a must visit for anyone who has not been there before.

Included is an option for accommodation the night before at The Goodwood Hotel, along with a members dinner to be held there the night before.

The numbers of participants is limited.

To register your interest please contact Andy O’Dowd on [email protected], or telephone 01327 857601.

 

 

The first round of the European Ferrari Challenge took place in Valencia at the weekend with the new Ferrari 488 Challenge cars.

Having won the AM class Championship and World Final last year, Sam Smeeth (Stratstone Ferrari) has now moved up to the PRO class.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

The FF Corse team is defending the AM class Championship with two new drivers, Chris Froggatt (HR Owen) and Marc Brough (Graypaul Nottingham). The team continued where it left off last year, Chris achieving two sensational pole positions and experiencing the sweet taste of Champagne with two second place podium visits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marc Brough also had an excellent debut race meeting in the AM class. Marc (who incredibly only started racing 15 weeks ago) qualified well and raced through to 5th in race 1 and 7th in race 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the PRO class, Sam Smeeth had a great start to the season, putting in a solid performance against some very experienced and quick professional drivers. Competing in the top class, Sam qualified on the second row for both races and finished 4th & 5th respectively.

The next round of the European Ferrari Challenge and Club Challenge takes place at Monza in three weeks’ time. 

At the same time as the European Ferrari Challenge, the second round of the GT Cup Championship was also taking place at Brands Hatch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Grimes, Laurent de Meeus and James Little (subbing for Graham Lucking) were all participating in their Ferrari 458 GTC Challenge cars. Bon was immediately on the pace and qualified an impressive second overall in the wet qualifying session, against some much stronger powered GTO opposition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the race it was however James Little who upheld FF Corse honours, taking the GTC class victory. The result was the same in class two, despite Bon’s efforts to wrestle the victory away from James. Meanwhile, Laurent was having a solid debut on the Brands Hatch GP circuit and secured solid 4th and 5th place race finishes. This puts Laurent in a great position to continue his quest of upgrading to race in the European Ferrari Challenge later in the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday qualifying saw FF Corse qualify an amazing 2nd and 3rd overall on the grid, before an unfortunate coming together in the race put both cars out of the race.

The next round takes place at Spa over the weekend of June 10th & 11th.

7 out of 7 FF Corse drivers visited the race podium over the weekend as FF Corse achieved some incredible results at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

The first results came in the Britcar race at Silverstone, where Bon Grimes & Johnny Mowlem along with David Mason & Calum Lockie, both finished in the top three overall, winning their respective classes in the first 50 min Sprint race.

In the second sprint race David Mason/Calum Lockie repeated the Sprint race victory to take the top step on the podium. Robert Macfarlane also visited the class podium in the sprint races, finishing second in class in his Ferrari 360 Challenge. The Endurance race also saw an FF Corse class victory with Graham Lucking & Leyton Clarke taking class 2 honours and finishing second overall in the 2 hour race.

The next round of the Britcar Endurance Championship will be held at Brands Hatch on July 29th.