Donington, Saturday 26 July 2025. The penultimate round of the 2025 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK series commenced earlier today at Donington Park – a favourite among drivers and the oldest motorsport circuit still in operation in the UK. Weather at the Derbyshire circuit improved as the day wore on, providing optimum conditions for Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell drivers to battle it out battle it out on track.
Qualifying 1. In Trofeo Pirelli, the formidable Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) continued to show his skill behind the wheel, posting the fastest lap of 1:04.764. In Coppa Shell, Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) built on his impressive pace during practice to land quick qualifying lap, completing the 2.49-mile course in 1:05.801 to secure top spot in his class.
Race 1
Trofeo Pirelli. Impressive early moments by Haymandhra Pillai (Stratstone Colchester) saw him progress up the order, passing John Marcar (Graypaul Birmingham) and Calum Leathem (Charles Hurst) following a spin by the young rookie. Ahead of the pack, Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) pushed hard in the early stages to catch Yates, but the Trofeo Pirelli leader found impressive race pace, lapping down into the 1:04’s to keep Vangala at bay. Following his spin, Leathem worked his way back up the order and passed Joseph Dean (Stratstone Colchester) and Fedor Samorukov (HR Owen) a few laps later in what was shaping to be an impressive recovery.
Ahead of him, Marcar vied to trade places with Pillai in a battle for 4th position. After a few laps, Marcar capitalised with a calculated move to pass the Stratstone Colchester driver. Leathem caught Pillai shortly afterwards, passing his Trofeo Pirelli rival by the race midpoint.
Leathem then set about chasing after Marcar. The overtaking opportunity presented itself with just minutes left on the clock, and Leatham took his chance to pass the Graypaul Birmingham driver. Just ahead, an even greater opportunity presented itself – Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) – and a podium place. An intense battle ensued, before contact slowed their progress. Marcar took full advantage and passed the pair with ease. In the final lap, it looked as though Marcar had secured his first podium of the season. But an indomitable Simmerson refused to surrender his podium place, producing an incredible last-ditch move through Craner Curves to pass Marcar and recapture third.
Further up the order, Vangala tried in vain to close down Yates, but without success. Yates crossed the line first to score another race win, as the championship leader drives ever closer towards successive Trofeo Pirelli championship victories.
Coppa Shell
An off by Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) during the first lap as the tightly-knit group entered Redgate promptly sent him to the back of the grid. Further ahead, opportunities appeared for Paul Dixon (Dick Lovett Swindon) who made a great early move around the outside of Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon) to progress up the order.
Close behind, despite his early setback, Hunter got his head down and worked hard to recover his race. His determination resulted in quick progress, and he caught up to Dixon just a handful of laps later. The pair battled, before Hunter eventually found his opportunity and completed the move to secure 4th in the order.
In the podium places, Darren Howell (JCT600 Leeds) was busy converting a strong qualification into an impressive overall race position, as he looked to achieve his first podium place of the season. Further up, the returning Jonathan Satchell (HR Owen) skilfully drove to consolidate second place – until an incident with a Trofeo Pirelli driver saw him leave the tarmac and fall to 7th in the order. Hunter took full advantage to move up into the podium places. With just a few laps to spare, Hunter completed his comeback – performing a well-executed move past a determined Howell to secure second spot.
Well ahead, there was little threat to Coppa Shell championship leader Dewhirst, who drove an immaculate race to build a commanding lead ahead of the others. As the chequered flag fell, Dewhirst secured a first victory of the weekend and extended his lead at the top of the Coppa Shell class. Hunter followed in second, followed by Howell, who celebrates his first podium of the season.
Next Race
Qualifying 2 takes place at 10:30 tomorrow, with Race 2 commencing at 14:00. Spectators can watch the race at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com.
For the latest updates on the Ferrari Challenge UK race series, visit https://www.ferrari.com/en-GB/corse-clienti/uk.
Donington, Sunday 27 July 2025. The final race of Round 4 in the 2025 Ferrari Challenge UK Trofeo Pirelli series provided a captivating conclusion to the weekend’s competition at Donington Park. Following an intense opening race on Saturday, anticipation built for Sunday’s finale, with both championship titles potentially able to be secured depending on results across each class.
Qualifying 2 In Trofeo Pirelli, Yates continued to dominate in his Ferrari 296 Challenge race car, posting the fastest lap of 1:04.434. In Coppa Shell, Dewhirst showed his impressive skillset, completing his fastest lap in just in 1:05.595 to secure top spot.
Race 2
Trofeo Pirelli. Spectators were captivated from the start as Yates and Vangala entered into Redgate neck-and-neck. Congestion in the corner caused contact further back between Stratstone Colchester duo Dean and Pillai, stranding the Malaysian driver and forcing his retirement from the race. Simmerson was also caught in the melee, with damage to his front splitter affecting the handling of his car which sent him down the order.
Samorukov laid down impressive pace to protect his spot on the podium following a strong qualifying session earlier that morning. Behind him, 4th placed Marcar found his rhythm and worked his slick Pirelli tyres hard in an effort to reduce the interval, but it was to no avail. Samorukov kept his rapid race pace to remain firmly out of Marcar’s reach, as the rookie closed in on his first ever podium in the series.
As the race concluded, Yates and Vangala replicated Race 1’s finishing order: Yates once again demonstrated his trademark dominance to secure a 7th victory of the season, and moved ever-closer towards his second Ferrari Challenge UK Trofeo Pirelli championship title.
Coppa Shell
Strong starts from Dewhirst and Hunter stood out during a frenetic race start. Behind, Howell was unfortunate to lose his place after being forced wide in the first corner. His demotion benefitted the mid-field, as Dixon and Rogers (HR Owen) moved up the order. Dopson also took full advantage and moved up into the podium places, before a yellow flag temporarily suspended competitive proceedings.
With 20 minutes to go, the race resumed. Howell, now several places further back, had work to do. Quick laps followed the restart, culminating in the JCT600 driver executing an impressive racing line out of Coppice to out-drag Dixon and move up into 5th. With minutes to go, Howell caught up with Rogers – but Rogers kept his composure to cross the line ahead. Meanwhile, Dopson maintained his pace and secured a maiden visit to the podium steps.
Up ahead, Dewhirst and Hunter drove well-executed races to cross the line first and second respectively. The result capped off a perfect weekend for the Dick Lovett driver, who scored the maximum available points available across the weekend. The drivers meet again at Silverstone in September for the final round of Ferrari Challenge UK championship.
Next Round
The final round of the Ferrari Challenge UK race series takes place in Silverstone – the home of UK motorsport – on 5–7 September 2025. Spectators can watch the race at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com.
For the latest updates on the Ferrari Challenge UK race series, visit https://www.ferrari.com/en-GB/corse-clienti/uk.