5.12.10

Pictures by Michael Tange. Click here to see more in a slideshow and here to purchase prints

On 28 November Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit hosted the last day of the Ferrari World Finals, the event, which for the past eighteen years has given fans from all over the world the opportunity to see gathered together those involved in all Ferrari’s racing and sporting activities.

On track were the F430s entered in the Italian, European and North American Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, fighting it out for the world title. Also in action were the historic cars taking part in the Ferrari Historic Race –Trofeo Shell. The busy programme also featured untimed sessions for the historic single-seaters run by Maranello’s F1 Clienti department and the FXX and 599 XX.

It fell to the runners in the Ferrari Historic Race – Trofeo Shell to get the day’s action underway, taking to the track for the second and final race. Pierangelo Masselli in a Ferrari 308 GTB made the best getaway off the grid, going straight into the lead, which he was able to keep all the way to the chequered flag. Second was Christian Chavy in his F40, while the third step on the podium went to Canada’s Lorne Leibel in a 365 GTB4.

Spectacular passing moves and plenty of action were the key ingredients of the final races in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, to crown the world champion from among entrants in the Italian, European and North American series. The Trofeo Pirelli race saw the title go to Philipp Baron, who was already European champion: behind the Baron Service driver came Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) and Riccardo Ragazzi (Ineco/MP,) while in the Coppa Shell for gentleman drivers, the sought after title went to Flavio Pierleoni, in the car entered by the Motor/Malucelli team, who crossed the line first ahead of newly-crowned Italian champion, Andrea Rizzoli (Motor/Piacenza) and Aleksandr Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow.)

Once the excitement of the racing was over, it was the turn of the competitors in the GT championships and Scuderia Ferrari to put on an amazing show: the crowd of around fifteen thousand spectators witnessed Fernando Alonso driving the Monoposta Corsa Indianapolis, which dates from 1954 and Felipe Massa piloting a 1957 500 TRC. These two splendid historic cars were first on track, followed by a ’61 250 California, driven by Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo, with alongside him, Emilio Botin, president of the Santander Bank.

Bringing the first parade to an end were three Ferrari Californias, with Ferrari Managing Director, Amedeo Felisa joined by the drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella, Luca Badoer, Marc Gene and Alvaro Barba. As is traditional, the key moment of the parade was the appearance on track of President Montezemolo to salute the fans, when he took the opportunity to thank the team and driver for their efforts this year.

Next, the Grand Touring drivers, Alvaro Barba and Pierre Kaffer, took turns at the wheel of the F430 GT2, run by the AF Corse team, which won the drivers and team titles in the Spanish International GT Open series, as well as two more Ferraris driven by Gimmi Bruni, Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander, as used by the Risi Competizione and AF Corse teams in the prestigious LMS and ALMS championships.

Bringing the curtain down on the celebrations were Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso at the wheel of two F10s and Luca Badoer, retiring after 13 years as a Ferrari test driver, in an F60, completing several laps of the track, as well as simulating pit stops. Last was the traditional photo with all those who had taken part in the four days of Spanish action, before one final farewell to the celebratory crowd.