Cavallino Magazine

There were private test sessions for pre-registered drivers at the Moroso Motorsports Park on the Tuesday and Wednesday, watched over by the famous endurance driver Bill Adam. This gave a chance for thirty drivers each day to enjoy the track to themselves all day. The main activity for participants commenced on the Thursday, with sessions for GT and Sport groups, the former being for those of limited track experience or just not wishing to run too hard. The mix of Ferraris on track was eclectic, and the entire range of Ferrari history could be seen passing by. The most popular models were the Challenge cars – 348, F355 and 360 – as the average owner now has the chance to buy a bonafide Ferrari race car, and one that ran in a sanctioned series. The performance is exciting, and all direct from the Factory.

As has become standard procedure, the Cavallino Classic also hosts the inaugural rounds of the USA Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge series, which had practice and qualifying sessions prior to the races on Friday afternoon. We thank everyone at Moroso for extending their hospitality to us all, and for making everyone feel welcome to enjoy their Ferraris at speed over the four days.

At Moroso, the Historic Challenge entry on Friday pulled together healthy grids for both races, that for drum brakes ranging from pre-war Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeos with a fine selection of fifties Ferraris and Maseratis, to a pair of pontoon fender Testa Rossas driven by Leslie Davies and Lawrence Stroll, whilst Ed Davies piloted the family 375 MM Spyder. The Testa Rossa duo were having a great dice for the lead in the early stages, until the 250 GT TDF berlinetta of Bob Benedict rolled, necessitating a full course yellow and the deployment of the safety car. After four laps circulating behind the safety car, the officials deemed that it was too difficult to retrieve the car while they were running past the scene, and the chequered flag was shown upon the completion of eight laps, with Lawrence Stroll taking the victory ahead of Leslie and Ed Davies. Bob Benedict was taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up, but was released later in the day with only some heavy bruising reported.

The disc brake race was once again a two way battle at the head of the field, this time between Ed Davies and Lawrence Stroll, both 512 M mounted, the latter in the attractive blue and yellow Sunoco liveried example, s/n 1040, with a fierce duel ensuing. This time the race went the full distance without incident, for Ed Davies to come home victorious by 1.2 seconds, with the 512 BBLM of Jim Fuchs taking the final podium position.

We wish to thank Mr. Maurizio Parlato, the President and CEO of Ferrari North America, for bringing the Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge to the Cavallino Classic, as it is a welcome addition to have such fine old Ferraris actually racing in a Factory backed series. The FMHC is a world wide program which encourages owners of the older cars to bring them out and race them as in days of old. We also thank the Director of Racing for Ferrari NA Paul Montopoli, the Challenge Coordinator David Seibert, and the Challenge Administrator Maria McNeil.

NEXT: TOUR OF PALM BEACH AND LECTURES