Ferrari Challenge: Rape overturns Monje

Starting fifth, Hendrik Viol perfectly exploited the race circumstances to win the first round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe at Le Mans.

After qualifying was prematurely interrupted by a red flag, Hendrik Viol (Team Praha Racing set the record straight in Race 1 of the Ferrari Challenge Europe. The Czech driver won after nine short laps of a stop-start race at the Circuit des 24 Hours of Le Mans with a 0.254 lead over poleman Fernando Monje.

Already fourth after the first lap, Viol quickly found his rhythm, moving to the front and overtaking his rivals. Behind him, Monje tried hard to respond but had to settle for a very satisfactory second place, while Sergio Paulet completed an all-Pirelli Trofeo podium, 0.533 seconds behind the winner.

Imbalance of forces

The main victim of the race was Enzo Ide. Third in the overall standings and the best representative of the Trofeo Pirelli Am in qualifying, he could only manage 14th place after losing contact with the leaders.

In the Pirelli Am category, Giacomo Rinaldo took full advantage of the situation to secure a solid fourth place overall. The Italian finished ahead of McDonald and Del Favero, while Morrow, who qualified sixth overall, finished just off the class podium.

Behind the leading trio, the gaps quickly widened on a circuit where overtaking remained tricky despite the long straights. Only Viol, Monje, and Paulet managed to stay within a second of each other at the finish, confirming that the victory was decided between the three fastest men of the day.

The Ferrari Challenge Europe will resume on Friday morning with Race 2, scheduled from 10:05 to 10:50, the last opportunity for competitors to shine on the great Sarthe circuit before attention turns definitively to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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