Ferrari Challenge UK - Round 1 - Brands Hatch - 19-21 April 2024

Report by Matt Evans

The Ferrari Challenge returns once again, kicking off the 2024 season at the ever-popular Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. I chose to attend on the Saturday, watching the series race on the Indy layout. The Ferrari Challenge throws a slight curveball at Brands Hatch, with drivers racing on the Indy layout on a Saturday and the GP layout on a Sunday.

This throws in some unique challenges for the drivers who have to effectively learn two circuits for the same weekend. The Indy circuit offers plenty of photo opportunities however, the inside of the druids hairpin was closed to spectators, meaning the many amateur photographers were limited to the outside of the circuit.

This did, however, force me to try different angles I hadn’t done before and gave me plenty of practice shooting through the many fences around Brands Hatch. 

Ferrari Challenge is always interesting to shoot as alongside the racing, Ferrari customers are given the opportunity to drive around the circuits in one of the 488 Evos. I chose however to focus primarily on the racing and use the customer driving to try shots in preparation for the race.

The Ferrari Challenge uses the 488 Challenge Evo car, a heavily modified version of the road car, pushing out 670Hp from a 3.9 litre V8. The drivers range in experience from total novices to some who have raced in the series since its inception back in 2019. In addition, although it is a one-make series with all drivers using the same car, the grid is split into two classes: Trofeo Pirelli for professional racing drivers and Coppa Shell for “Gentleman Drivers” who are racing purely for enjoyment. 

The day started cold, providing a challenge for the drivers as the series does not use tyre blankets, leaving it down to the drivers to get heat into their tyres. In the Trofeo Pirelli class the No 73 car driven by Thomas Fleming led the field with a time of 46.373, followed by his fellow HR Owen driver Pranav Vangala in the No 29 who set a time of 47.338. The top 3 was rounded out by John Dhillon in his 61 car who was a mere 0.056 seconds behind Vangala.

In the Coppa Shell class Darren Howell set a time of 48.399 in his No 5 machine, followed by Gary Redman in the 22 car and Peter Hunter in the 82. The top 3 of Coppa Shell all within half a second of each other set the stage for what was looking to be an exciting qualifying session. 

The weather changed little for the qualifying session, the track still cold, with drivers needing around 6 laps before the tyres would be up to temperature. Thomas Fleming once again set the fastest pace in the Trofeo Pirelli class, lapping the circuit in a time of 46.469 seconds. He would be joined on the front row by Andrew Morrow in the 1 car. The second row would be occupied by John Dhillon and Gilbert Yates with Vangala and Haymandhra Pillai rounding out the class.

The top 3 for Coppa Shell would mirror FP1 with Darren Howell taking pole in the class. The qualifying was as close as the practice with the Coppa Shell drivers all within 1 second of each other. 

The race would be a 30-minute sprint, which on the short Indy layout would force the cars into close racing and when the faster Trofeo Pirelli drivers caught their Coppa Shell counterparts, a sort of multiclass style of racing with drivers having to navigate the slower traffic and play the race tactically.

The sun decided to show itself for the start of the race, warming the track and gave the drivers the chance to push hard from the green flag. This was also a welcome sight for the crowd, giving us all a chance to warm up a little before the cloud once again came in again. 

Fleming was once again dominant, leading the entire race without once dropping a position. Andrew Morrow stayed close behind, getting a front row seat to watch Fleming, who was crowned Ferrari Challenge World Champion in 2023, give a masterclass in how to push the car hard.

The Trofeo Pirelli cars soon spread out and began lapping near to qualifying pace. Vangala began his push up the grid and started to close the gap to Yates before a spin at druids lost him the ground he had been gaining. Fleming held his lead and was starting to lap the field before an incident involving one of the Coppa Shell cars brough out a safety car.

The field bunched back up but there were still 2 cars between Fleming and Morrow, meaning Morrow would have a battle on his hands. As it turned out we never saw that battle as the race team called the race with 6 minutes to go due to the incident with the Coppa Shell car. 

The battle in the Coppa Shell class however was far closer fought, with the drivers staying within sight of each other for the entire race. Darren Howell had to fight off challenges from both Redman and Hunter, both of whom fought hard against each other and kept hot on the heels of Howell. Behind them Dewhirst and Dopson maintained themselves within striking distance of the top three.

The show was stolen however, by what can only be described as a fantastic drive from Robert Rees in his No 8 car. After a spin in qualifying meant he was unable to set a time, Rees had plenty of ground to cover and made short work of his opposition before solidifying himself as the class leader. The drivers began to settle in and held their positions with very little happening until Stephen Dopson lost control of the No 74 car going into Paddock Hill bend. The car slid into the gravel, making contact with the barrier before being unended on to the passenger side.

Marshals quickly attended the scene and Dopson was able to get out of the car unaided. A quick check with the doctors confirmed he was unhurt and a nice moment where Fleming slowed the field down to check that Dopson was okay, giving him a thumbs up from the window of his car. The officials called the race with 6 minutes to go due to the position of the car and damage to the barriers. 

As it stood, the top three in the Trofeo Pirelli class were Thomas Fleming in 1st, Andrew Morrow 2nd and John Dhillon taking 3rd. In Coppa Shell 1st was taken by Robert Rees, well deserved after his incredible last to first drive, 2nd by Darren Howell and the podium was rounded out by Gary Redman in 3rd.

Ferrari Challenge now heads to Oulton Park on the 10th of May on what is billed as a busy weekend for British motorsport, with Brands Hatch hosting the second round of the British Touring Car Championship, Donington hosting historic V8s and Snetterton being used for the MSVR Championship. 

From a spectators point of view, the Ferrari Challenge is always worth a watch. For the relatively low cost of entry the series provides a good day of racing, even if it is more of a marketing event than a race championship. For the amateur photographer however, it presents a good series and an opportunity to practice shooting from angles and spots that are normally packed with spectators at a headline event.

It was a shame that the inside of the druids hairpin was shut but this let me explore the outside of the hairpin to find some interesting angles that I hadn’t shot before. 

Having attended the Ferrari Challenge last year at Oulton Park, I noted that the event was worth the entry price, giving good access and a less busy feel than headliner events. It is important to note that it is a Ferrari event, with the vast majority of spectators being Ferrari customers.

Admittedly it is not a popular event for the amateur photographers, but the Ferrari staff are more than accommodating and encourage all spectators, whether an MSV ticket holder or a Ferrari hospitality customer to get up close to the cars and have a look at the good range of road cars they bring out.

Unfortunately, due to forgetfulness on my part, no photos of these as my battery hungry Z9 was eating the battery during the qualifying and race and was down to 1 bar post-race.