In Trofeo Pirelli, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) looks to extend his dominant run. After three rounds, the Northern Irishman leads the championship with 101 points, having won all but one race this season. Behind him, just eight points separate Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) and Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) in the fight for second.

In Coppa Shell, Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) carries a 12-point advantage following two podiums at Brands Hatch, but Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) – in equally strong form – continues to apply pressure in second place.

Fair weather is forecast for the Derbyshire venue, promising another thrilling weekend of wheel‑to‑wheel action in the Ferrari 296 Challenge cars.

Both qualifying and racing can be spectated live at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com.

The remaining dates on the race calendar for the 2025 season are detailed below:

For the latest updates on the Ferrari Challenge UK race series, visit https://www.ferrari.com/en-GB/corse-clienti/uk.

Saturday 21 June

Qualifying 1:
In Trofeo Pirelli, Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst) made a remarkable recovery following an earlier incident during qualifying. Thanks to the swift work of his Ferrari pit crew, the Charles Hurst driver re-emerged from the pit lane with just minutes to spare to post an impressive single-lap time of 45.878 seconds to take pole position. In Coppa Shell, Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) found his form and secured another pole position in his class with a time of 46.345 seconds.

Race 1:
Trofeo Pirelli. Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) capitalised as the lights turned green, slotting up the inside of Pranav Vangala (HR Owen) as the duo entered Paddock Hill. Fedor Samorukov (HR Owen) also saw an opportunity to press his fellow HR Owen stablemate, but Vangala defended well in the early stages to guard his podium position.

Upfront, Yates capitalised on the early battles behind him to consolidate his lead. As the order settled, Vangala found his race rhythm and began chipping away the distance to Simmerson. Season newcomer Calum Leathem (Charles Hurst) also settled into the race quickly and closed in on Samorukov, passing him with relative ease after the HR Owen driver suffered an issue with his car, resulting in an eventual retirement from the race.

Further ahead, Vangala continued to mount pressure on Simmerson as the race wore on. The pair battled around the 1.21-mile circuit, before the HR Owen man finally managed to open the door as the pair entered Druids, completing the daring move as the pair exited Surtees. For the remainder of the race, Vangala fought valiantly to close the gap upfront to Yates, but the 2025 championship leader noticed his Trofeo Pirelli rival gaining, and pushed on his Ferrari 296 Challenge race car to bolster the lead, securing a comfortable victory in the first race of the weekend.  

Coppa Shell. Peter Hunter (Stratstone Manchester) leapt up the order from the rolling start, passing both Paul Rogers (HR Owen) and Dewhirst to prize the lead in the early stages. Further back, Steve Dopson (Dick Lovett Swindon) also made quick progress, passing Huseyin Sert (Maranello Sales) to move up into sixth overall.

The order settled as the Coppa Shell drivers focused on maintaining their tyres for the duration of the race. Despite the record-breaking temperatures, the 296 Challenge race cars appeared unflustered. Hunter kept strong pace for the first half of the race, but by the midpoint, Dewhirst delivered his quickest laps and closed the gap to press the Stratstone Manchester driver to within half a second.

With just a few laps to go, Dewhirst – who had been conserving his tyres for final stage of the race – went for his big move. But Hunter was unrelenting and refused to give the 2024 championship runner-up an opening, keeping the door firmly closed as the pair entered Druids. An off by Dopson shortly before the end of the 30-minute race saw the early emergence of the chequered flag, and it was the Manchester man kept his cool and pushed valiantly to the line, taking the top spot to secure his second win in a row.

Sunday 22 June

Qualifying 2:
In Trofeo Pirelli, Yates delivered his 14^th consecutive fastest lap to secure his place at the front of the grid, posting a 1:25.617. In Coppa Shell, Dewhirst did enough to take top spot ahead of Hunter, pulling out a quickest lap of 1:27.487.

Race 2:
Trofeo Pirelli. From the green flight, Simmerson and Vangala traded early blows in a first-sector battle. Samorukov took advantage and briefly found a way past the squabbling pair, before Vangala found a way back past his HR Owen stablemate, demoting Simmerson off the podium places into fourth position. Further up, Yates exploited his lead and quickly pushed ahead of second place, acquiring a 5-sec advantage in the opening stages.

Further back in the order, Leathem made strong progress, passing Stratstone Colchester driver Joseph Dean before closing in on the well-positioned John Marcar (Graypaul Birmingham). Leathem, a rookie representing Charles Hurst, battled hard to make it past Marcar, and an off by Simmerson created traffic ahead for the pair which intensified things further.  

Minutes later, the unexpected emergence of the yellow flag following a collision between Dean and Paul Dixon (Dick Lovett Swindon) abruptly calmed proceedings and fixed the order for an extended period. The yellow flag period ended with just moments to spare, and the stage appeared set for an exciting one-lap shootout.

However, the order prevailed as it was. Yates, previously 12-secs ahead of championship rival Vangala, crossed the line to complete the perfect race weekend at Brands Hatch and extend his lead at the top of the Trofeo Pirelli leaderboard – now on 101 points overall. Samorukov celebrated his success too, enjoying his first podium celebration of the year.

Coppa Shell. Hunter encountered racing traffic in the early stages of the race, allowing polesitter Dewhirst to capitalise quickly and consolidate the lead. The championship leader looked comfortable, until a spin from Simmerson ahead in the Trofeo Pirelli class created traffic in front for the Dick Lovett driver and opened the door for Hunter to make a move.  

Further back in the order, a three-way battle was developing between Dixon, Rogers and Darren Howell (JCT600 Leeds) – less than a second separated the trio. This tightly contested group fought for several laps, until an unfortunate incident involving Dixon and Trofeo Pirelli driver Dean saw their retirement and the emergence of the yellow flag.

The safety car fixed the order until the race timer hit 00:00. Despite the green flag appearing on the final lap, it was Dewhirst who brought it home a win for Race 2 – sharing the spoils with Hunter overall as the pair both celebrated victories in Round 3. 12 points separate them at the top of Coppa Shell, with Dewhirst extending his lead to 91 points overall

Next Race:
The Ferrari Challenge UK race series moves to Donington Park next month for the penultimate round of racing in the 2025 season. The racing action begins on the weekend of 26-27 July, and spectators can watch the race at the circuit or online at live.ferrari.com.