Ferrari Challenge Japan

This year there are five classes

The Ferrari Challenge usually consists of two rounds, with one race held per day, and a winner in each. In this case, Race 1 is held on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday. Furthermore, within the same race, drivers are divided into classes based on their skill. First, there is the top class, Trofeo Pirelli, and the entry class, Coppa Shell, and then there are further divisions into Expert and Amateur (Am), for a total of four classes.

The race will be one-make, and this year the “296 Challenge” machine, which is fast enough to compete in the GT3 category, will be introduced. However, from Round 2 at Autopolis, a new class, the “488CH EVO,” based on the “488 Challenge Evo” one-make machine used until last year, will also be added, meaning that each race will be divided into five classes.

Sota Muto races perfectly from pole position

The 30-minute + 1 lap race began at 11:33am in comfortable weather for this time of year, with an outside temperature of 25°C. In the top class Trofeo Pirelli, Sota Muto, who has won two of the four races this season, made an outstanding start from pole position. Yuuga Furuya, who was suddenly selected to participate, made a comeback from third place in qualifying, but Sota Muto gradually widened his lead from the early stages and won by nearly 10 seconds. Yuuga Furuya is a young driver who participated as a guest driver last year and won three races. He is a promising candidate who has stood on the podium in Super Formula Lights, but in his first challenge with the 296, he was unable to beat Sota Muto.

Of the five cars competing in the Trofeo Pirelli Am, pole position went to Tsutomu Shimoyama, who stepped up to the Trofeo Pirelli Am from Round 4. From the early stages of the race, a fierce battle ensued between him, Yasutaka Shirasaki, who qualified second, and Kanji Yagura, who qualified third. It looked as though they would reach the finish line, but Kanji Yagura made a move on the final lap, overtaking both cars and taking the win in a dramatic comeback.

Alex Fox takes consecutive pole-to-wins

In the Coppa Shell, which featured five cars, Phil Kim, who started from third place in qualifying, skillfully took the lead on the first lap and continued to extend his lead to victory. Meanwhile, in the Coppa Shell Am, which featured the largest number of cars this year, 16 cars, Alex Fox from France achieved his second consecutive pole-to-win, following on from the previous race, Round 3 Race 2.

The winner in the 488CH EVO’s debut race was Motoyuki Hori. He qualified second and took the lead on the first lap, gradually widening his lead and maintaining a lead of around 10 seconds before taking the checkered flag in first place. Round 4 Race 2 will also be held at Fuji Speedway on July 13th from 10:00 AM, lasting 30 minutes plus one lap.

Check out the video of Ferrari Challenge Japan 2025 Round 4 Fuji Speedway Race 1! [LIVE]

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