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Back to November 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 08-11-2011 at 08:00: Aussie Driver Wins Inaugural Ferrari Race Series | |
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Competing in the racing version of the Ferrari 458 Italia supercar, the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Coppa Shell Championship has seen five rounds across Asia, including China and Malaysia, and Steve Wyatt has been consistently at the front of the field.
His performance in the regional rounds meant that, along with the best Ferrari drivers in the world, Wyatt travelled to Italy and the legendary “Ferrari World Finals” to compete not just for the title but also see how his skills compared to the drivers in the European, Italian and North American Ferrari Challenge series.
“I have been driving cars, both road and race-prepared, on race tracks and at track days for several years and I felt that I was ready for the challenge that only competition is able to provide,” says Wyatt, explaining why he decided to contest the 2011 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Coppa Shell Championship.
“This championship has proven to be ideal way to get into competition. Firstly it involves racing the latest Ferrari sports car, the 458 Italia and this means that competition is tight and fast; secondly being an Asia Pacific series it has taken me to race tracks on which I have never driven plus the unique finale in Italy where I have been on the track and at a race weekend with legendary drivers. Finally the Ferrari Corse Clienti organisation has made this possible without any of the difficulties and problems that can face an international racing programme.”
Steve Wyatt has contested the series in the Ferrari 458 Challenge which is the race track-prepared version of the road-going Ferrari 458 Italia.
“It’s a fantastic car,” says Wyatt, “very easy to drive, which is vital in competition as close as it is in this championship, and quite neutral with no hidden tricks or vices, as well as being very forgiving, making it the ideal way to get into competition driving.”
Looking back at the season, Wyatt says that it has been a fantastic series and a unique experience.
“Sitting here at Mugello at the end of the season, holding the trophy for the Championship, it’s hard to think of anything other than a series of fantastic drives,” says Wyatt.
“The only real problem was failing to finish one race in China, which cost me a place in the title race, but, as you can see today, it fired me up to redouble efforts to take the title, so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, because it certainly worked!”
“We had some tough competition from Taiwan and Singapore, so there has been no single person with whom I have had a particular season-long battle. Indeed, that is one of the benefits of this series, it’s been tight and close in every race with different people shining on different tracks, so the challenge has been fresh and new at each event,” he says.
“The trick to winning this title, given tracks and the rivals, is consistency and scoring points at every round, regardless of whether a particular track suits my driving style.”
And what about the final two races of the 2011 series?
“There’s no doubt that they were very different from all the other rounds in Asia!” explained Wyatt.
“November in Italy, cool and wet, on a track I have only seen on TV, could not be more different than in Asia, not to mention, with the drivers from the other series also on the track, everything was new, so it made it two fantastic races, a real challenge and to have won both races to take the title is just the most perfect close to the season.”
So what about 2012, with Ferrari confirming that after the success of the debut Asia Pacific series it plans to return in 2012?
“I’ll be back, there’s no doubt about that,” says Wyatt.
“Not just to defend my title, but also for the quality of the competition, the venues and to drive this fantastic car. If there is one thing I would love to see, its more drivers from Australia and New Zealand taking part. Ferrari has put together an excellent package for anyone looking to make a first step into competition. My debut season has been a remarkable experience and I can’t wait to be back on the starting grid in 2012!” |
West Australian racing driver and businessman Steve Wyatt has won the inaugural Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Coppa Shell Championship, securing his first motorsport title at the Ferrari World Finals in Italy with two race wins at the weekend (5 and 6 November 2011) in his Ferrari 458 Challenge with backing from WA Ferrari dealer, Barbagallo Sport.
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