01/07/2010
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Sunday, September 27, 2009
Mark McKenzie and Scott Tucker, the two drivers who’ve led the Ferrari F430 Challenge standings for the entire 2009 season, each won at New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend. In racing it can be the little things which matter, and one little incident had a large effect on the standings and possibly the 2009 championship.

McKenzie, who races for the Ferrari of Houston team, was the points leader over Tucker coming into the event, the last in North America in 2009. McKenzie has been a consistent winner and podium finisher this year, and if he continued that string the championship was almost certainly his. In qualifying for the first race McKenzie proved he was ready: he took pole position, with a new qualifying record for the Ferrari 430s.

Zak Brown (Ferrari of Silicon Valley), a consistent top qualifier and podium finisher, qualified second, but over a half second behind McKenzie. Enzo Potolicchio, racing for The Collection team in his first time in the series, was third fastest, and Tucker qualified his Boardwalk Ferrari-prepared F430 fourth, almost a full second behind McKenzie. Francesco Piovanetti (The Collection) and Henri Richard (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) complete the top six qualifiers.

At the green flag McKenzie and Brown were side by side down the long front straight, but Brown used his outside starting position to advantage, and took the lead in the first turn. McKenzie tucked in behind, followed by Tucker and Potolicchio. Brown maintained the lead for only four laps, when McKenzie moved back into first place, a lead he was to hold to the finish.

Brown held second place until the 15th lap, when Tucker moved into second and set out to catch McKenzie. Potolicchio was in the mix as well, as Richard, Brown’s teammate, and Steve Hill (Ferrari of Newport Beach) ran in a pack with Brown, but were unable to move up on the very technical 2.25 mile track.

Forty-five minutes after the green flag had dropped McKenzie took his third victory of the season, a new Race Lap record, and a slight increase in his points lead. Tucker was just over five seconds in arrears. Potolicchio was third past the checker, but as a guest driver was not eligible for the position, so Brown rounded out the podium. Richard, Hill, and Mike Zoi, another driver from The Collection and the 2007 Champion, completed the top six finishers.

Scott Tucker threw down the gauntlet on Sunday morning, qualifying on pole for Race 2 over Zak Brown, Mark McKenzie (who still held the qualifying lap record) and Henri Richard. Miami residents Enzo Potolicchio and Mike Zoi shared Row Three.

Brown again tried to use his outside position to gain an advantage into the first turn, but Tucker was having none of that, and easily took the lead. Brown held second place, but McKenzie was in his mirrors at every turn, and the points leader finally passed Brown on the seventh lap. Tucker, McKenzie and Brown ran 1-2-3 until Brown dropped to the tail of the field on lap13; Potolicchio moved into the third spot, with Richard, Zoi, and Hill still in contention.

By the final lap McKenzie was only inches behind the leader, and McKenzie knew he had only a very few opportunities for the win. He thought he saw his chance at Turn Five and forced his way past Tucker, pushing the leader out of his way. The contact between the two cars allowed Potolicchio past the pair, and into the lead. McKenzie realized his mistake and slowed to allow Tucker to regain the position, so the order past the checkered flag was Potolicchio, Tucker, McKenzie, Richard, and Hill.

That wasn’t the podium, though. Potolicchio, as a guest driver, was ineligible for the win, although he received a pair of special awards for his performance in his first race. This gave Scott Tucker the win, his eighth of the season. McKenzie was penalized one minute by the Race Director for avoidable contact on the final lap, which dropped him to 12th in the results. Henri Richard and Steve Hill were presented with the second and third place trophies; Francesco Piovanetti, Ted Skokas, and Robert Metka completed the top six finishers.

Tucker’s win and McKenzie’s 12th give Tucker a 75 point lead heading into the final event, the World Finals in Valencia, Spain, on November 12-15. Either driver can win, and both are bringing their best cars and their top games to Spain, to guarantee an exciting end to the 2009 Ferrari Challenge season.