05/06/2010
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The sun shone bright for Harry Cheung this weekend at Infineon Raceway, as he added 2nd and 3rd place trophies to his growing collection.

With rolling green hills serving as an abounding backdrop, the Ferrari Challenge series took center stage in Sonoma, California on May 1 and 2, 2010. Ferrari fans from all over California came to the historic track to watch the competitive action and soak in the Italian culture. As docile sheep grazed on the surrounding land, frantic cars circled the track, providing excitement and thrills.

Cheung, part of the Ferrari of Silicon Valley stable, is from San Francisco, California, and Infineon Raceway is practically in his backyard. With plenty of family and friends coming out to watch the home town hero, he did not disappoint. Infineon Raceway is a difficult track, with plenty of elevation changes and turns where even expert drivers can get themselves in trouble. Over the course of the weekend, the track consumed four cars and put them out of commission.

In a rare two-day event, practice, qualifying, and a race were all rolled into Saturday. During practice, Scott Tucker (Boardwalk Ferrari) had the fastest time by a significant margin and looked poised to take the pole in qualifying. However, Enzo Potolicchio (The Collection) had other ideas. During qualifying on Saturday, Potolicchio set a new lap record on his way to the front spot. Tucker qualified second, and Cheung and Francesco Piovanetti (The Collection) filled out the second row.

The race proved to be exciting, with Tucker trying every trick in his arsenal to pass Potolicchio. The two broke away from the rest of the field and continued to lengthen the gap as the race developed. Unfortunately, there was a full-track yellow when Ted Skokos (Boardwalk Ferrari) went off track in lap 9. Skokos was taken away in an ambulance, and everyone\'s thoughts and prayers went out to him.

The track went back to green with less than 10 minutes to go, and Cheung was determined to make this finish exciting. He pushed hard to improve his position, but the day belonged to Potolicchio. He held off Tucker and Cheung to take the checkered flag. Tucker took second, and Cheung finished third.

Sunday was a new day, and Tucker recollected his efforts and, during qualifying, he immediately toppled Potolicchio’s record from the previous day. He took the pole, followed by Potolicchio and Cheung. With the first two positions switched, it was Potolicchio who had to figure a way to pass. Sunday’s race weather was warmer than Saturday, and tires wore quickly and lost grip early in the race. Potolicchio was a victim of this, and he spun twice on his way to a 6th place finish. Tucker finished first, and Cheung drove a solid race to secure his second trophy of the weekend with a second place finish.

Rookie driver Darren Crystal (Ferrari of Houston) impressed everybody with a fourth-place finish, his best of the season. He patiently and consistently improved throughout the weekend.

In addition to the Ferrari Challenge races, the schedule at Infineon Raceway included Esperienza track activities. The Esperienza gave spectators and fans hot laps around the track in F430 Challenge cars. These activities are just one more way for Ferrari to bring the racing closer to the fans.

The next Ferrari Challenge event will be at Montreal, Canada on June 11 to 13, 2010.