Last
weekend saw a huge gathering of Ferraris at Brands Hatch, both on the track and
off. Spain’s Javier Diaz dominated the Ferrari 360 Challenge by taking first
place in both races.
Stuart Roden and Hector Lester led the Ferrari UK team home with creditable
fifth and sixth places in race one but Roden could only manage ninth in the
second, while Lester finished 11th. Local Brands Hatch favourite Michael Cullen
improved from ninth place in race one to seventh in race two.
The festival marked the largest gathering of Ferrari cars ever assembled in
the UK, with hundreds of Ferrari owners from the UK and the Continent driving to
the Kent circuit for a weekend dedicated to the current F1 world champions. The
event attracted a massive crowd of over 25,000.
In addition to races involving over 200 current and historic Ferrari models,
there were demonstration laps by former Ferrari Formula One race cars to mark
the 50th anniversary of Ferrari’s first Grand Prix victory. The rare gathering
of exotic sports cars also included a significant presence by Maserati, which
operates as a sister company to Ferrari and is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of Brands Hatch.
