05.03.2011, 05:36:09 cet

Winning races, loosing hearts ...

May 28-30, 2004
Circuit Spa-Francorchamps

The Ferrari Factory took control on the Spa Ferrari Days; baptised the event "Spa Ferrari Maserati Days" to reflect the addition of the Trofeo Maserati races, and scheduled the event a full month later in the season. The absolutely gorgeous weather provided a perfect backdrop for an event that usually makes a tifosi's heart beat faster.

Despite the now coinciding European Grand Prix F1 at the nearby Nürburgring, the Spa Ferrari Maserati Days attracted 300 visiting Ferrari and Maserati in the paddock and a similar amount of Prancing Horse and Trident cars on the track. Unfortunately for the Ferrari lovers by heart, the vast majority of the 300 cars on track were modern cars; the Ferrari 360 Challenge Trofeo Pirelli and the Trofeo Maserati.

In the past years, many enthusiastic owners of rare (and usually very expensive) competition Ferrari, brought their pieces of Ferrari Heritage to compete in the Shell sponsored Historic Challenge. The perfect chance for the public to re-live all the great moments of Ferrari's rich history. But the present seems to catch up with history. Ferrari is on top of the world, Schumacher is almost untouchable in the Formula 1 championship and car sales have never been better. Among many other changes introduced by Ferrari in the past few years, is a new certification program for historic Ferraris. In order to be allowed to race in the Historic Challenge, your historic competition car should be certified "authentic" by the Ferrari factory.

This seems to have a bad effect on the Historic Challenge, whereas Ferrari Racing Days in the past brought many and interesting historic cars back on the racing tracks around Europe, the Historic Challenge races during the Spa weekend saw only 25 historic Ferrari and 11 historic Maserati. Many of the cars we enjoyed in the past years have already disappeared from the Historic Challenge, due to certification issues and more will follow after the transition year of 2004. We recognise it is a very important job to protect Ferrari Heritage and the Ferrari marque, but what if that means the end of Historic Racing as we know it?

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Historic Challenge Grid A

#    Entrant

10   Stefan Schollwock (D)

11   Urs Muller (CH)

20   Julia de Baldanza (GB)

22   Peter Heuberger (CH)

24   Alexander Boswell (GB)

25   Burkhard von Schenk (D)

Historic Challenge Grid B

#    Entrant

30   Marc Devis (B)

31   Lukas Huni (CH)

32   Erich Traber (CH)

33   Michael Willms (D)

35   C. von Dziembowski (D)

36   H.H. Leuchter (D)

40  Jan Biekens (NL)

41   Giancarlo Galeazzi (CH)

43   Christian Traber (CH)

44   Carlos Monteverde (BRA)

50   Stephen Dudley (USA)

51   Plinio Haas (CH)

52   Ralf Bender (D)

54   Heinrich Kampfer (CH)

55   Pier Angelo Masselli (I)

56   Conrad Ulrich (CH)

57   Burkhard von Schenk (D)

Historic Challenge Grid C

#    Entrant

60   Marc Devis (B)

61   Vincent Gaye (B)

63   Philippe Lancksweert (B)

67   Nicolas Zapata (MEX)

68   Stanislas de Sadeleer (B)

69   C. von Dziembowski (D)

160  Frederico Kroymans (NL)

80   Gino Macaluso (I)

81   Paul Knapfield (GB)

90   Peter Hardman (GB)

91   Harry Leventis (GB)

93   Carlos Monteverde (BRA)

110  François Degand (F)

112  Gilbert Sergent (F)

113  John Bosch (NL)

compilation Edwin van Nes