On a weekend that offered plenty of action and overtaking, both Harry Cheung and Sun Ho Lee stepped up their game to show the Challenge series what they are capable of. With a first place finish for Cheung and a second for Lee, they moved closer to the championship lead.
The splendid facilities at Miller Motorsports Park hosted the Ferrari Challenge series on April 9 to 11, 2010. Along with the F430 Challenge cars, the weekend also saw the FXX and 599XX stallions take to the track to display Ferrari's ever increasing technological developments. The sound of the 6.0-liter V12 engine under the 599XX's hood spinning at 9000 RPM alerted even the wildlife that something special was turning laps.

All of the on-track technology could not compare to the snow capped mountains surrounding the motorsports park on all sides. During the course of the weekend, everybody paused at least once or twice to absorb the natural beauty. The Challenge series has raced in the lush mountains of Mont Tremblant, Canada, before, but the Rocky Mountains in Utah are completely different, and quite a sight to behold.
Like the Rockies, Cheung (Ferrari of Silicon Valley) made his presence felt immediately, turning the second-fastest time in qualifying on Saturday morning. The only one quicker was Enzo Potolicchio (The Collection), a driver with championship hopes of his own. Potolicchio set a new Ferrari Challenge lap record during qualifying and took pole.

Cheung was not willing to sit back and play second fiddle to Potolicchio during the race, though. As soon as the green flag dropped, Cheung made his move during the first few turns and passed to take a lead that he would not relinquish. Cheung drove well enough to establish an 8 second cushion that allowed him to cruise to victory. Scott Tucker (Boardwalk Ferrari) made some good moves of his own during the race and took second place. A spin in Turn 1 during the second lap set Potolicchio back, but he quickly regained positions to finish third.

Sunday proved to be more difficult for everyone because of the change in weather. High winds forced the drivers to adjust their driving, and Lee (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) proved that he could adapt. Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston) won the 2009 Ferrari Challenge Championship, and returned to Miller Motorsports Park as a guest driver to establish that last year wasn't a fluke. Although the weather slowed down Sunday's qualifying times, McKenzie drove fast enough to find himself on pole, followed by Potolicchio, Lee, and Tucker.

McKenzie must have seen Cheung's pass from the first race, because he protected his driving line well at the start of the second race to prevent something similar. Behind McKenzie, Lee and Tucker established an exciting battle for second place. Lee worked hard to fend off Tucker's attacks, but Tucker's experience won out in the end. McKenzie crossed the finish line first, followed by Tucker, then Lee. Since McKenzie was a guest driver, Tucker received first-place points and Lee second.

The next Ferrari Challenge event will be at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on May 1 and 2, 2010.

 Miller Motorsports Park Race 1 Results
 Miller Motorsports Park Race 2 Results