The exceptionally successful 2004 racing (and commercial!) season of the Ferrari group was celebrated with a big event that is held every year at an Italian racing circuit. This year the four day event, called "Finali Mondiali Ferrari Maserati 2004" (Ferrari and Maserati World Finals 2004), was held at the old famous circuit of Monza on October 28th-31st.
These were the world finals of all the Ferrari Trophies: the 360 Challenge, the Maserati Trophy, and the Shell Historic Challenge in its three different groups. These finals gathered participants from all over the world including USA and Japan.
To complete the event, there were also exhibitions of Formula One cars of the past, Ferrari's owners club meetings, displays of the most recent production cars of Ferrari and Maserati, and above all, for the delight of the many fans coming to the circuit, a show of the entire Ferrari Formula One team.
During the first days, the circuit was available for free tests of the three grids of the Shell Historic Challenge and the 360 Challenge. The participants to the two world finals of the 360 Challenge were defined with the Saturday races.
Saturday and Sunday there were also the two races of the historic cars and the first exhibition of the client Formula One cars, those single seat cars that rich collectors have bought and maintain in perfect efficiency with the support of a specific Ferrari department (Corse Clienti).
The maintenance of these cars actually presents lots of problems: tires, sophisticated engine’s handling, electronics, in- and out-board computers. Ferrari offers a complete support system, having the use of everything that is needed for a correct use of the cars in all the events that are regularly planned all over the world.
In parallel with the Ferrari 360 Challenge, there was also the Vodafone Trophy for the Maserati Coupes. This trophy has an original formula. For a fixed cost, the drivers may enter all the competitions of the trophy, using cars that are prepared directly by Maserati and drawn among the competitors.
The races are therefore well balanced and very attractive and show the ability of the drivers with the circuit. All the drivers are very happy to be in Monza for the finals, but winning is everybody's dream.
This year the winner of the Vodafone Maserati trophy was the Italian Alberto Cerrai, ahead of the Italian Sergio Rota and the Swiss Hans Notter. In the world final of the Challenge 360 Coppa Shell, the first three drivers were also Italian: Stefana came in first, preceding Santo and De Simone.
Even in the Challenge 360 Trofeo Pirelli, Italians dominated with Cadei, Malucelli and Santaniello taking the first three positions.
American drivers were in the back of the ranking, mainly due to the difficulties in learning the very fast Monza circuit, and because of the rainy weather of the first two days of tests.
Jean Todt, who will be recorded in history as one of the greatest team managers in Formula One.
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But we cannot ignore the Ferrari fans' celebration. More than 40,000 people arrived in Monza on Sunday in the very early morning, ready to celebrate their champions. The president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari (son of Enzo), Jean Todt (now also Managing Director of Ferrari), all the engineers and the mechanics of the racing team were present, together with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello and the two test drivers of the team, Badoer and Bertolini. Together, they walked through the pits and the main racetrack, greeting and thanking the fans. During the interviews, all of them repeated the thanks of Ferrari to all the supporters for the help and love that they have always shown, even long ago, when the team was not winning.
They committed to do their best to continue to win (and make all the Formula One races boring!), with the two Ferraris in the first two positions.
The celebration closed with a show of the old and new formula one cars, in small groups led by the team drivers with the 2004 cars, running on the extremely fast Monza circuit.
As usual a perfect organization and a final "arrivederci" to everybody, managers, pilots and public to the end of 2004 season.
Tires being kept warm in the garage.
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The back of the Ferrari pit, a stunning show in itself.
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The grand old Ferrari mechanic Borsari, still working as an historic car expert.
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During this year's F1 championship, displaying a red sheep meant victory. Better than red wigs, we
assume.
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The Maserat tent with the trophies.
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Two wet days meant a crash or two. Here is one of the less fortunate, the 360 Challenge car of R. Bonnichsen.
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360 Challenge car of M. Cullen.
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Unique pit transport.
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The never-raced 312B3, "Spazzaneve".
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A 312T as driven by
Niki Lauda in the 1974-75 season. Lauda became the World Champion in 1975 driving the 312T.
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Two F1 312Ts, as raced by Lauda and Regazzoni.
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One of the current crop of Formula One cars in the garage.
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