Franco’s Defense Yields COTA Race 2 Win

Ferrari Racing Days officially came to a close at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday.

And not only were Prancing Horse fans treated to 150 Ferrari race cars on track throughout the weekend – but also an astounding last-lap battle in Ferrari Challenge North America during the final race to cap off the event.

Trofeo Pirelli

Longtime Ferrari driver Manny Franco (Ferrari Lake Forest) dropped into Ferrari Challenge this weekend at COTA, and showed his expertise with a Trofeo Pirelli class win on Sunday.

In a battle of veteran versus rookie, Franco held off Race 1 winner Johnny Kaminskey (Ferrari of Long Island) after the latter attempted multiple last-lap maneuvers for the win.

While the teenager’s efforts were unsuccessful, he still holds a strong lead in the class championship with six races remaining on the North American calendar.

Kaminskey finished within a half-second of Franco – who won his last outing at The Thermal Club in March – and David Bitton (Ferrari Quebec) followed in third place for his first podium.

In Trofeo Pirelli Am, Yahn Bernier (Ferrari of Seattle) captured the class lead early in the 30-minute race and kept the position until the checkered flag. Not only was it his first win of 2026, but Bernier also moved into the championship lead as a result.

The win came over runner-up Mitchell Green (Ferrari Westlake), as the pair continue their friendly rivalry from Coppa Shell in 2025 to Trofeo Pirelli Am in 2026.

After winning Race 1 on Saturday, Jay Logan (Ferrari of Austin) finished third in front of his hometown crowd.

Coppa Shell

After a pair of third-place finishes at Sebring International Raceway last month, Charlie Menard (Twin Cities Performance) bested his own success with two victories at COTA.

On Sunday, Menard made a race-winning pass on polesitter Blake Rosser (Ferrari of San Diego) following a restart with 13 minutes remaining. He sailed off to win by 2.397-seconds, just one day after capturing his first win of the season.

Rosser held on for second place to maintain his Coppa Shell championship lead, while Chuck Whittall (Ferrari of Central Florida) finished third.

In Coppa Shell Am, Jeffrey Nunberg (Ferrari of Central New Jersey) withstood contact and a trip through the grass on Lap 1 to finish Sunday’s race in first – his inaugural win of 2026.

It was door-to-door contact that nearly jeopardized Nunberg’s race, but he won by a second-and-a-half over Steve Check (Ferrari of San Francisco).

It was Check’s first podium of 2026, while Melissa Kozyra (Ferrari of Naples) made a last-minute pass for third to capture her fourth trophy in five races.

Two California racetracks welcome Ferrari Challenge North America following the series’ trip to Texas. Up next is Laguna Seca from June 17–21, followed by Sonoma Raceway on July 22–26.

The two circuits begin the second half of Ferrari Challenge’s schedule this season, which ultimately concludes at Road America in September.

Ferrari Challenge races throughout the season stream live on the Ferrari YouTube channel.

RESULTS: Race 2 (Trofeo Pirelli)/Race 2 (Coppa Shell)