Fantastic Franco wins Race 2 | Ferrari Challenge North America Thermal Trofeo Pirelli
Johnny Kaminskey looked unstoppable this weekend, but Manny Franco put an end to his dominance in Race 2 at Thermal in the Ferrari Challenge North America series.
THERMAL, United States — Manny Franco took the win in the last race of the weekend at Thermal in the Ferrari Challenge North America Trofeo Pirelli class. Johnny Kaminskey had to settle for 2nd overall, with Roberto Perrina claiming 3rd. In the lower class, Michael Mathes won the Trofeo Pirelli AM battle, with Yahn Bernier getting 2nd, and Matthew Diehl standing on the final step of the podium after a thrilling race from all of the Ferrari Challenge competitors.
Ferrari Challenge North America Thermal Trofeo Pirelli Race 2 Results
- 1st: Manny Franco (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 2nd: Johnny Kaminskey (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 3rd: Roberto Perrina (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 4th: Brad Fauvre (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 5th: Grey Fauvre (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 6th: David Bitton (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 7th: Michael Mathes (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 8th: Yahn Bernier (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 9th: Matthew Diehl (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 10th: Michael Porter (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 11th: Gregory Hopkins (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 12th: Martin Burrowes (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 13th: Gerdas Venslovas (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 14th: Frank Chang (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 15th: Mitchell Green (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 16th: Kevin Gutierrez (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
- 17th: Brian Cook (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 18th: Grinzewitsch III (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 19th: Johnathan Weizman (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 20th: Esteban Beckmann (Trofeo Pirelli AM)
As It Happened: Thermal Trofeo Pirelli Race 2
In the early stages of the race, most would have expected Johnny Kaminskey to run away from the rest of the pack. However, Roberto Perrina looked fast in the opening laps, and was sticking with Kaminskey. But this increased pace from Perrina might have been at the cost of his tires, as later in the race, Kaminskey was getting away while Manny Franco started to hunt Perrina down. Franco was trying everything to get past Perrina, but Roberto was doing a good job of making his car wide. After fighting for multiple laps, Franco finally got the better of Perina and he could now try to chase down Kaminskey with around 10 minutes of racing remaining. Kaminskey’s tires weren’t looking too healthy, and Franco could smell blood in the water. There was only 6 minutes worth of racing left, and Kaminskey was showing he was very skilled at defensive driving, with Franco having a really hard time getting the lead. But Manny eventually got the move done in one of the most technical sections of the track in turns 8 and 9!
As It Happened: Thermal Trofeo Pirelli AM Race 2
Yahn Bernier snatched the lead at the start of the Trofeo Pirelli AM race, with Michael Mathes dropping down to 2nd-place. However, Mathes was lapping fast, so this battle clearly wasn’t over yet. Esteban Beckmann had an advantage over the rest of the field, with the Ferrari Challenge driver skipping qualifying and starting on fresh tires. This meant that Beckmann was the fastest man in the Trofeo Pirelli AM class despite starting at the rear of the field, and after 10 minutes of racing he was up to 6th in class. But at the front of the class, Bernier was under pressure from Mathes, who had closed the gap to four-tenths. Mathes finally got the move done, but not without a love-tap to help complete the overtake. Beckmann was pushing like crazy on his fresh tires, but maybe he was pushing too hard as he spun under braking and dropped back down to 10th. However, at the front of the field, Mathes was in clean air and cruising to the checked flag, with Bernier no longer a threat.
Driver of the Race: Manny Franco (Trofeo Pirelli)
Beating Johnny Kaminskey this weekend was never going to be an easy task, but Manny Franco was a man on a mission. Franco had to fight hard against Kaminskey to get the win today, and pulled off the move of the week to claim the overall win. Hopefully Franco will run a full season this year, as he looked like the only man who could take down Kaminskey this weekend. And that’s why Manny is the Tifosi7 driver of the race!
For everything you need to know about the Ferrari Challenge North America 2026 season, check out the full schedule, driver lineup, teams, and results here.
