Silverstone delivered a weekend of high-speed precision and fine margins on Saturday 23 May 2026, as the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK championship returned for its third round at the iconic home of British motorsport. Under warm, dry skies, the legendary circuit set the stage for a demanding test of nerve and mechanical sympathy, with Ferrari 296 Challenge cars pushed hard through its fast-flowing corners and unforgiving rhythm.
Qualifying in Trofeo Pirelli opened with a statement from reigning 2025 champion Gilbert Yates (Charles Hurst), who secured pole position with a lap of 2:01:140. The margin was slender but decisive, as Joseph Dean (Stratstone Colchester) followed just half a second adrift with a 2:01:585. Bradley Yates (Charles Hurst), already a race winner in the opening round of 2026, completed the top three, posting a competitive 2:02:123 to keep the family presence firmly embedded at the sharp end of the grid.
In Coppa Shell, the battle for pole was even tighter. Newcomer Christopher Beighton (Graypaul Nottingham) emerged with a standout lap of 2:03:772, edging Sean Ran (HR Owen) by an almost imperceptible 0.02 seconds. Andrea Seminara (HR Owen) slotted into third with a 2:04:088, just fractions further back, highlighting how evenly matched the field had become.
Race 1 in Trofeo Pirelli belonged to Gilbert Yates from the moment the lights went out. A clean launch allowed him to immediately control the tempo, steadily extending his advantage over Dean as the race unfolded. Behind them, attention shifted to the fight for third, where Manuela Gostner (Ineco), Bradley Yates, and Mike Dewhirst (Dick Lovett Swindon) formed a tightly packed and aggressive battle group.
Gostner initially made her presence felt with an early move past Bradley Yates, briefly disrupting his podium position. However, Bradley responded with precision and patience, finding a decisive opportunity at Abbey to reclaim third. From there, the order stabilised at the front, with Gilbert Yates delivering a commanding performance to win by approximately 12 seconds over Dean, while Bradley secured a hard-fought podium.
Coppa Shell brought immediate drama. Ran reacted sharply off the line from second on the grid, sweeping into the lead on lap one and demoting Beighton. Ian Morris (Maranello Sales) also made early progress, climbing into third after overtaking Seminara, while Seminara slipped back to fifth behind William Bolster (Charles Hurst).
As the race developed, Beighton launched a bold attempt to reclaim the lead at Village, diving down the inside of Ran. The move ultimately proved costly, ending in a spin that reshuffled the order and handed momentum back to Ran. Morris, meanwhile, held firm in the podium battle, while Seminara recovered ground with a clean overtake on Bolster to regain fourth at The Vale. At the chequered flag, Ran secured victory, Beighton recovered to second just half a second behind, and Morris defended strongly to complete the podium.
Qualifying 2 saw the Yates dominance deepen in Trofeo Pirelli. Gilbert Yates once again topped the timesheets with a blistering 2:00:711, this time a full second clear of his son Bradley, who posted 2:01:743. Dean remained consistent, securing third with a 2:02:230, but the narrative was increasingly shaped by the father-son duel at the front of the field.
In Coppa Shell, Andrea Seminara finally broke through, claiming his first career pole position with a 2:03:706. Beighton and Morris were inseparable in pursuit, separated by just 0.05 seconds as they locked out the next row of the grid in a fiercely competitive session.
Race 2 in Trofeo Pirelli followed a familiar pattern, with Gilbert Yates launching cleanly from pole and immediately building a buffer over Bradley. Behind them, Gostner once again demonstrated her race craft, moving past Dean to secure third position early in the contest. Dean applied sustained pressure as the laps ticked by, but Gostner’s defensive composure held firm.
At the front, Gilbert Yates once again proved untouchable, sealing a flawless weekend with another victory, just one second ahead of Bradley Yates in a closely fought family finish. Gostner completed a strong drive to secure third and another podium result.
The Coppa Shell finale provided perhaps the most dynamic race of the weekend. Beighton delivered a sharp start, immediately taking advantage of Seminara at Abbey to seize the lead. From deep in the field, Ran produced a remarkable recovery drive, slicing through the pack to take second from Seminara and reasserting his front-running pace.
Mid-race, Ian Morris executed a well-timed move to climb into third, capitalising on Seminara’s defensive battles. Further back, Bolster came under pressure from Darren Howell (JCT600 Leeds), but held his line under sustained attack to retain fifth. At the front, Beighton controlled the closing stages to take victory, with Ran finishing less than half a second behind in a tense sprint to the line. Morris’s consistency earned him a second podium of the weekend, rounding off a tightly contested Coppa Shell showdown.
