Tucker Aims for World Championship at Ferrari Challenge International Finals

North American Victory Puts Tucker in Prime Position for Coveted F430 World Championship

The scenario couldn’t be more ideal for Scott Tucker.  The driver of the No. 755 Boardwalk Ferrari F430 will ride a wave of momentum into the Ferrari Challenge International Finals world final following a stellar class victory in Saturday’s North American division Race No. 2 at Mugello Circuit.

Tucker defeated a solid field of North American division drivers to win Saturday’s event.  He took the checkered flag by 3.052 seconds over Juan Hinestrosa and by 3.893 seconds over Christopher Ruud.Sunday’s F430 world final will see Tucker start from the second position.  After four North American victories combined in the last three years at the FC International Finals, Tucker hopes to claim his first FC world championship.“That’s what we’re racing for,” Tucker said.  “Who knew what would happen after we were wrecked on Friday.  But, it felt great to bounce back and take the checkered flag in this race.  Now, we’ve got to concentrate on the World Final.  That’s the ultimate prize for us.”Tucker’s Boardwalk Ferrari crew worked feverishly during the night to repair the No. 755, which received body damage after an incident in Friday’s race that saw Mark McKenzie hit Tucker from behind on lap 1 in wet conditions.  The car showed no signs of slowing down Saturday as Tucker won the race after starting from position one.“What can you say about this Boardwalk Ferrari team?  They did an unbelievable job getting the car back into shape for today’s race,” Tucker said.  “I know that’s what kind of team we have.  The guys stare adversity in the face and it doesn’t even faze them.  Give them a lot of credit because they gave me a great car to drive.”Tucker ran an incident-free race, despite several melees that took out other cars and caused full-course yellow flags.  The race ended under a red flag due to a crash near the end of the race.Tucker’s stiffest challenge Sunday in the world final will come from two drivers, Andrea Beluzzi and Ricardo Ragazzi.  Beluzzi won Saturday’s Italia F430 division race, while Ragazzi finished second after setting the pace in qualifying.The victory was Tucker’s second in the Ferrari Challenge Series this year.  He won the season opener at Infineon Raceway in California in April.The F430 world championship finale is the first of three races set for Sunday at Mugello Circuit.  The green flag is scheduled to wave at 9:15 a.m. local time. 


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