DANVILLE, VA. – The roaring screams of exotic Italian racing machinery faded over the Dan River Valley as the cars of the Ferrari Challenge and the Shell Historic Challenge finished three days of practice and racing on VIRginia International Raceway’s classic 3.27-mile road course.

Headed by one of Ferrari’s current production cars, the F430, the Challenge series, North America’s longest-running single marque series, pits drivers from all across the continent in identically prepared cars over road courses from Homestead-Miami Speedway to Infineon Raceway, with stops at California Speedway, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Circuit Mont-Tremblant following the VIR date, before heading to the season finale in Europe the week of October 25-28.

With cars identically prepared by authorized Ferrari dealers, the series emphasizes driver skills more than car preparation and astronomical budgets. In spite of the apparently limitation on budgets, literally thousands of dollars can be spent on repairs after even a simple off-course excursion as parts are replaced. Regardless, a prime reason for the series is camaraderie and friendship, with teams parked next to each other and even sharing paddock spaces.

 Saturday’s race was headed from the start by Skip Bennett, but sixth place starter Mike Zoi, from Miami, Fla., took the lead and went on to take the win by almost nine and a half seconds over Lawrence Stroll. The race, like the practice sessions before it, was marked by several spins and “shunts” as cars failed to stay on the track.

 Sunday’s feature race for the current model racer went to Zoi again, this time by only a few lengths over Bennett, with Stroll following almost ten seconds back.

 For some fans of motorsport, the two support races each day were the real attractions, as historic Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos from as far back as 1932 took to the track. With the legacy of having been managed and worked on by Enzo Ferrari, these cars can star on their own. Divided into two classes and running separately, the Drum Brake and Disc Brake groups give sensations that modern race cars lack.

 The disk brake race Saturday went to a pair of Ferrari 512BB/LM racers. The BB refers to “Berlinetta Boxer” indicating that the engine is a flat-opposed twelve-cylinder powerplant. With the sounds coming from those twelves, plus the third-place 288GTO driven by Tom Williamson, from nearby Burlington, N.C., the top three cars sounded like the old Le Mans 24-hour race. Tom Price finished fourth in a truly priceless 250GTO Ferrari serial number 3943GT. Price admits that a new set of chrome exhaust tips set him back some $5,600 recently.

 A pair of 1930s vintage Alfa Romeos were the oldest cars in the fields, with Peter Giddings taking Saturday’s race in a car once driven by the Argentine master Juan Manuel Fangio. Chuck Wegner followed almost a half-minute back in a Maserati 200SI, followed closely by Tom Price in a similar Maserati. Price was seen lifting children into and out of his priceless collection so that parents could take snapshots. When asked about the value of his cars (priceless!) he commented that “I don’t pay attention to that. When they get sold, I’ll be dead,” implying that the value of the cars lies in their presence and use, not in an auction or museum.

 In Sunday’s race for drum brake cars, Peter Giddings doubled as winner in the 250F again, followed by Wegner and Price in their 200SI roadsters. Peter Greenfield took fourth and first in the pre-war group in the Alfa 8C35, while a Maserati 300S, a Tipo B Alfa “monoposto” grand prix car came next. Todd Morici’s lovely 275GTB Ferrari finished a lap down to the other cars.

 The race for later cars saw Morici reverse his finishing position, taking the checker first in his 512BB/LM over Chuck Wegner’s similar car by over 13 seconds. Williamson took third in this race.

 VIR’s next major event is the Heacock Classic Gold Cup Historic Races, slated for June 8-10. This race will celebrate the fifty years of history at VIR, bringing back Carroll Shelby, winner of the first feature race at the classic track; Chris Economaki, who announced that race, and numerous other celebrated drivers who have make VIR part of their racing resume.

 Joining the drivers will be equally celebrated cars, among them a Maserati 450S, the model Shelby drove in that first August, 1957 event and many others. A special painting has been commissioned to commemorate the track’s history, with twenty of the most significant cars depicted. Prints and posters will be available that weekend, plus numerous historical exhibits are planned for the entire event.

 VIRginia International Raceway’s next major event is the June 8-10 Heacock Classic Gold Cup Historic Races, where fans can see classic racing cars from as far back as the 1930s, celebrating the track’s fiftieth anniversary. Legendary driver and creator of the Cobra Carroll Shelby has agreed to be Grand Marshal and will be reunited with the Maserati 450S he drove to a victory in the track’s first feature race. The racing is only a small part of the weekend’s planned festivities, so make arrangements now to attend. Tickets are available online at the track’s web site, www.virclub.com, by logging onto www.etix.com or by calling the track at 434.822.7700.