F1 Clienti‘s single-seaters and the cars of the XX Programmes will be back on track in July, according to the new calendar created after the cancellation of the Monza, Shanghai and Suzuka rounds.
The 2020 season will see the same number of events as originally planned. The Road Atlanta and COTA rounds will be followed by four European stages before the Finali Mondiali in Abu Dhabi. The third round of the two Corse Clienti activities will be held at Barcelona on 21 and 22 July, followed by the Ferrari Racing Days at Mugello from 28 to 30 August, and at Spa-Francorchamps from 11 to 13 September. Two weeks later the French Paul Ricard track will host the last Test Days before the final trip to the Middle East. Again, everyone’s safety will be ensured by special protocols prepared under the rules stipulated by the individual local authorities. All events will take place behind closed doors.
UPDATED CALENDAR
Road Atlanta, 6-8 March
COTA, 12-13 March
Barcelona, 21-22 July
Mugello, 28-30 August
Spa-Francorchamps, 11-13 September
Paul Ricard, 26-27 September
Abu Dhabi (Finali Mondiali), 4-7 November
Full story HERE at races.ferrari.com
Ferrari Challenge Europe.
The European series has reformulated its calendar to maintain the same number of races as originally planned. The season will open in Imola, where the brand new 488 Challenge Evos will take to the track at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit over the weekend of 4-5 July. The Ferrari Challenge will then move to Barcelona in Spain, where rounds 3 and 4 will be held two weeks later. Portimao in Portugal will host Round 3 on 1 and 2 August, ahead of the Ferrari Racing Days at Mugello from the 28th to the 30th. After that it’s the turn of the Ferrari Racing Days at Spa-Francorchamps, from 11 to 13 September. The return to Italy, at the Misano Adriatico circuit on 26 and 27 September, will be the last outing before the Finali Mondiali in Abu Dhabi from 4 to 7 November.
A special protocol will be used to ensure the safety of everyone involved. All events will take place behind closed doors, including for the press. The organisers are continuing to work closely with the local authorities and are prepared to adapt the safety measures to changing circumstances.
UPDATED CALENDAR
Imola, 4-5 July
Barcelona, 18-19 July
Portimao, 1-2 August
Mugello, 28-30 August
Spa-Francorchamps, 11-13 September
Misano, 26-27 September
Abu Dhabi (Finali Mondiali), 4-7 November
Full story: HERE races.ferrari.com
All details about the car and the auction HERE
Ferrari F430 GTC took the place of the 360GTC which debuted in 2006. It is built for the FIAGT2 class race. The prestigious Michelotto Automobili was asked by Maranero’s Corse Clienti division to develop this car. Combined with the restrictor, the mid V8 Tipo F136 GT unit reduced the displacement to 3997cc in order to gain the best performance.
Aerodynamics was refined by attaching a rear wing to the body. In their first race in 2006 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, due to a wheel nut trouble they finished 11th. Still they were able to show that the car had the potential to win in this class. Later they won the opening race at the Europe Le Man Series and FIGAT championship
The car won various titles after this. The car won the FIAGT2 Manufacturers Cup and the Drivers title in 2006 and 2007, FIAGT2 drivers title in 2008, American Le Man GT2 series Manufacturers Cup in 2007 and Le Man LMGT-2 class in 2008. The car put up for auction was produced in 2009 and its chassis number is “F131EVOGTC2640”.
The Ferrari works, AF Corse, raced this car under the name of PecomRacing at the FIAGT Championship GT2 class. It was the 3rd F430GTC that they raced and it was driven by the Argentine Matthis Russo and Luis Perez Companc. It finished 12th in the Tourist Trophy, 10th at the Algarve, and 12th at the Circuit Paul Ricard. In 2010, the Japanese LMP Motor Sports purchased the car. The team owner Yutaka Yamagishi and Hiroshi Koizumi raced in the SUPERGT Series, GT300 class as “NAC Eisei COM LMP Ferrari”. In the 6th race, they finished 7th with a team ranking of 13th.
In 2011, in collaboration with the animation “Shinryaku! Ika Musme”, they rapped the car with Ika Musume design, and entered as “PACIFICNAC Ika Musume Ferrari”. As Hideki Yamauchi as the new driver, they finished 4th in the qualifier at the opening series, Okayama International, and 2nd for the Super Lap. For the race they finished 5th.
At the 3rd race, at Sepang International Circuit, they finished 3rd and in the 6th race, at Fuji they finished 7th. The team ranking remained the same as previous year at 13th but they left a strong impression.
In 2012, with Takuto Iguchi and Yamagishi as drivers, they continued to race as “PACIFICNAC Ika Musume Ferrari”, but their best finish being 7th at the fifth race at Suzuka 1000km and team ranking 18th, it proved to be the last year that F430GTC#2640 raced.The F430GTC is the epitome of the Ferrari GT Racer of the 2000s, and considered a success. #2640 had success in Europe and Japan and is still in ready-to-race condition. Of the only 53 F430GTC that was produced, it has a unique history. The F430 GTC, a Ferrari GT racer representing the 2000’s and said to be a successful work, was active in the European and Japanese race scenes. Furthermore, # 2640, is still in excellent “ready to race” condition. You can say this is one of the F430 GTCs, which is said to have produced 24 units, with an unusual history, created by Michelott’s own hands. It also holds a qualification for participation in the Ferrari Club Competizione GT, which has been attracting attention in recent years.
Full story HERE
The full Calendar Red Bull Ring
Details about the car and the ebay auction HERE
Asking US $ 199.000
VIDEOS posted HERE (The first video as created for Petersen Museum’s upcoming virtual Cars & Coffee. The others are clips showing how amazing this car sounds and its real world usability on and off the track. Please note : The tire marks on the road are NOT from the Ferrari.)
Beautifully restored and offered for sale is perhaps the very last Ferrari Road & Track vehicle in the long history of drive to the track, race and drive home Ferraris. The end of an era that made Ferrari famous, from the 250 TDF, SWB and GTO and ending with this F355CH.
This Ferrari 355CH is believed to be the only Factory-built 355 Challenge car that was actually Titled by an authorized Ferrari dealer. (New Jersey Title) Thus, this car is 100 percent legitimate to drive on the street as well as race on the track.
Unlike the 360, 430, 458, etc. Challenge cars that came after this model, this Ferrari has true dual road and track specification. For example, it has power windows, power mirrors, power locks, a leather dash, console and trim, analogue gauges, and yes, BEST OF ALL…. THE VERY LAST MANUAL GEARBOX FERRARI RACE CAR EVER BUILT BY FERRARI! I’ve taken this car grocery shopping at Costco. It gets relatively good gas mileage and is a blast to drive!
It sounds amazing and even shoots flames when driving (see photo). In the video at the shift point you can actually hear this race car sound. Handling is simply unreal. I’ve taken the car on Mulholland Drive and it truly drives like it is on rails. Turn-in is instant with amazing front and rear grip. At speed you can really feel the carbon fiber rear wing stabilizing the handling! No comparison between this car and a regular F355 as this is so much more precise and handles so much better and is so much faster and stops so much quicker. Far more fun and engaging than any of the more modern Ferraris, including the 488 Pista.
A brief history is provided below explaining how most 355 Challenge cars were not actually built at the factory but were sold as regular 355s with dealer installed kits.
However, this is a rare, fully factory built 1997 355 Challenge car….and one that has been restored with:
Simply put, this is the best condition F355 Challenge on the market and the ONLY 355CH built by the factory with a road legal title.
This car comes with a a 355 Challenge manual and a binder documenting its history and also included is , which is summarized as follows: Owned over the years by several Gentlemen Racers. They never actually took possession of the Ferrari. Instead, it was maintained by Classic Coach in New Jersey and when they wanted to drive the car at a race Classic Coach would bring the car to the track (Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, the Pocono, Moroso, Sebring, Daytona, etc.), perform services as the pit crew, and then take the Ferrari back to their shop where they would service it, which is reflected in the binder. Prior owners include notable collectors.
This car is also believed to be the car driven by Paul Newman at Lime Rock in 1999. I have not been able to confirm for sure, one way or the other, whether this is certain, but one thing I have confirmed is Newman lived nearby the owner of this car (a neighbor) and both men frequented nearby Lime Rock raceway (which was ~69 miles from Newman’s home and the home of the owner of this 355 CH).
A bit of history regarding why this car is a truly “Factory Built” 355 Challenge Car unlike most other 355 Challenge cars.
All 1996 and later 355 Challenge cars were, by order of Ferrari, to be sold MSO (Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin and expressly to be sold without a road Title.
The reason for this is simple: Ferrari started the Challenge Series with OBD1 cars. However, starting in 1996 Federal law required all cars sold in America to be OBD2. Yet the Challenge series needed more cars over the next several years. So when a car was needed, Ferrari would pull a 355 from the assembly line and build an OBD1 Challenge car. Of course, it would have been illegal for Ferrari to sell OBD1 cars after 1995 given the laws requirement that cars be OBD2. Ferrari’s way around this was to sell the post 1995 F355 Challenge cars built at the factory as MSO-only and to not sell them with titles.
However, for whatever divine reason, this F355 Challenge was actually titled by a Ferrari authorized dealer and so it became the only known legitimately titled F355 Challenge car, and as such, the last Ferrari ever built to race and be driven on the street.
This is quite profound when you think about it as this is the formula used by Ferrari during much of its history, including its glorious 250 era where the 250 TDF, 250 SWB, 250 GTO and 250LM all could be driven on the road, raced and then driven home.
Thus, this is the last Ferrari race and road car and the last factory built race car with a manual gearbox. Now that I think about this fact and this car’s historical significance, its a bargain at this price point. The car was featured in a museum for approximately one year and given its historical significance, it may well yet again one day be featured in a museum. For now though, best to enjoy this most versatile of Ferraris!
Details and more pictures HERE at ClassicDriver
An exciting opportunity to acquire the Taisan Japanese GT race winning Ferrari F40.
Ready to use and still road registered this 1990’s GT car is well documented in various Ferrari racing annuals
When the Japan GT Championship started in 1994, Team TAISAN surprised the racing community when they entered a Ferrari F40 to the series. Influenced by the car’s success in the Italian GT Championship, Team TAISAN purchased a street-legal F40 (S/N: ZFFG134B000080780). Starting from a totally stock F40, the team made modifications and improvements during the season and for each race. The team also invited Oscar Larrauri, winner of the Italian GT Championship and former F1 driver to drive for Team TAISAN. In Round 5 at Mine Circuit, Oscar Larrauri was paired up with Tetsuya Ota and they sensationally captured the race win.
At each round of the race, the F40 was modified, troubleshooting whatever came up during the previous race. Although the F120A V8 unit which made 478ps/577nm of power and torque was untouched, they installed a one-off straight exhaust pipe for better response (the car is now installed with a silencer). Most of the modifications were done to its chassis and aerodynamics. The front clam shell was widened by 5mm on each side which the team considered as their original F40LM spec front cowl. The rear wing was also changed to a custom adjustable rear wing.
For the car’s suspension, the team installed uniball mounts from the F40LM car and the wheels were changed to a set of light-weight magnesium wheels from OZ Racing to reduce unsprung weight. The front roll bar which came on the stock F40 was reinforced and other modifications were made as they raced in the series.
This car is listed as a JGTC spec race car, however no drastic changes were made and the car is still a street-legal Ferrari F40. The original engine which the team raced with has been replaced but the car remains road registered. Maintained in good original condition, the car runs well and would be an exciting road car or could also be used in historic racing such as the GT90’s series or Endurance Legends series where it is sure to turn heads. The exterior remains unchanged from the car’s racing years and is complete with its period livery.
One of the last true GT cars that can be driven to the track, raced and driven home again…