So I had the pleasure of participating in this year's Ferrari Challenge owner event. We did a couple lapping sessions, it was a lot of fun! Here is the video of my first lap out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_B5Z8XsuCQ Here are my lap times. First Run 3 Minutes 10 Seconds 10:09:28 10:12:38 Second Run 3 Minutes 5 Seconds 10:40:443 10:43:49 Third Run 2 Minute 43 Seconds 10:43:06 10:45:49 Fourth Run 2 Minutes 36 Seconds 16:19:31 16:22:07 Fifth Run 2 Minutes 29 Seconds 16:22:07 16:24:36 Sixth Run 2 Minutes 22 Seconds 16:24:36 16:26:58 Seventh Run 2 Minutes 22 Seconds 16:26:58 16:29:20 Eighth Run 2 Minutes 17 Seconds 16:29:20 16:31:37 Hope to break 2:00 next time with proper training.
This was the best lap I had for the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzR4dOt148 Can't wait to go back...
Awesome video! It was also good to see that good weather actually exists so where in the Country. Nothing but grey, rainy skies here in MA.
Ron: Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate the good wishes and hope the better weather is headed your way, my friend! Allen S. I appreciate your note! Did you get a chance to hit the track? Cheers IndyJones: I agree, super fun, can't way to get back! Mitch: Mitch, it's all relative, you were not slow - but next to a 488 or F12 tdf - of course! I doubt anybody was pissed at you! If they were, they didn't appreciate the significance and beauty of having a 348 'Challenge' on deck - I know I did! I saw you on track, and you looked great! Hope to see you again soon. Thanks All!
Thanks David, they have these events all over the country - definitely worth the $250 (on day) /$450 (2 day) price. You get free food (breakfast, lunch, dinner), free gifts, and get about 20 runs if you do each session. Definitely got my monies worth!!! You should definitely give it a go! P.S. My personal 'challenge' is to beat Jeremy Clarkson's 2004 Acura NSX time of 1:57 I think I can pull it of considering on the 8th run ever (plus I've only tracked a few times - Clarkson has a lifetime of track time) I got 2:17. I was only going 8/10ths. I think with training, proper instruction, and practice I can hit 1:56. Clarkson said the the Testrarossa was a dog and the Mondial was its dinner. - I want him to eat his words with a car that's 15 years older, has 2 back seats, is a convertible, AND 2 Gens behind (04' NSX had already gone through several updates) Should be fun!
Hi David, Here is the rest of the calendar, you should be able to get in touch with your local dealership to inquire about details. It's through Ferrari North America. 09 JUNE - 11 JUNE MONTREAL 14 JULY - 16 JULY MOSPORT 11 AUGUST - 13 AUGUST ROAD AMERICA 15 SEPTEMBER - 17 SEPTEMBER AUSTIN 29 SEPTEMBER - 01 OCTOBER HOMESTEAD
Sorry to be negative, but I wouldn't track these cars. A race car should have a roll cage, 5 point harness, racing seat, and fuel cell. If your road car flips over, you could easily be killed. If the fuel tank ruptures, fuel will spill everywhere. Without a dry sump, the oil sloshes around, and could uncover the pick-up in hard cornering. Without oil pressure, your main and rod bearings will be damaged. The oil also becomes foamy, and less effective. I've never seen stock brakes that could handle a track. You will likely damage the rotors, and the calipers. The heat could also boil the brake fluid. You should replace the brake fluid before, and after each event. Front brakes should have large vents to cool them down. You are also putting undue stress on the suspension components, e.g. wheel bearings, which will wear out faster. These are low production number cars, and will be worth a lot of money in the future. Just look what happened to the Dinos ! Better to get a 911, or Z car for the track. Then you can tear it apart, and put the proper safety gear in place. JMHO.
Hello Spicedriver, I've given your post some thought, and you know what? I think you're right. Multiple other cars would be safer to track. I feel that great respect needs to be given to the car and track, and moderation will be the name of the game. I actually don't have the time or money to track that often, so sessions should be pretty far apart! One thing to point out is there are the calmer touring sessions as well - those are relatively slower. Cheers
If you were truly sorry, you wouldn't have pissed all over OP's awesome track day. Just like you did in another thread. Do you really think you need to tell a grown man it's dangerous to drive on a track? What am I missing in OP's posts that's this big red flag that he needs a lecture on safety? A dry sump isn't the only solution to preventing starvation. These engines have baffles and shields in the sump to ensure that the pick-up isn't starved under cornering. They're designed to be driven hard... Did you watch OP's video? He didn't run off the track due to excessive brake fade. The brakes are fine. A little heat isn't going to kill the calipers. Wheel bearings are part of the suspension? And here I thought I knew something about cars... Where you going with this whole argumentum ad metum act? Christ, it's annoying.
Yes, every Ferrari made was designed to be driven hard on a race track, with no safety gear, or mechanical upgrades. Even though the Challenge kit comes with a roll cage, racing seats, racing harness, fire suppression system, and upgraded brakes. They're really not necessary, because YOU said so. SCCA would never allow a stock Ferrari to race, because they HAVE decades of racing experience. And if you can't read others' opinions without getting "annoyed", perhaps you should stay off internet forums.
Racing is hard on cars, trust me. Your car sounds, and runs great BTW ! My former driving instructors (Gilbert Pedneault & Jacques Couture) would tell you with a heavy French accent, to always keep your hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. And when you're on the long straightaway and not too busy, take a look at your gauges.
Paul, Thanks for sharing and great progress on lap times through the day! I'm curious what your camera setup was, could you provide details? best, Cody
Awesome! My thoughts were "Ooo an opportunity to run without a roll bar, on the relative safety of a track!" You looked and sounded gentle with the car (and engine) while on a safe pace with in your, and the car's limits. Thank you for the video.
blownfuse and spice driver: thank you for my the post my friends! I do think that extreme safety needs to be always considered. I've seen a lot crazy videos in Laguna where people seem to just crash out of the blue in relatively slow speeds! That said, I think my next time out - I will go with a professional instructor to ensure I'm doing this right. I appreciate all the comments, and I do sincerely believe safety should always be paramount!
Spicedriver, your own words undermine your diatribe. You said, "... SCCA would never would allow a stock Ferrari to RACE ...". So where is the racing in the OP's video? That isn't racing, it's spirited driving, which in this case happens to be on a track. I didn't see any four-wheel drifts, trail braking, or any other racing behavior. I'm sure most Mondial owners drive that hard on a regular basis. While I sense you are trying to be helpful, and BTW your points about RACING a stock Mondial are valid, I think you come off a bit as a killjoy here. Just my two cents
Must have been one awesome experience driving at Laguna Seca. I don't think I would have had the guts to take my Mondial out for such a track event...definitely one of the most interesting tracks out there. I remember seeing a Top Gear episode where they had to take a NSX and beat the Playstation time on the real track. The Corkscrew corners must be scary to drive through The Mondial must be perfect for such a track with the neutral balance. Thanks for sharing the videos...
BTW, I just checked and Jeremy Clarkson managed 1:57 min with the 2004 NSX...so you're not that far off from his run (considering he was probably abusing the car and you were playing it a bit safe).
Spicey, I thought about this a lot. I was there on that track, same time as Paul. You are absolutely correct that a track is no place to push your car to the limit because going beyond the limits has dire consequences, at least monetary and possibly even life and limbs. There was a 2 car incident during the first lap of the real Challenge Race where one 488 Challenge rear ended another Challenge car 200 feet from the starting line causing both cars to be towed and 3 laps on yellow flag. However, the owner laps events are really not racing, more like spirited driving. There were some hot shoes out there trying to prove to themselves and everyone else that they were faster than everyone else but we have that even on the streets where much more are at risk. And we live with that. Last weekend was about driving a Ferrari on the famous Laguna Seca falling through the Cork Screw, and it was fun. As for me, I did not really want to push myself to 9/10 because I cannot afford to replace the Challenge car. There is none for sale. I was slow, and it's alright with me. If I ever catch that racing bug, I would get a used e36 M3, put racing tires on, maybe a roll cage, helmet, fire extinguisher, and blast away. Or, just lay down and let it pass.
