Was super excited to make the cut for technical inspection after qualifying P3 in class at Sebring Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yep, $9k is just for the membership which includes 2 events. Plus add in costs for transport, car set up, track support and consumables (fuel, tires, CCM brakes, fluids, etc). All around great program! Did you run Esperienza at Road Atlanta?
Ever wonder what $500,000 of wheels and tires look like? Ferrari provides tires to all cars for qualifying and race (you have to use one set for both) so all teams provide a set of wheels prior to the race. The Pirelli guys have a production line set up. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Every time I drove the car I learn something new. When Pirelli fit the tires and balance them, they mark with a white V the tire right by the letter by the valve stem. One of the reasons you shouldn’t brake hard on the out laps when the tires are cold and the pressures are low is that the tire can rotate on the rim. During one of the test sessions st Sebring I had a bad vibration and it turned out the tire had rotated a full 180 degrees on the wheel upsetting the balance. Here my mechanic is pointing to the letter by the valve stem and the V on the tire so you can see how much it shifted. Interestingly, although you have to use the same tires for both qualifying and race, you are allowed to have the tires rebalanced after qualifying. Image Unavailable, Please Login
FERRARI ONE-TWO IN THE 4 HOURS OF LE CASTELLET media Le Castellet, 14 Apr 2019 – Ferrari enjoyed a dream debut at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, the opening round of the European Le Mans Series. It came courtesy of an authoritative one-two recorded by the 488 GTE of Luzich Racing and the all-female crew of Kessel Racing. After winning the International GT Open last year with Mikkel Mac and the invaluable support of official Competizioni GT driver Alessandro Pier Guidi, the Swiss team pulled off a perfect series debut. Its drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi, Fabien Lavergne and Nicklas Nielsen dominated from the light to the chequered flag. The three women behind the wheel of the Ferrari no. 83 of Kessel Racing clinched a deserved and much-desired result, after a practically flawless race. There were excellent performances overall from the other Maranello cars in the French race, which finished fourth, fifth and ninth. First hour. After his amazing start in the Le Mans Cup, Fabien Lavergne repeated the feat in the European Le Mans Series taking the overall lead. Behind him came a trio of Porsches and the three Ferrari 488 GTEs of Wei Lu, Manuela Gostner, Duncan Cameron, all bunched tightly together. Lavergne was the only one who gained ground over his rivals and so could manage the pace right from the start. The Ferraris lapped quickly and moved into the leading positions. The sole exception was the 488 GTE no. 60 of Kessel Racing, which went into a spin after colliding with a rival it was attempting to pass. Second hour. The start of the second hour saw two Ferraris in the first two places. The no. 51 of Luzich Racing led, followed 31 seconds later by the no. 66 of JMW Motorsport. Then came the 488 GTE no. 55 of Spirit of Race, just one-tenth of a second ahead of the Porsche no. 77. Kessel Racing’s all-female Ferrari crew put in a great performance in sixth with some excellent times, just seven seconds off the podium. The twin car no. 60 was attempting a difficult comeback. With a decidedly aggressive and fast stint, Wei Lu moved past the Porsche into second. Third hour. At the stroke of the third hour, the 488 GTE of Luzich Racing was still in the lead followed, depending on the pit stops, by the Porsche no. 77 and the Ferrari no. 66 of JMW Motorsport. With the various pit stops over, the Ferraris again held the top three positions, with a particularly good performance from Frey who, however, collided with a prototype while attempting to pass it on one of the turns on the final mixed stretch. Ahead the final hour, the all-female crew was in second, 23.5 seconds off the race leader Nicklas Nielsen, while the trio of Spirit of Race no. 55 was in third, a lap behind the frontrunner. Fourth hour. The last part of the race began with pit stops, including driver changes and the usual tyre replacement and refuelling operations. Andrea Piccini climbed into the 488 GTE no. 60, still facing a tricky comeback, while the leading car now had Competizioni GT driver Alessandro Pier Guidi at the wheel. Michelle Gatting replaced Frey in car no. 83, while Cressoni ploughed on in car no. 66. Matthew Griffin took the wheel of Ferrari no. 55 of Spirit of Race for the final stint. The chance of a Ferrari one-two-three faded 26 minutes before the chequered flag, when Cressoni yielded to Matteo Cairoli, in the Porsche. However, the Ferrari drivers and teams still celebrated a one-two, rounded off by JMW Motorsport’s fourth place with Segal, Lu, and Cressoni, Spirit of Race’s fifth with Cameron, Griffin and Scott and the ninth of Schiavoni, Pianezzola and Piccini in the second Kessel Racing car. Next round. The next race of the European Le Mans Series will be held on the weekend of 12 May at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for posting! I would love to drive a 488 GT3 or GTE. Has anyone driven either? Hear they are totally different than 488 challenge, 6 gears, longer gearing, less power, much more downforce.
I do race my 488 GT3 and I also tested the 488 GTE. The GTE and GT3 are not much different (engine, aero, wheels) and you can convert the GT3 into a GTE and back. I also raced and still own a 458 GTE. The 488 GT3 is amazing car to drive, compare to the Challenge it is a complete different car. Brakes, Aero, Engine etc. the Power is related to the BoP, but if you can run it without any restrictions it is one of the best and fastest GT3's. Image Unavailable, Please Login
After a disappointing first race in Le Castellet, were we lost P2 in the last minutes of the race, we will burn our tires in Monza in about 2 weeks and in less than two months we will hit the famous track at La Sarthe. ACO just published the 2019 Entry List and first time in History of the Route to Le Mans Race there is a waiting list... 50 Cars will compete in LMP3 and GT3 Category in two 55min race. it will be a huge battle, sprint race, flat out, no strategy.... here is the entry list.
This is great information guys. Starting to follow this more closely as I'm dreaming of a challenge car in my future.
Mark, great thread! I'm charged up on the Ferrari Challenge and Club Challenge after spending the weekend down at Laguna Seca for the Ferrari Racing Days this past weekend. I'm sure to have a million questions but to begin -- do you do your own mechanical work, have your own mechanic, or are you using a Ferrari dealer as your mechanic/transport/logistics crew? Bruce
Your dealer will put you in touch with the team that they use. Just buy a car and bring your checkbook! They will make it an amazing turnkey experience. The car is impossible to run yourself, you need the team and will want the team supporting you. The team manager will likely assign you your own mechanic who will take care of tires, brakes, rotors and all the basics like fluids, bleeding brakes, inspecting and keeping the car clean etc etc. You will then share all the other guys, the data guy, the setup guy, the fuel guys etc etc. You are part of a racing team FUN FUN FUN !!!
Image Unavailable, Please Login When you arrive for the weekend this is what you will see, your car ready and waiting for you.
Mark, it all sounds so easy -- just show up with your checkbook and drive! Conveniently my dealer has a Challenge car or two available now. Maybe I need to stop by and talk to him. The hardest part will be convincing my wife. . . .. Beautiful car by the way. Bruce
It’s as easy as it sounds! If you are not interested in racing (some people are and some aren’t) you can get a 458 challenge for no money at all ($125k - $150k) still test with the dealer team and still go to the challenge weekends and drive in the “Club Challenge” sessions. That’s awesome fun too.
Ciao Dottore!! Thank you, yes Monza was tough. First Lap the AMG GT3 hit me at Parabolica so I found myself at the end of the field and had to work up to P4. Mauri did great Job in the Wet so P3 at the end : ) Next one Le Mans, crepi il lupo!! it was wet... Image Unavailable, Please Login
As Mark has mentioned, it's easy breezy. Pick a Challenge car and arrive & drive, FUN FUN FUN! If your dealer doesn't have a race team that supports Ferrari Challenge, you can always run with a team of your choice for either Challenge or Club Challenge. The team that supports me runs both Ferrari Challenge and GT3 programs and they support drivers from several states across the country. Happy to put you in touch with them if interested. As for your wife, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.