Track your 458/488 F8

So lately I’ve gotten a bit into the whole track thing. After attending the Ferrari Corso Pilota school in November, I met a guy who rents out tracks and provides instruction for novices like me.

I have zero aspirations to be a race car driver, even in my head, but I admit to a deep curiosity in testing our the wares of these cars. Why buy a Ferrari if you’ll never even get a glimpse of what its capabilities are?

Sure, you can take it for nice drives, but pressure testing it under controlled circumstances is a great way to appreciate all the thought and engineering Ferrari’s put into their brand. And by that, I mean performance-wise.

We ran The Firm up in NE Florida yesterday, a tight, 1.5 mile track. There were only four of us and the instructor. Game on and Track time galore!

It was a great way to stretch the 458’s legs (which is by far no slouch) and push it to its capabilities. Unlike a GT3RS, the Ferrari is a much more difficult driver, and very sensitive to driver input. It’ll hurt you if you get sloppy but jeez, what a blast it truly is - drama and all.

The instructor (Vlad Hamke) runs a 360 Challenger and he took the controls of the 458 for a number of runs to show me the nuances of the track, and what a Ferrari can really do. Incredible! If anyone’s interested in doing something like this, let me know.

I’m looking forward to running Sebring late Jan and then getting some track time with the STO. On the 458, I did experience brake fade and will change up to Pagid pads and Cup 2 tires. The Michelin’s are not bad, but they do slide a bit.

I am still awed at the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Ferrari. I can’t wait for the F8.

At least the STO makes no attempt to hide its track-focused personality. That’s next up after I get a little more track time under my belt.

And shout out to our resident expert @mdrums and @Il CoPilota for their advice!

Some pics of cool down after some fast laps.

 

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The skidpad opportunity later will come later this year. With such a small group, having an empty track for hours on end was an incredible learning experience which I doubt will be repeated often. We actually had to create passing situations just to learn track protocol. I was pretty worn out by day's end.

Vlad will be accompanying me to Sebring at the end of the month, but this will be a Chin Track day and I'm sure it'll be more regulated and a bit busier.