Article on the 2004 Ferrari Challenge Rally

From the NY Times.

vty,

--Dennis
__________________

http://edmunds.nytimes.com/ownership/driving/articles/103063/article.html?tid=nytimes.e.....Other+Make*

2004 Ferrari Challenge Rally
By Edmunds.com Editors

As Ferrari enters its 50th year of sales in America, the company is working harder than ever to promote the unique experience that comes with owning a product bearing the prancing horse. Beyond limited production numbers, high cost of entry, seductive styling and breathless performance, Ferrari wants its customers to fully appreciate the kind of excitement these cars are capable of generating.

One way the Italian carmaker is working to illustrate this excitement is through the organized racing program called the Ferrari Challenge Series. While the Challenge Series effectively validates Ferrari's engineering and performance pedigree, actively participating in it requires a heavy commitment in terms of money and time (possessing a good dose of driving skill doesn't hurt, either). An alternative event for those looking to enjoy their personal Ferrari models — without the use of a trailer, pit crew and fire-retardant driving suit — is the annual Challenge Rally.

This year Ferrari North America organized the 7th Annual Challenge Rally, and unlike the racing series, this event is open to anyone with a street-driven Ferrari, a sense of adventure and a few thousand dollars (to cover food, lodging and a well-organized support crew). This year the rally started in La Quinta (near Palm Springs) on the Sunday before the Monterey Weekend in mid-August. It snaked its way as far south as Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, 40 miles east of San Diego, before turning north toward Monterey. Over the four-day rally, participants covered 850 miles and ran multiple road course events, all while sharing their common enthusiasm for the Italian marque.

We were fortunate enough to join the rally on its second day, as it swung through Santa Barbara, before accompanying the 47 exotics the rest of the way up to Monterey. Among the participants were two Enzos, a couple Dinos, a 1963 250 GT Lusso, a 1965 275 GTB, an F40 and about a dozen 360s (including Spiders, Stradales and Modenas). The 275 GTB was a particularly interesting entry, as it was driven by Carlos Macaya from Costa Rica, and the car has seen rally duty all over South America, Central America and Europe. Richard Losee was another interesting case study. His Enzo Ferrari is barely a year old, yet it was driven out from Losee's home state of Utah and already has 15,000 miles on it. Losee's goal is to have the Enzo Ferrari with the most miles on it (how often do you hear of a Ferrari owner with that kind of goal?). The F40, driven by father-and-son team Harry and David Silverglide, was a switch from the vehicle they used in last year's rally, a silver 360.

When you think of a group of Ferraris traveling together, you probably think of a bunch of speed-crazed maniacs tearing up the public roads. Well…you're right, but the folks in this group did an impressive job of restraining themselves, as no major incidents were reported (of course, we don't consider speeding tickets a major incident). The rally is not designed as a speed run, but rather a carefully timed and well-controlled event that requires drivers to be very specific about when they cross a checkpoint. Timed runs through a closed road course gave participants a chance to flex their Ferrari's capabilities without the fear of Johnny Law.

Our personal highlight came on the last leg of the rally, when we met up with Mr. Macaya and his 275 GTB just south of Carmel. For the next 90 minutes, we ran behind the 275 while traversing one of the best roads in California. Our ride was a 2004 360 Spider that kept pace with the 275 — though not without a fair amount of concentration and effort on our part. Just looking at a 30-year-old GTB is enough to keep this author entertained. Enjoying a front-row seat while a bright red one darted and drifted along a picturesque California canyon road was as much fun as I've had behind the wheel.

After spending two days and several hundred miles on the rally, we had a greater appreciation of Ferrari ownership. For years we've enjoyed the product, but on this road trip we thoroughly enjoyed the people behind the product — both owners and company representatives. The Ferrari North America folks told us the driver list gets longer every year. We can certainly understand why. If it weren't for that pesky requirement about owning a Ferrari, we'd easily burn through a week of vacation time to join in.

Don't forget that when the rally ended, the Monterey Weekend was just beginning — with Ferrari as the honored marque. Obviously, there are worse ways to blow through a week in August.