Dedicated track Ferrari car or drive Ferrari to track.

Yep. I say keep your existing Ferrari for street use and don't buy another one for track use. Here's why.

Track days are fun and I've done a few in the past, but mainly as a tune up session for my dedicated race car which was something WAY down the food chain from a Ferrari. I believe that sooner or later you'll wad up either a track car or a race car if you're driving it hard enough to have some real fun, so the idea of real safety equipment like a roll cage, fuel cell, onboard fire suppression system, real fire suit, real helmet, etc. is the place to start.

But no matter how fun it is driving a Ferrari on the street or on the track, genuine racing is such a hoot that there is no comparison. Even if you do amateur racing at a relatively low level, as I used to do, it's so much fun that you can hardly imagine it; completely different from participating in a track day.

If you shop around, you can find a race ready (or nearly so) existing race car and trailer to fit most any budget. That's a much better and cheaper way to start than building your own. Your local SCCA group can provide more information. Think about it.

 

Get a Challenge car and a trailer!

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/challenge-cars/427381-sale-1999-ferrari-360-challenge.html

 

Mozella is absolutely right but I have raced a ferrari racecar. Racing is racing and that is why crapcan racing and spec miata are fun. But I think the thrill increases as the cars get faster and the cars get better. It is more fun racing my Z06 than a crapcan but it was more fun racing my old 348 Ferrari racecar than the vette. Imagine all the things you like about the street Ferrari now at race speeds and under race conditions with all those cool sounds all day long. There is zero competition when you race a Ferrari because not enough people do it. Arguably the Ferrari challenge driver is not the national level SCCA driver or sealed engine porsche GT3 cup car driver. If you want stiff competition against your fellow man leave the Ferrari in the garage. But if you already have a day job and you can control your own "red mist" there is nothing more fun than racing a Ferrari.

Pushing it is pushing it and your car will not take that for long if it is set up for dual use. The compromise is too great for anything more than casual trackdays. If you get the bug to wheel to wheel race you got to go dedicated racecar be it another ferrari or something else.

If you are in the sport long enough at any sort of competitive level you will crash. If you are very controlled driving 8/10ths and improving slowly what 8/10ths means to you then you might get away without a wreck. Few have that discipline or are willing to put their development in a driving coach.

 

I agree totally. Track days are fun, I have 45-50 under my belt. But i also have even more wheel-to-wheel racing events since 1977. Track days=Kissing your sister, Racing=sex with a tantric priestess LOL!

 

If the car is going to see lots of track time, just be ready for the expense associated with running a Ferrari. You'll go through consumables like tires and brakes quickly and they will be expensive to replace. If something breaks, which it almost certainly will eventually, that's going to be really expensive to fix. This is why I bought an MX5 to beat up on the track. Still lots of fun, but so much cheaper to run. No, it's not as fast on the straights, but you can still go really fast in the corners and that's where the fun is anyway. Beyond that, you don't have the worry about something going wrong. If something breaks, it's cheap as chips to fix.

 

If you are really getting to the limits of your 430, then I would get a dedicated track car with all the safety stuff. Wrecking a 430 at 100+ would be really, really bad for your body. You would probably be happier with a true race suspension setup which no one would ever want to drive on the street. A 355 challenge car would no doubt be a blast though expenses might be quite high. Lot's of race cars to choose from! Fun, fun, fun!

Dave

 

I would say that for the most part, track cars are terrible on the street and street cars are terrible on the track. Taking a street car to a track other than for a light use track day takes a lot of life out of the car and quickly exposes that it was not designed for pure racing.

I would definitely get a purpose-built track car that was designed from day one to be raced. A Porsche Cup car is a surprisingly cheap way to go. They have tremendous abilities and are pretty cheap to run. The Ferrari Challenge cars are great but way too expensive to run unless money is really a non-issue for you. Pick what series you want to run in and start working on getting a license from the appropriate sanctioning body.

 

here is another vote for keeping the street car for the street, and buying a dedicated track car. the expense will be less and the enjoyment greater.

i also echo the sentiment of getting a ferrari track car - my suggestion, (and my own personal goal) is to get a 360 challenge. they are relatively cheap these days and to me represent a good compromise - good looking, powerful, but lots of spares, steel brakes, f1 box etc.

 

If your coach is telling you that you are at the limits of the 430 street car on the track... it's probably time for a track car. How fast you want to go, is a matter of how much you can spend... and how much work you want to put in.

I ran a vintage Indycar for a while and as much fun as it was, between the trailer and bribing 5 friends to come along, it was too much of a PIA. For me, as compromised a set up as the CS has, its track biased enough for me to have fun. Plus, I can just drive to the track and go.

Having said that, I am getting the itch for a 360 N-GT with LeMans history!

 

I have a Formula Atlantic for sale..........