Ferrari Challenge Rally

Jorge, take the 599 on the Rally. It's the ideal car for road running. Rallies and tracks are very different places. When you are on the track you are 100% focused on the driving the car, finding your line, braking at the right point and being smooth on and off the gas. You won't notice the lack of insulation, tighter seat postion and spareness of the cockpit in the CS.
Rallies on the other hand, like the one you are doing, are really GT events, where the comfort of the car is more important than on the track. I believe you'll enjoy the rally much more in the 599. Either way these events are great fun. Enjoy

 

Jorge, That is great you got the Stradale you were looking for. I am surprised that it needed new brake pads. I have over 10K miles and mine are only half worn. With mountain driving and some track days. Did you keep the old pads. If they are available I will buy them from you. I am sure there is alot left in them.

Also what tires did you put on the Stradale. The Pirelli Corsas are on back order as far as I know.

The Stradale really needs a front clear bra if you don't have it yet.

Enjoy both cars. That is a fantastic combination.

 

It's a 1957 410 Superamerica series II (one of 6)

 

A chip on your bumper is a badge of honor. It means you drive your cars on the road. It means you enjoy your cars.
I have never put any kind of bra or covering on any of my cars. I believe that the stick-on stuff looks ugly. It can never be completely invisible and it makes your car front look dull. It also collects wax along the line where it ends on the bodywork and when you remove it the paint underneath looks different because it has had different UV exposure than the exposed paint.

If you are ever going to sell your cars, or you want to refresh them for your own enjoyment, a competent body shop will remove the dings and chips and make the car look new again at relatively little expense.

Remember, whatever they cost, they are cars and cars are driven on the road, at speed, exposed to the elements. They can handle it.

 

And its gorgeous. Sorry for going OT- had to do it .

best regards,
Jerry

 

I like that

 

In my opinion, i would take the CS to the rally. Why? I dont know, but its better for a challenge. The 360 CS means to me the brute force, i would ride it hard! I would never take a masterpiece like the 599 to any contests But thats just my opinion. Good luck!

 

I say take the 599 for the exact reasons that Alex mentioned. He has more experience with these cars than pretty much anyone else on this site. I'd take his advice if I were you.

But I don't agree about the clear bra... keep the clear stuff.

 

With all due respect, the CS is a terrific track car, but it will be tiring on a rally such as the one you are going on. I guess that you have never had the CS out on a track yet, but that is where it shines. On the road the 599 will eat the CS like it was a little snack. It won't even pause to chew, but it will swallow it whole. The CS is also nowhere near as powerful as the 599 and has a much narrower torque band, meaning that you really have to keep the revs up to get the HP to the wheels. That is perfectly fine on a track where you are in a defined space and you can plan your gears according to your position on the track. It's no fun doing that on a road rally, and trying to stay in the optimum rev range in a CS on a rally will give you one of those dull headaches that lasts all day. It's your cars and your head, so have fun whichever car you choose.

 

I did the Oregon rally last year in my old CS, and managed a 2nd-fastest track time as my best result on one of the "special stages". It's an amazing car, very involving and extremely competent on the track. But the special-stages are less than 0.1% of the total drive time. I would choose the F599 for two reasons:

* It's more comfortable for the 99.9% of the actual driving you'll be doing

* The special stage times largely determine the rally result. They're started from a standing start, so brute acceleration runs are very helpful. The F599 should be quite a bit faster than the CS. You'll be in with a very good shot at winning the Rally in a F599 if you're a competent driver -- and the prize is a Ferrari driving clinic worth $8k or so (plus the admiration of your driving peers

The rally was a very enjoyable experience. My highlight was hearing the wail of the CS at 8,000 rpm against the back-drop of the sound of the Enzo I was passing on a back-country road. The hotel, food and planning were all top-notch. It is *extremely* important to pick a good navigator, someone detail-oriented, observant and someone with whom you enjoy spending company with for 3 days straight...

 

I hates to be that kind of poster that just says "+1" or "me too", but I gots to be that kind of poster.

+1

 

I was thinking maybe of going to the Virginia rally as well...Since you are probably already signed up you probably have better info than what is on the website, so I'll ask:

How are the shipping logistics for the car handled, does FNA take care of everything? How much for the car's round trip from Miami?

What hotels will the group stay in?

Will this be a wife friendly event, or mostly a bunch of gearheads?

Very competitive or mostly for fun?

TIA

 

I am not signed up for this year's event. I have already planned a whole bunch of trips this year, and well, I need to be at work paying for all them at least some of the time! But, to answer the questions:

FNA take care of *everything* for you. Describing the event as "well managed" would be a massive understatement. The cars are even fully detailed every night for you. They will take care of picking the car up, transporting it, and having it ready at the hotel prior to your arrival. It ain't cheap, but for Miami<->Virginia, you should probably budget around $2k for round-trip transporting fees.

The hotel(s) are of the highest standard are already booked with reservations, and you'll find *very* nice gifts waiting for you in your rooms. We had 2 pair of very nice Bose headphones (a sponsor), 2 jackets, 2 shirts + other goodies. The food for every meal is of the highest quality.

There are varying degrees of competitiveness by the entrants -- everyone though is friendly and it's all in good fun.

They follow the rally and have full technical support for anyone unlucky enough to need any service/flat-tire etc. They usually have a spare Ferrari for anyone that gets *really* unlucky.

Some of the drivers will bring their wives, some bring other gear-heads, their dads or a friend. My brother-in-law flew in from the UK to be my nav. There are social events/dinner every night and its a great opportunity to meet other Ferrari owners and socialize. One night on our rally we had dinner on a nice ship for a cruise on the Columbia river.

All in all, I highly recommend doing it at least once -- the memories last a lot longer than the sting of paying for it...

 

Thanks for the info.

To answer your questions...Miami and a 360 Spider

 

Great opportunity to go to the Canadian GP while you're up there...

 

Excellent response, thank you Paul. That is just what I wanted to hear to convince me to take the plunge.