some have said that the f430 should be driven in race mode, since the gear changing is faster thus creates less wear on the clutch. Others argued that the gear changing in sport and race modes are the same, the only difference is that in race mode there is less traction. any ideas on this issue.
Bad idea. A huge percentage of wrecked modern Ferraris are simply because they were put into Race Mode when neither road conditions nor driver skills warranted it. I'd prefer to spend an extra 2k on a new clutch compared to an extra 50k to fix a wrecked car. You may indeed drive like a hallowed member of the Scuderia, but personally I think race mode is only for the track and drivers with TONS of experience in the handling curiosities of these cars under full power conditions.
"Ferrari owners are not necissarily ferrari drivers." that is a quote that I read a long time ago as someone responded to a japanese dentist who put a F40 through a house in Australia.
