Tracking Ferrari / or Track Car

If you do use a road Ferrari rather than a track one challenge etc..., just make sure that everything is strong enough i.e. suspension, brakes etc..., as they will obviously be under a lot more load than say fast road use, use racing brake fluid i.e. Castrol Srf, racing pads i.e. Ferodo ebc etc..., if you want it purely for trackdays I would also recomended a bucket seat and harness, if you decide to use slicks there will be a lot more load on the suspension.

There do seem to be some reasonably priced 355 challenge cars about, I recently see a 360 challenge for £60k (Uk)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-360-Challenge-St-2004-Ferrari-Challenge-Stradale-Street-Legal-Race-Car_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ84156QQihZ019QQitemZ290011892964QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

As someone who is, or will be in the near future, looking for a street Ferrari (80's era street machine) I shy away from cars that have seen track time more than once or twice.

-F

 

The thing is how many sellers would openly confess to saying theirs had been tracked and risk losing a sale

 

Assuming it hasn't been hit, how would you tell? I guess a pile of brake receipts would give it away. But put some new tires on it, new pads/rotors and who knows?

The flip side is that a Ferrari that has slogged through downtown traffic and potholes at 2000rpm for a few years isn't much of a deal either, so I'm not sure how I feel about 'tracked' versus 'not tracked'.

The best solution is probably to BE the original owner.

 

Yep, agreed

 

IMHO, if you are serious about doing track events, buy a car that is set up for the track. While street Ferraris have a race heritage, they are not set up for the track. And if you break it, it costs a fortune to repair. As between 335 or 360, I'd ask, do you like to work on the car yourself? If so, 355 is workable. If not, and you are going to pay someone else to maintain it for you, it's basically 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Performance-wise, the 360's are better, so if you are going for one and having it professionally maintained, why not go for the 360?

That said, a lot of guys, including me, have tracked their F-cars. But if you are doing it, as someone else said, do the things to be sure it is safe and will perform well for you on the track. And hopefully, you won't break nothin'.

 

The 355 and 360 Challenge cars make good track dogs. The 355 is cheaper, cheaper to repair and easier to get parts for. And, as an added benefit, you actually have to shift the car properly.

The really big difference is if you tag anything. Most competent people can repair the steel framed 355. The Aluminum framed 360 is another story. It's off to someone with one of the $1M or so laser guided machines and pay up. I know of one gentlemen who wrote off two 360 Challenge cars from accidents. Expensive.

Steve

 

Strictly a track car, the 360 Challenge would be my choice. Computerized rev match downshifting, X-Box fast upshifts... plus more powerful engine and other bits than a 355.

Of course we are ignoring the cost to maintain and repair if you ball it up.

 

a dedicated track car is better than a road car simply bcus if it breaks you can still get around

355s are relatively cheap now but F parts are never cheap so keep that in mind.

If you want to keep costs down & not be a slave to your local F dealership get the 355 which doesnt rely on so much F computer expertise & is a better handling car as well.

Ive heard the 360 Challenge is a handful bcus it really needs a wing like the 360 GT2 car

If you really want to keep costs down get a Miata or a a Ford Mustang, you can have lots of fun w/o breaking the bank

 

I hear the Lotuses are a blast around the track, too.

 

Are you sure you shouldn't be shopping for a Buick?!!!

(may a little tooo harsh, sorry!!)

...my 2¢: the Ferraris I know that see track time at FCA events are usually extraordinarily well-maintained. And most people don't beat the hell out of them anyway (at the '04 FCA national at Laguna I was often passing 355's and 360's in a 1970 365GT 2+2!! And I wasn't even close to winding the old broad out, either. Barring dumbasses that take a 35-year-old 2-ton GT car on the track, the more common post vintage cars (308/TR/Mondial/348/360) have extremely robust motors, with proper (PROPER!!) care, you can drive the bejesus out of them – as Enzo intended and they'll take just about anything if you don't do something stupid, like miss a shift or crash. The modern-era (355/360)? They are amazing. You have really go out of your way to break one, and all the ones I see used on the track are treated very, very well.

Thomas:
The modern-era cars are SO fast and the Challenge version of any of them is just faster and less versatile: how fast do you realistically want to go? And I don't know about the 348 and 360, but the 355 Challenge cannot (legally) be street registered, so that means track only use, so you have to get a truck/trailer, etc. People buy used street Ferraris that have been used on the track assuming it's been properly cared for – it's a Ferrari, fer god's sake!!!

 

My vote for Post Of The Month!

(Not referring to Fchat guys, but at some events i have attended...) Some guys do not care about what "Enzo intended" and that statement seems to piss off the wannabees. Those guys just want a trophy car and some kind of social elite gathering with their trophy wife.

Frankly, i would WANT a tracked car with the usual good PPI (like any Fcar) because if the car saw good track time and is bug free, normal poser use or proper track use will be fine.

Again, you get my vote for Post Of The Month

 

a friend of mine who used to be a mechanic w NART was at an FCA meet at dinner & some Schmuck said "I just wanted a nice car to impress the neighbors with"

My friend wanted to kill him

 

William, next time we meet (Glen is Sept perhaps) we GOTTA talk as you gotta hear a few things about certain...

BTW, was checking out your silver TR and whomever did the mods/wiring/etc did a VERY impressive job. That car is so well done that if you EVER sell it lemme know. Everything was run perfectly, properly done/cased/secured, etc.

MOST IMPRESSIVE!

 

Track the damn car! Not only do the cars love being opened up but more importantly-you will become a better driver and learn the capabilities of your car-what it can do and can't do in the (relative) safety of the track.

The changes necessary to track most Ferrari are pretty simple--replace the brake fluid with a good high temp brake fluid. (Castrol SRF, Motul, etc.), put in some street/track pads or full track pads (Porterfield, PFC, Hawk), put a portable fire extinguisher in the car, and you should be just about set.

You can get some "track" tires, and this is a good idea if only to limit the wear on your street tires. (The full rubber street tires will chunk and wear pretty quickly on thevtrack.) But this is not 100% necessary.

Of course the wear on the car will go up, mostly on the clutch, but other than that there is not a lot more to wear to worry about.

Get your self a good helmet for yourself and maybe a DVD camcorder to film your lap days. (Worth it for what you learn.)

After that, you are set-head to the track, take it slow and careful at first-get as much advice/instruction as possible by people who have the proper knowledge and work up the pace to match your limits.

As you are not "racing" remember the following:

1.) You are there to have fun. Not to be Schumi. If you feel at bit anxious or over your head-immediately pull in to the pits and give yourself a breather. Sometimes 5 minutes of "down time" is the best way to protect your toy and you.

2.) You will wear yourself out a lot faster than you thought possible. Not from the physical effort (though that is there!) but from the mental concentration and resulting fatigue therein. When you start to get tired pull off! I good indication of this is when you find yourself using the steering wheel to support yourself in the corners. When that happens-you are too tired to continue.

3.) Driving a car fast is 100% mental and 50% physical. Learn from the lapping and your mistakes. Analyze what you are doing and try to understand why the car does what it does.

4.) Buy a good book on racing technique. There are many out there. The Skip Barber Books are good, but there are others.

5.) Explore the car's and your limits selectively-pick a corner that is safe and reasonable slow to use to "push on" and leave the faster, more dangerous corners for later-remember you do not have to push equally hard everywhere on the track.

6.) Take every advantage of being a passenger with other drivers. Watching what they do is a really good way for you to understand what you are doing.

7.) Do not, ever, let the red mist take over common sense!

 

I have been doing track events for five years now. One suggestion I wish I had taken early on was to first learn to drive in a low horse power car. The skill needed to drive fast in a "momentum" car will pay huge dividends later. You can develope a lot of false confidence in your skills using a high horse power car. Learning to break later, carry speed into corners,being smooth,getting on gas earlier etc can best be learned in a low horse power car. My second suggestion is that the "rush" of driving is achieved when you are driving a car at its mechanical limits. This is achieved at various levels depending on the car and its technology. Remember driving go Karts is a blast and your only going 40mph at most. So my advice is to start off with a car that is inexpensive to maintain,it has relative low horse power and set it up for the track to achieve the maximum potential. You will have more fun than you can imagine and be safe. BTW I now drive a 2004 Lotus Elise for track only. It is completely mechanically stock but is equipt with every safety device imaginable including full padded cage,halon fire suppression system,interior exterior fire and electrical kill switches,full three layer fire suit. Next investment Hans type device. Be safe and learn and have fun. Jon in Delaware

 

what lmpdesigner and turbos7903 said x1

Wow, some awesome posts!

 

+1000!

Great post!

-Peter

 

From my limited experience,

Red Mist ----> Brown & Yellow Stain

 

Impdesigner: GREAT POST!!

 

Thomas, I've owned and tracked both a Stradale and a 360 Challenge. For track use, the choice is easy: go with the Challenge car. The 360C comes with all the performance and safety goodies. The CS is a great car, but it is a street car. I have found the 360C to be very reliable - I have my car maintained by FoW, and do whatever they recommend.

Cheers, Will

Edit: I've also tracked and raced a 964 generation 911 - a '93 RS America. One of the most enjoyable cars I've owned.