A Closer Look At The Ferrari Challenge

In many ways, the Ferrari Challenge is a throwback to how Ferrari’s customers raced back in the formative days of the Scuderia’s sports car and GT efforts – with production cars that were modified to race on the weekends. The current day Ferrari Challenge mirrors that history – with drivers and dealers involved not only for sport, but for Ferrari to stay close to its clients and get invaluable feedback for future Ferrari road and race cars.

Since 1993, Ferrari Challenge North America has been where passionate, amateur Challengisti race wheel-to-wheel against similar-minded racers on some of the most iconic in the world – such as Daytona International Speedway – in identically-prepared Ferrari Challenge race cars.

Ferrari Challenge North America has battled for the past five seasons on the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway, starting the season during the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend. For several drivers, the season ends at the Finali Mondiali, the worldwide end-of-season celebration for all things Ferrari that brings together the top drivers of the Ferrari Challenge Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America. But this year, the Finali Mondiali will take place for the first time in North America, at Daytona.

Ferrari Challenge got its start in Europe in 1992, with the first race of the North American championship being held in March of 1993 at Texas World Speedway. In the first three seasons of the championship, modified versions of the Ferrari 348 were used for competition before the Ferrari began producing purpose-built cars for the Challenge series. Following the 348 Challenge, the F355 Challenge, 360 Challenge, F430 and 458 Challenge racers have been used in the championship.  Looking ahead to the next season with the 488 Challenge, the Ferrari Challenge remains the longest running single-make racing series in North America.

The Ferrari 458 Challenge received an update in 2015 to become the Ferrari 458 Challenge Evoluzione, with a large rear wing, front splitter and improved ABS and traction control systems. It is closely related to the Ferrari 458 Italia GT racer which has won two GRAND-AM GT championships, one IMSA GT-Daytona championship, and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The first Ferrari Challenge North America champion was Derek Hill, driving for Ferrari of Beverly Hills. Hill is the son of former Formula 1 World Championship winner for Scuderia Ferrari, Phil Hill.  The current defending champion of the Ferrari Challenge North America, Emmanuel Anassis, may be the most decorated driver in the history of the series with four championships in the series’ history.

While the majority of Ferrari Challenge races are standalone events that allow spectators to get up close and personal with the drivers and cars of the series, Ferrari Challenge North America has served as a support series for several high-profile events including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Formula 1 events in Austin and Montreal, and IndyCar events inSt. Petersburg and Toronto.

Reinforcing the link between customers and Ferrari’s racing activities is the fact that each car in the Ferrari Challenge series is fielded by a Ferrari dealer. For a dealer, participating in Ferrari Challenge reinforces the racing heritage of every 488 GTB and Spider, California T, F12berlinetta and GTC4Lusso.  For some dealers, Ferrari Challenge plays only one part of their overall motorsports activities with Giacomo Mattioli’s Scuderia Corsa (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) and Giuseppe Risi’s Risi Competizione (Ferrari of Houston) also racing with Ferrari in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“We are very proud of the history and strength of the Ferrari Challenge North American championship,” said Edwin Fenech, President & CEO of Ferrari North America. “Racing is the foundation on which our brand is built, and gentlemen racers have always been important for Ferrari. Ferrari Challenge not only provides them an environment to exercise their Ferrari Challenge racecars to the limit, but also in which their friends and family can share in the experience with a 5-star and unique hospitality services.”

While the first Finali Mondiali in North America will mark an important milestone in the history of the Ferrari Challenge, it will also mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the series. Ferrari’s new 488 GTB-based Challenge racer will have the cover pulled off of it for the first time, making the first turbocharged racer in Challenge history.