Monday 2nd August 2010

Ferrari 458 Challenge Gets first 'Public' Outing

Two-day test at Vallelunga for new one-make racer

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Ferrari was out at the Vallelunga circuit near Rome last week for the first public test of the new Ferrari 458 Challenge racer.

After a two-day test with Italian Maurizio Mediani and Argentinian Jaime Melo, both drivers proclaimed themselves to be pleased with the car (funny that...).

The 458 challenge uses a tweaked version of the road car's twin-clutch transmission, Ferrari's E-Diff electronic differential and carbon-ceramic brakes from the 599XX, but keeps the same 4497cc 562bhp V8 as the road car.

Still, with a weight-saving regime courtesy of the near-inevitable carbon fibre bits and bobs, the 458 is said to be a full two seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than an F430 Challenge car. Should make the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli one-make series quite a spectacle, then.

And the verdicts of the drivers? The Challenge is "very quick and extremely good fun," says Mediani, while Melo says he is "sure that Prancing Horse competition owners will be very pleased with this car".

Read more about the 458 Challenge's tech spec

'It's good', says test driver...

[Gizmo!]

I expect this will be just incredibly fast. Watching the road-going one on TG last night I was wondering just how on earth the race one would be any faster?