2023 Ferrari Challenge - No Carb Diet
We’ve been attending Ferrari Challenge events since 2004 and no two events have been the same. Since 2004, events have taken place at both Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca, and each has had a different mix of cars on track, those on offer from dealers and those in the corral and in the parking lot. As the title of this report suggests, the 5th round of the 2023 Ferrari Challenge was a solid display of the modern era of Ferrari cars. There wasn’t a carbureted car in sight. While we always love to see older and more analog cars at these events, this tour de force of technology, composites, turbos, aerodynamics, and innovation was more than enough to fix our focus firmly on the future.
Sonoma Raceway served us a thin of slice of tolerable weather during the race weekend as surrounding areas of Northern California were experiencing another day of triple digit heat with the raceway being one of the few places, due to its location near the San Pablo Bay, that was somewhat easier to deal with.
The North American Ferrari Challenge is a motorsport series specifically designed for Ferrari owners and enthusiasts in the North American region. The Ferrari Challenge has four regional branches, North American, Europe, United Kingdom and Japan. Participating on race weekends are two classifications of cars and drivers, the Trofeo Pirelli which pairs both professional drivers and Coppa Shell which is an all amateur class.
This year, the Ferrari Challenge consists of various races held at renowned racing circuits across North America, including tracks like Sonoma Raceway, Road Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas, Homestead, Montreal and Road America. The finale of the season culminates with the Finali Mondiali Ferrari at Mugello which will serve as the final race for all four regional series of the Ferrari Challenge.
To ensure fairness and equal competition, all cars participating in the Ferrari Challenge are based on the same model, currently the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. Next year the Ferrari Challenge will move to a new car, the 296 GT3 which will mark the return to the track of a mid-rear mounted 6 cylinder Ferrari not seen since the Ferrari 246SP first produced over 60 years ago.
A Ferrari Challenge weekend is not just the on track racing but also serves as a chance to see the latest offerings from Ferrari as typically the latest models are displayed. Ferrari customer cars are also featured prominently around the paddock from the modern classic F430 to the 812 superfast. To tempt the owners of the aforementioned cars, Ferrari brought a complement of it’s current production models, giving prospective buyers and gawkers like us, an opportunity to see the newest and best from Maranello. The lineup included the 812 GTS, 296 GTB, SF90 Stradale, Roma, and their newest offering, and first foray into the SUV market, the Purosangue.
….and this!
This Ferrari liveried bus was a scene stealer for us but not many details on its purpose at the weekend’s events.
The Ferrari Challenge is always a great introduction to Motorsport and the Ferrari brand for the new fans and customers and continues to scratch the itch for the more seasoned veterans seeking out automotive content for the weekend. We continue to recommend this as an event to put on your list. If our words and pictures aren’t working for you, just click here for more words from the horse’s mouth (see what we did there) and some great video from the weekend’s festivities.
…..And as this event has a different flavor every year, we’ll just hold out a little hope that the 2024 event comes complete with a few more carbs.
