Ferrari 296 GT3 Arrives at FF Corse

In an exciting development to FF Corse's return to GT3 racing, the team can now confirm their brand new 296 GT3 has arrived at Silverstone following a successful shakedown in Europe.

CEO and founder of FF Corse Anthony Cheshire says, “We are so excited to get back to GT3 racing after a few years away but we’ve had plenty of success at this level, and our in house preparations are well underway. The 296 GT3 is a very impressive car, which has been beautifully engineered and put together by Oreca, and is already proven to be highly competitive. This next generation of GT3 cars is a big step on from the previous however we are confident we have the resources required for a successful campaign. Our preference is the British GT Championship but we have also discussed other GT3 programmes with clients. Ultimately the programme will be dictated by the driver(s) who wish to go on the journey with us.”

Anthony continued, “As such, we would like to invite any interested parties to Silverstone to discuss our ambitions, and their own ambitions along with the budget requirements of each championship. We have an open test scheduled for the car where those wishing to try the car before committing to a programme can do so.”

FF Corse GT3

FF Corse eyeing 2025 British GT title with Ferrari 296 GT3

FF Corse are thrilled to announce our plans to target the 2025 British GT Championship with an all-new Ferrari 296 GT3.

The 296, Ferrari’s latest GT3-spec racer, is currently expected to be the only one of its kind in UK competition should our entry be accepted by British GT organiser

Having secured victory at the Ferrari Challenge Finali Mondiali for the third time last year, we are positioning ourselves for the all out win on UK soil in 2025.

FF Corse, which boasts over 260 race wins in its 15 year history, has delivered an impressive 12 months of racing dominating an invitational entry in the GT Cup, as well as 6 race wins  in Ferrari Challenge Europe. Now, with the arrival of Ferrari’s latest model, it looks set to pose one of the most serious levels of competition in British GT next year, should its entry be accepted.

“The 296 GT3 is scheduled to arrive with us in September, when we will begin an extensive testing programme,” commented FF Corse CEO Anthony Cheshire.

“This is an exceptional model that is built to suit the needs of gentlemen and pro drivers, whilst also designed to win, so we expect a great deal of interest in our driver opportunities for the season ahead.

He added: “British GT represents the highest level of endurance motorsport in the UK, with so many supercar manufacturers represented on its grid and such a highly competitive pool of driving talent.

“We’ve enjoyed race wins in British GT before and have always kept one eye on the UK scene, despite our busy European schedule.

“The arrival of our Ferrari 296 GT3 gives us the perfect package with which to re-enter British GT - where we’re confident we’ll be challenging for race wins and the overall Championship.

“Alongside this, we’ll continue to look at opportunities in race programmes across Europe.”

The Ferrari 296 GT3 will be prepared at our Silverstone workshops from where much of our previous success with Ferraris has come.

Anthony continued: “With the 296 GT3, our association with the legendary Ferrari brand, plus our proven winning record on the track, we can provide a unique opportunity for an ambitious Pro-Am pairing.”

FF Corse also recently revealed the nine drivers it is supporting as part of its new GT Driver Academy – designed to nurture young talent specifically looking to pursue careers in GT and sportscar racing.

FF Corse GT3

FF Corse GT Driver Academy 2024

Nine drivers selected for FF Corse’s inaugural GT Driver Academy

Silverstone, June, 2024: Internationally acclaimed Ferrari GT racing specialist FF Corse has confirmed the nine young names it has selected to be part of its inaugural GT Driver Academy in 2024.

FF Corse, a prolific race winner with Ferrari including 2023’s Finali Mondiali Trofeo Pirelli with Thomas Fleming at Mugello, has launched the Academy to help guide drivers specifically targeting a professional career path in GT racing.

Its selection was made following assessment of a high-quality list of candidates that included the winner and two other finalists from last year’s X30 Kart World Championship.

As part of the programme, the Academy’s drivers will have the opportunity to test FF Corse’s Ferrari Challenge car.

They will also receive media and commercial training, fitness assessment and engineering guidance, plus time on iZone’s state-of-the-art racing simulators.

In addition, FF Corse will evaluate each driver’s development in and out of the car, whilst providing on-going feedback and mentoring. Each Academy driver will demonstrate their ability within their own championships throughout 2024.

“We’ve launched the FF Corse GT Driver Academy to support and provide a credible path to a professional racing career, as drivers increasingly find single-seater budgets unrealistic,” explained Phil Bennett, Programme Manager.

“This is very much about discovering and nurturing the GT racing stars of tomorrow, and GT3 racing in particular has become a very interesting category, both commercially and from an engineering/sporting point of view. We want to help drivers gain a foothold by becoming involved early and shaping their careers.

“We have some very exciting talents amongst our first nine drivers and look forward to working with them in 2024 and helping them develop as athletes and individuals.

“Whilst our intake for 2024 is now closed, we would welcome expressions of interest for our Academy in 2025 which is very much open to drivers from all nations.”

FF Corse’s 2024 GT Academy drivers are:

Archie Clark, aged 15: competing in Ginetta Juniors (previous front-runner in British and international karting)

Harry Burgoyne Jnr, aged 16: second season of GB4 (finished P5 in 2023; former Jnr ‘O’ Plate karting Champion

Khali Atkins

Khali Atkins, aged 19: 2023 X30 World & European karting Champion

Gus Lawrence

Gus Lawrence, aged 25: competing in Senior British, European & World X30 championships (P4 in 2023 X30 worlds; twice British X30 & O Plate Champion)

Marcus Littlewood

Marcus Littlewood, aged 19: competing in Radical SR1 Cup (P3 Senior X30 karting championship [P11 in worlds] & 2023 Motorsport UK Academy Young Driver of the Year)

Thomas Merritt, aged 14: competing in BRSCC Fiesta Juniors (2023 P2 GKL Junior karting championship)

Archie Owen

Archie Owen, aged 12: competing in British & European Junior X30 karting (graduated from Mini X30 in 2023)

Leo Robinson

Leo Robinson, aged 14: competing in Ultimate Karting Championship

Deacon Russell, aged 15: competing in British, European & UKC kart championships (Senior Rotax category)

Finali Mondiali at Mugello

24th – 29th October – Finali Mondiali

The Ferrari World Final is a spectacular event to close the season, featuring the final round of Challenge Europe. The World Finals sees the Challenge Championships from each continent come together for Finali Mondiali, a one off race, to see who will be crowned World Champion.

In Trofeo Pirelli, Tom Fleming is currently sitting in 2nd place in the PRO championship standings, just 19 points behind the leader. A fantastic performance in his rookie season of car racing, having made the switch from karts. James Owen, also displaying his natural talent in his rookie season of racing with no previous experience under his belt, is currently 4th in the PRO-AM class championship standings, just 10 points behind 3rd place.

The two races of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe and North America will run on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th; Qualifying takes place on Saturday 28th, along with the new Superpole format to decide the starting grid for the Finali Mondiali, which will run on the morning of Sunday 29th, before the Ferrari Show.

Mugello once again hosts the big Ferrari event two years after the last Tuscan edition. Besides the 100 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos entered in the racing competition, the programme includes the activities of the XX Programme, for cars not homologated for road use that are true technology laboratories, and F1 Clienti, which brings back on the track the single-seaters that competed in the World Championship with Scuderia Ferrari from the 1970s to the hybrid era. The two programmes include 57 and 19 cars, respectively, making 76 cars on the track, the highest number ever recorded for this event.

Thirty-nine production derivatives will feature in Club Competizioni GT, open to GT racing cars of the last thirty years, plus a model such as the 488 GT Modificata created specifically for this programme. All are due at Mugello in an event that also includes Club Challenge activities.

As usual, the Finali Mondiali Ferrari provides a unique opportunity to discover first-hand the latest additions to the road range, thanks to the static display of the Maranello manufacturer’s current models, and to celebrate success on the track.

After all, 2023 has already entered the history of the company founded in 1947 thanks to the overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Nürburgring with two cars, the Hypercar 499P – presented during the 2022 Finali Mondiali – and the 296 GT3, both of which will be on display in the paddock.

FF Corse Take Four Wins at Silverstone

FF Corse dominated at Silverstone this weekend, with an invitational entry into GT Cup in the GTC class. The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, piloted by Tom Fleming and James Owen cruised home to victory in all four races, in a weekend of mixed conditions, made up of two sprint races and two endurance races.

Fleming and Owen, both in their rookie seasons of car racing, put on a spectacular display of speed and car control, first demonstrated by Owen taking Pole Position on Saturday – his first ever! A brave push lap on slick tyres in damp conditions put the Welshman at the front of the grid for the first sprint race.  A rapid start by the championship leading Lamborghini put Owen into P2, but he chased hard, maintained the pressure and closed the gap over the course of the race, surely set to pass before the chequered flag. Before making his move to do so, the Lamborghini slowed up with an issue and Owen passed by to take his maiden victory, only weeks after securing his first ever podium.

Saturday afternoon, a 50-minute pitstop race to be shared by Owen and Fleming saw them start on the second row of the grid. A smooth start by Owen, who held his own in a hard fought battle between the Lamborghini and another 488 Challenge, set the pairing up for the later half of the race for Fleming to take over. A clean and efficient pit stop by the FF Corse crew saw the pairing come out in front, and Fleming cruised home to victory.

Sunday, it was the turn of Fleming for the sprint race. The young Brit, who completed his first ever car race exactly 12 months prior in a Radical SR1, easily placed the car on pole, despite catching another car on track during his push lap.

At the start of the 25 minute sprint race the rain came, but the decision by the team was to remain on slick tyres while others gambled with a late change to wets, banking on further rain. Others made pit stops to wet tyres, unable to make the most of their slick tyres in the greasy conditions. The rival 488 Challenge made a quick start, slipping ahead of Fleming. As both navigated the dampening circuit, Fleming patiently waited for his chance to pass which he did with ease at Copse before pulling away to overall victory, 25 seconds clear of the second place car. A remarkable achievement and display of talent in very difficult conditions.

For the second endurance race of the weekend, Owen took the start for what was now a very wet circuit with the rain continuing to fall. An impressive drive in the conditions, Owen held on to P3, and maintained a consistent gap over his stint before safely handing over to Fleming in the pit stop. Another slick changeover by the team (just 0.6 seconds clear of the minimum pit stop time) put Fleming out in front, where he hunted down the cars in second and first place. Lapping some 10 seconds faster than his rivals in the conditions, Fleming easily passed into second place with a few laps before passing for first place, with time to spare. Fleming crossed the line to take the fourth win of the weekend for FF Corse, a clean sweep of victories in the GTC class. The team has now gathered an impressive 264 races wins.

James Owen remarked, “What a weekend, claiming my first ever, pole position, first race win in the sprint race, then two more wins with Tom in the endurance races. I only just got my first podium at Estoril a few weeks ago. I’d like to thank the team and Tom for an amazing performance.”

Tom Fleming added, “I don’t think we could have had a better weekend, especially as first-timers to the series. To win all four races against a competitive grid and even claim an overall win feels great. I am so proud of the team and my teammate James Owen, as they performed excellently all weekend – it’s a true testament to how far we have come. I’m pretty pleased with how my first year of racing has gone!”

Team Manager of FF Corse Mark Armstrong said, “What an incredible UK race debut for Tom and James, especially as this was their first shared race which included strategy and driver changes. I can’t wait for the next one and to see what else they can do together.”

Ed Barton-Hilton, Development Manager commented, “I’m delighted for the whole team this weekend – a reward for months of hard work. Working with a pairing like James and Tom is an absolute pleasure. They work so well together and with the team. I’m looking forward to the next chapters of their respective journeys.”

A remarkable performance by the team, and by the drivers who are both in their first year of car racing. Next up, it’s back to Ferrari Challenge Europe at Spa Francorchamps, where Fleming sits P2 in the PRO championship class and Owen P4 in the PRO-AM class.

SCD Secret Meet

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FF Corse are very excited to be attending this years Supercar Driver Secret Meet.

The Secret Meet is a celebration of motoring like no other, with 1,000+ Supercar owners, track demontrations including the Ignition GP F1 demo and a £100,000,000 Hypercar parade.

Find us in Garage 21 where you can check out the cars we have on display and chat to us to find out how we can help you achieve your Ferrari driving ambitions. We will be running a simulator competition (Tuesday only) – fastest time of the day wins a bottle of champagne and 2 tickets to Ferrari Racing Days at Silverstone, 1st – 3rd September 2023.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Photo Credit: SCD Secret Meet

Coffee Morning with Caffeine and Machine

 

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Caffeine and Machine 313 Club Members to visit our workshop for a coffee morning, with a wonderful breakfast provided by Bread & Butter catering.

We look forward to seeing the 313 members again on 24th July, where they will not only join us for breakfast in the workshop but will also be invited trackside to spectate the trackday  taking place here at Silverstone, where we have seven cars running! Click here to learn more.

Ferrari Challenge at Le Mans

Round 4 of Ferrari Challenge Europe took place at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe, in support of the Le Mans 24 hour race. This was an incredible opportunity for our drivers to race Le Mans circuit, with a total of 71 Challenge cars from all around the globe.

The chances to race at Le Mans are few; saved only for the annual 24 hour race, the Le Mans Classic or featuring in a support race to the 24 hours, as we were. There is no option to conduct testing as the circuit is largely set out on the local roads of the town. Circuit de la Sarthe is the pinnacle of motorsport – a dream for any racer and a mecca to motorsport fans worldwide. It’s a special event to witness and a true privilege to drive.

Free practice on Wednesday and Thursday started out very strong for both drivers, who quickly adapted to the circuit, with Tom topping the timesheets both days and James a very respectable 13th in class (26th overall) from the 71 cars field.

Qualifying

As qualifying begun on Friday morning, the team was hopeful for pole given Tom’s pace in free practice and despite improving on his times he finished P3 overall. Tom was hoping for more, but as with so many of the qualifying sessions this season, yellow flags and slow zones meant he couldn’t hook a clean lap together and ultimately a red flag ended the session early.

James qualified a solid 16th in class (32nd overall) but was frustrated to not get a clean lap in too and being blocked by a slower car ahead. Clearly there was more out there for both but luck wasn’t on our side.

The Race

As the 71 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos passed through the Ford Chicane to take the start of the race, it was almost inevitable there would be incidents throughout the 35 minute race, so capitalising on the start was crucial. James didn’t waste any time, with a fantastic first lap he made up 5 places showing his superior speed and racecraft over those around him. Tom had a less fortunate start, getting squeezed into turn one to drop to P4.

Lap two and as predicted, safety car. A large incident lower down the field littered debris over the track and heavily damaged the Armco barriers. Ultimately, too much damaged to be repaired and send the race green again. The safety car came in with just one racing lap left but a slow zone remained in place for the damaged barrier. This didn’t give Tom any opportunity to fight back for a podium place, finishing P4. Although James did manage to pick up another place to finish a superb 10th in class and 16th overall.

Tom said, “what a privilege to race here at Le Mans – it’s such a special event. I felt we lacked a bit of top end speed compared to our rivals but it’s something we can work on moving onto Estoril next month. I’ve had an amazing week”. James commented “This is the best circuit ever. It’s amazing and I can’t believe I’ve just raced at Le Mans. An incredible weekend I will cherish forever.”

Tom and James sit P2 and P8 in their respective classes for the championship. The team is proud of what they have achieve so far and the results are quite incredible given they are both in their rookie seasons.

Next up, Estoril – 14th and 15th July. Stay tuned!

Photography: Jakob Ebrey and Ferrari

Ferrari Challenge at Spielberg

 

Ferrari Challenge Europe headed to Austria’s Spielberg circuit a few weeks ago, for the season’s third round. Between the Tropheo Pirelli and Coppa Shell classes, over 50 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo cars lined up on the grid for what was a thrilling weekend in very changeable conditions.

While other competitors had the benefit of multiple days testing, diary clashes resulted in both Tom and James having had no running prior to the weekend. Less than ideal, but both are always able to quickly learn a new circuit, pick up the skills required and provide essential feedback to the team.

Ferrari Challenge Spielberg

Race 1

James put in a very impressive qualifying result, putting him 6th in class on the grid for the start of race one. He felt like he had more to give and we were certain this may be his time to pick up his first podium. Having to take avoiding action into turn one at the start, James dropped back 4 places, sadly making a podium unlikely this time. The ‘comeback king’ was on fine form and managed to pull off a series of impressive manoeuvres, the last of which was on the last corner of the last lap to bring him home to finish 5th in the PRO-AM class.

Tom qualified 4th on the grid and managed to steer clear of the first corner incident which forced the pack to scatter to avoid a spinning car. Tom came out the other side of the chaos in P3, and soon managed to build a gap between himself and P4. Another podium and great points haul for Tom’s championship fight in the PRO class.

Following the race, Tom said “It was a tough race, especially for tyre management. Apart from a small collision, I made a good start. In general, I think I can say that the race was challenging for everyone, especially to not exceed the track limits and, because of this, our times were a little higher than usual. Anyway, it’s a positive day, with more points won for my team.”

Race 2

James again qualified 6th in the PRO-AM class for race 2, perhaps now he can bag a podium place… Tom also repeated his race 1 qualifying performance, starting P4. Qualifying, as is now a theme of this years’ championship, was plagued by yellow flags and stoppages, ultimately cutting short both Tom and James’ session with both feeling they could have extracted more from the session.

The heavens opened for race 2, and James started the race from P6 in class but he dropped a few places initially.  However, he skillfully picked his way through the pack to return with another 5th place in the PRO-AM class.

Tom made an excellent start from 4th on the grid, immediately making up a place round the outside of the first corner to put himself ahead of former Formula One driver, Adrian Sutil. Tom pushed hard to gain on the car in P2 when the safety car came out due a car in the gravel. On the restart, Tom was again challenging for P2 but try as he may, he couldn’t find a way past. Tom then came under pressure from Sutil, after doing a sterling job to hold him off for several laps, Sutil eventually managed to pass Tom. In the closing stages of the race, Tom kept his tyres fresh and mounted an attack on Sutil to reclaim third. But he just couldn’t quite find a way past to secure that final podium place, so had to settle for 4th. A fantastic performance against a vastly more experienced driver!

James, in his first ever season of racing, currently sits equal 6th in the PRO-AM class, and Tom P2 in the PRO class in his first season of ‘big car’ racing. The fight is on and next up, Le Mans!

Photo Credit: Ferrari