Five Races to do in Your Ferrari Challenge Car This Year

Ferrari Racing

1. Bell Sport Challenge, Festival Italia – Brands Hatch 11th August

Running on the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch on the 11th August, this single round will be in front of the crowds for the annual Festival Italia – a celebration of Italian machinery. The format will follow a qualifying session and two 25 minute races, creating an action packed day of racing.

The entry list already has 12 cars confirmed and there is limited space for more. Eligible cars are Ferrari all 360, 430, 458, 488 Challenge models. The action also includes racing from the Superformance Ferrari Club Classic, for Ferrari 308, 328, 348, and 355 which is always a great show.

2. GT Trophy – Silverstone GP 23-25 August

Join one of the biggest race meetings of the year, The Silverstone Festival. This annual event features car of all eras, from 1960s sports and touring cars, and some of the latest Le Mans machinery.

The Masters GT Trophy race is eligible for all paddle shift Ferrari Challenge models, 360-488 and the grid also contains Porsche Carrera Cup cars and Lamborghini Super Trofeos. The 50 minute race with a mandatory pit stop allows one or two drivers per car in what will surely be a sell out grid. Get ready to wave to the crowds!

3. GT Cup – Silverstone GP 27-28 July

Founded in 2007, GT Cup caters for all types of modern GT cars in a multiclass format contains GT3s, GT4s, Challenge cars, even down to some homemade specials!

The weekend format contained two 25 minute sprint races, and two 50 minute pit stop races, ensuring plenty of track time and competitive racing. Cars can be driven solo, but preferably shared with a PRO driver if you’d like to get on the podium in this competitive series.

4. GT Trophy – Donington 3-4 August

Another entry for GT Trophy, this time at Donington for the Masters Historic Festival. Again the weekend features cars of all eras, from 1960s sports and touring cars and some of the latest Le Mans machinery, but this time there are two 45 minute pitstop races over the weekend, for one or two drivers.

The Masters GT Trophy race is eligible for all paddle shift Ferrari Challenge models, 360-488 and the grid also contains Porsche Carrera Cup cars and Lamborghini Super Trofeos. The 50 minute race with a mandatory pit stop, allows one or two drivers per car in what will sure to be a sell out grid.

5. British Endurance Championship – Donington 10th August

BEC features multiple classes within their 2 hour endurance format, which includes mandatory pitstops, tyre changes and refuelling, making these races as much about strategy as outright pace. And all of that takes place over just one day!

Fast and frantic, BEC is open to all paddle shift Ferrari Challenge cars and GT3 specification cars, for one or two drivers – but do it with a friend and have some fun!

FF Corse provide race preparation, logistics and race support for all of the above events and more. If you would like further details, or to submit an entry, please get in touch.

Get Your Race Licence

Getting your circuit racing licence isn’t as daunting as you may think. There are many advantages of getting your race licence – even if you don’t intend to go racing.

Cars For Sale

Are you looking for your next race car? FF Corse have a selection of Ferraris for sale,  and we offer a pre-purchase inspection report for your peace of mind.

Get Your Racing Licence

There are many advantages of getting your race licence – even if you don’t intend to go racing.

Getting your circuit racing licence isn’t as daunting as you may think.

Completed in just half a day, you will start with a simple written test proving your knowledge of flags and general track safety. This is followed by a short session on track to prove you understand the racing line and are in control of the car. That’s it! Depending on your age, you may also require a medical and eye test.

There are many advantages to completing your ARDS (Association of Racing Driver Schools) test.

Test Days

Different to track days, test days are only for racing cars and those with a race licence. Cars are generally closer in performance compared to track day roads cars, and the standard of driving is of a higher quality.

Test days also permit live lap timing, allowing us to track your performance during the day closely. Furthermore, unlike a track day, overtaking is permitted in the corners, as well as on the straights.

Ultimately, test days generally have far fewer cars on track and higher noise limits, so no getting stuck behind that pesky Renault Clio, or being warned for making too much noise!

Try a Race

If you have a race licence, there are a huge range of options to enter your first race and it doesn’t have to be in a Ferrari. We work closely with a number of teams to provide fun and inexpensive race experiences such as Mazda MX5s, Funcup and Porsche Boxsters. Each race you complete will get you closer to upgrading your licence, allowing you to race higher-powered machinery, such as a Ferrari.

Sound good. Where do I start?

Order your Motorsport UK ‘Go Racing’ Pack. Just £109, the pack includes all the information you need to pass your ARDS test, as well as the application form. You can order one by clicking the following link.

And then?

Get your medical and eye test (if required) and give us a call. We can conduct your ARDS test on any of our UK track days. We can organise a car for you to use on the day, or you can use your own. Alternatively, you can do a specific ARDS course with a race school.

Ferrari Club Challenge UK 2024

FF Corse to provide customer support for Ferrari Club Challenge UK

FF Corse will continue to provide customer support to Ferrari’s on track activities, to be run in conjunction with Ferrari Challenge UK.

Club Challenge UK (previously Passione Challenge Edition) is hosted by the Ferrari Challenge race series and is designed to be a perfect introduction to those considering racing in the series or those wishing to get their cars on track in the UK. Solely supported by FF Corse, entries for the series are now invited.

The event will focus on refining your skills and developing you as a driver. Not a traditional racing competition, but an against the clock format still providing a competitive element.

All new members will receive a personalised set of racing equipment, including a race suit, boots, gloves, and protective undergarments. The package includes season entry fees, trackside, and customer support, full hospitality for drivers and a companion, including all-day refreshments, lunch, and a dinner with the Ferrari Challenge race series drivers.

Club Challenge UK offers 30 hours of track time across the season, but it will also entitle entrants to superb hospitality over the weekend for drivers and guests.

Full Season – What’s Included

Entry to all 5 rounds – 10 Days on Track

Trackside Support for all 5 Rounds – 30 Hours of Track Time

Ferrari Hospitality for Driver and a Guest for all 5 Rounds

Logistics for all 5 Rounds

Annual Vehicle Storage

Season Client Manager

Personalised Race Suit, Boots, Gloves and Underlayers

2024 Season Calendar

20th – 21st April – Brands Hatch

10th – 11th May – Oulton Park

8th – 9th June – Snetterton

20th – 21st July – Donington Park

14th – 15th September – Silverstone

Join an exclusive driving club and take to the track. You will be provided with all the guidance and support you need whether you are a complete novice or have experience on track. Our expert team and driver coaches will show you the way.

Entries are now open and can be secured via your Ferrari dealer or FF Corse. We have a selection of Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos for sale, all run and maintained by FF Corse from new.

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.

FF Corse x Caffeine & Machine

On Monday FF Corse welcomed Caffeine and Machine 313 club members again, only this time we were trackside, running numerous customer cars on a trackday. This exciting gathering brought together car aficionados, track enthusiasts, and Ferrari lovers for a day of adrenaline-pumping action, a simulator challenge, delectable catering, and the mesmerizing sight of seven Ferraris blazing around the iconic Silverstone circuit.

Caffeine and Machine are a community of car enthusiasts and petrolheads who share a passion for everything automotive. Members were invited try their hand on the simulator in a bid to post the fastest time to be in with a chance of winning tickets to the United States Grand Prix! The Blade simulator, kindly supplied by Fenz Racing, was a massive hit and in constant use all day.

Guests were able to watch the track-action from the pitwall, or venture off to watch from popular viewing points around the iconic Silverstone circuit. Spending the day with us in the pitlane garages also gave members the opportunity to speak to the various drivers and coaches who joined us for the day. There was also free tea, coffee and snacks available all day, a lounge area with sofas to relax in, and lunch provided by the wonderful Bread and Butter Catering.

Image Gallery

Photos by Charlie B Photography

Interested in being involved? Get in touch to learn more:


Supercar Driver visit FF Corse

Last week we welcomed Supercar Driver into our workshop, and they also joined us trackside for a Silverstone trackday in which we were running four cars. Members enjoyed watching techs working on the cars in the garage and viewing the trackday action from the pit wall. Members also tried their hand on a Blade simuulator, developed by Aston Martin driver and three-time Le Mans winner Darren Turner. Thank you to Base Performance Simulators for providing the sim.

We thoroughly enjoyed meeting some SCD members and it was also a real pleasure to see their stunning collection of cars!

View more photos from the day here.

Further dates for 2023 released

We’re getting excited for 2023, as yet more dates are released. Please follow the links below to view all available dates so far, more will be added as they become available!

2023 Track & Test Days

2023 Race Calendar

Ferrari Challenge Europe Silverstone Race Report

 

Xpel Ferrari Challenge Evo

The Ferrari Challenge Europe Championship is exclusive to 488 Challenge Evo cars, making for a competitive series with teams and drivers entering from all over Europe. As the circuits change each year, it is a rare occasion that it comes to our home circuit, Silverstone, having last raced here in 2018.

Our driver Jack Brown, supported by Xpel Ltd, have previously competed in Ferrari Challenge but not since 2019 having spent some time in a BMW GT4 in the British GT Championship. Keen to make a return with the FF Corse team, a late entry gave us just one day of testing prior to the race, in what was the heatwave we will all remember. A successful shakedown of car and driver, but due to the heat, not demonstrative of our potential pace.

As the myriad of Ferrari structures are built around us, we start the Friday test and Jack is immediately showing good pace finishing third fastest of his class, Pirelli Trofeo AM, although scuppered by a red flag mid-session resulting in the session not restarting. Later that day, Jack is out again putting in good times until a power steering issue ended our session early. No quick fix, the team set to work replacing the entire power steering system overnight. Interestingly, cars either side of us in the garage were conducting the same repair!

Xpel Ferrari Challenge Evo on the grid at Silverstone

Come Saturday morning, the car is setup and given a clean bill of health, ahead of morning qualifying and race later in the afternoon. With some small setup changes made and pointers from our team, we sent Jack out for his first qualifying session. We know Jack has the raw pace but would his very limited time in the car be enough to ensure a good result? No need for concern as early in the session, Jack goes P1 in class and fifth overall, over a second clear of the next car in class. Technical Manager for FF Corse Jason Cull makes the decision to bring Jack in and save the tyres having surely done enough to secure pole. As the session end, Jack remains P1 – a perfect result and stellar performance by Jack and the team.

Just a few hours later, its race one of the weekend. As the car rolls onto the grid, we are confident of retaining P1 one in class and hopeful Jack may even be able to pick up an overall podium. It’s a rolling race start and as the car head over the line, Jack gets boxed in and drops to P2. Jack keeps a steady pace and consistently closes the gap but is sadly runs out of time and as the flag drops, finishes P2 just 8 tenths of a second behind the leader. Perhaps not what we had hoped for but a very strong result on Jack’s first weekend back. The car is again prepared by the team, setup and tucked in the for the night ahead of race two.

Sunday repeats the same format, morning qualifying and afternoon race. Qualifying sees Jack put in a steady performance to save his tyres for the race, hoping to push hard to the front, qualifying him sixth overall and P3 in class. With fresh tyres, the car well setup and hungry for a good result, the car again rolls out for the second and final race of the weekend. As Jack conducts his lap to the grid, he immediately radios into the team, “Down on power. Down on power…”. The team rush to the grid but with only minutes to spare, we are forced to push the car off the grid and miss the race start. A heart-breaking moment for all and once back in the garage, it is evident that is where our weekend ends as the issue is diagnosed as a turbo failure, not something we could have foreseen or repaired in time to get back into the race.

A tough way to end the weekend but we are all pleased with Saturday’s result which shows great promise for future rounds of Ferrari European Challenge. It was great to have Jack back racing with FF Corse and thanks to Xpel Ltd for their support.

Jack Brown Racing on the podium

Ferrari Racing Days – Silverstone: September 12th – 14th 2014

The Ferrari Racing Days will visit Silverstone, the home of FF Corse, again this September. The track activities will include the factory run Formula 1 Corse Clienti programme and the fantastic Ferrari FXX & 599XX supercars. Along with these activities the racing will include FF Corse driver entries in the European Ferrari Challenge Series and the UK Ferrari Open series.

The Ferrari Open will consist of two races on the GP Circuit (Sat/Sun) along with additional testing time on Friday. FF Corse drivers wishing to race in the UK Ferrari Open event are welcome to enter, hospitality packages are also available. For further information please contact Anthony Cheshire on 01327 857601 or e-mail [email protected].

Ferrari owners can register with Ferrari for complimentary tickets and VIP centre parking. Further details about the event and how to register are available through the Ferrari website link at http://corseclienti.ferrari.com/2014en/race/silverstone/

FF Corse
FF Corse offer specialised Management services for drivers of Ferrari Challenge & GT cars. Based at Silverstone, the company provides client owned and hire car programmes for over 40 Ferrari Challenge & GT cars.
For further information on track-day, corporate and race programmes, please contact Anthony Cheshire on 01327 857601 or email [email protected]
Follow us via Twitter @ffcorse and on our FF Corse Facebook page.

Busy Track-day with the FOC at Silverstone

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The sun came out shining and so did the cars for a track-day at Silverstone for FF Corse and the Ferrari Owners’ Club of Great Britain. It was a busy garage for the FF Corse team who were running 9 cars and their drivers for the day, which ran smoothly without a hitch in the Race-Car sessions and then in the open sessions.

 

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