Inside Ferrari’s Exclusive Single-Make Customer Racing Series

By Ben McKimm - News

Published: 2 Oct 2024

Kangaroos, emus, wombats, Coopers beer, R.M. Williams boots, and speed cameras. These are just a handful of icons that Australia has become known for. So what do you do when you have enough money to get your hands on the vehicle of your dreams but have nowhere to use it without going from zero-to-jail in less than 7-seconds? You buy yourself a Ferrari race car and travel to the best race tracks in the country as part of the single-make Ferrari Challenge customer racing series.

This year, the series is coming to Australasia with a five-round calendar that welcomes the new Ferrari 296 Challenge race car to our region.

We travelled to The Bend Motorsport Park outside of Adelaide to get a sneak preview of what the new Ferrari 296 Challenge car can do. However, it was also a chance to discover how the brand’s top motorsport-inclined customers use their cars. Make no mistake—these are not cashed-up retirees with too much spare time and good taste in cars. These owners drive hard and race door-to-door as part of the one-make series. Here’s everything that happened.

Ferrari 296 challenge fitting in the car — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ben McKimm / Man of Many

We arrived at the track a day earlier, allowing us to watch a few of the customers (drivers) lapping their current-generation Ferrari 488 Challenge cars around the 4.95km long International Circuit at The Bend Motorsport Park. They’re fast, sound great, and there are few things in life cooler than owning a Ferrari race car and cutting laps at one of the best tracks in the country on a Wednesday afternoon.

Of course, you don’t own one Ferrari race car, and some owners brought a second car to balance out the new with the old.

When the next day arrived, it was time to get acquainted with the new Ferrari 296 Challenge car before we sat passenger at the mercy of a not-so-tame racing driver. We donned our Ferrari Challenge racing suits, helmets, and gloves, and suddenly, the idea of keeping our breakfast down became paramount.

Ferrari 296 challenge front end side on — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ferrari

Ferrari 296 challenge top down front three quarter — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ferrari

Ferrari 296 Challenge Technical Specifications

Engine
- Type: V6 – 120° – turbo – dry sump
- Displacement: 2992 cc
- Max. power output: 700 cv @ 7500 rpm
- Max. torque: 740 Nm @ 6000 rpm
- Max. revs: 8500 rpm
Dimensions and weights
- Length: 4602 mm
- Width: 1958 mm
- Height: 1159 mm
- Wheelbase: 2600 mm
- Front track: 1715 mm
- Rear track: 1647 mm
- Dry weight: 1330 kg
- Tank capacity: 140-litres
Tyres and wheels
- Front: 280/680 ZR19 J11
- Rear: 300/720 ZR19 J12
Brakes
- Front disc: 408 x 233 x 38 mm
- Rear disc: 390 x 265 x 32 mm
Transmission and gearbox
- 7-speed F1 DCT
Electronic controls
- TC/e-Diff, EPS, ABS EVO/EBD

Key changes have been made to the Ferrari 296 Challenge, based on an already bonkers-fast road-going variant that takes it to another level compared to the existing Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo.

Firstly, the trick hybrid electric system from the road car has been removed as it’s unnecessary for racing. To compensate for the power loss, boost pressure has been added to the twin-turbo V6 engine, which now produces 700cv at 7500rpm (+37cv) and 740Nm of torque at 6000rpm. The car sounds excellent with a new straight-through exhaust system that exits through the centre of the rear bumper in traditional Ferrari Challenge style.

Second, major changes have been made to aerodynamics, and the 296 Challenge can generate up to 870 kg of downforce at 250 km/h with the spoiler at its maximum angle of attack. This represents an 18% increase in downforce compared to the 488 Challenge Evo. However, for all this downforce, the car remains as slippery on the straights as the previous-generation vehicle. There are many splitters at the front and rear of the car, but the real aerodynamic trickery is invisible. Underneath the front end, you’ll find a Formula 1-inspired S-Duct channel that forces the turbulent air from under the car to the top, where it’s more stable and consistent. For drivers, this reduces the sensitivity of the 296 Challenge to pitch, especially under braking.

Thirdly, braking has taken the biggest leap forward for this new car. You’re looking at the world-first adoption of CCM-R PLUS for the brake discs (408mm diameter front and 390 mm rear). These brake discs double the durability of those on the 488 Challenge and triple the thermal conductivity. Ferrari makes no qualms in saying these brakes exceed the performance of all other carbon-ceramic brakes used in racing, and after a few laps with the instructor, we (and our bacon and egg roll) believe them.

Ben mckimm inside 296 challenge — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ferrari

Of course, we’re barely scratching the surface of the additions that have been made to the new Ferrari 296 Challenge. Only a handful of people will ever experience this vehicle. However, maybe the most exciting thing for enthusiasts is that some of these elements could theoretically make their way onto a road car in the future. We’d be particularly curious about the S-Duct channel, which could help push the Ferrari 296 road car to SF90 XX levels of capability.

We squeezed ourselves into the passenger seat of the 296 Challenge and kept our breakfast down. This is a seriously impressive vehicle, and while we didn’t get to steer it around the track, it gave us a taste of what customers, especially those moving from 488 Challenge Evo, will experience when they get behind the wheel for the first time.

Ferrari 296 challenge at the bend — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ben McKimm / Man of Many

It’s intense, as a race car should be. However, for such a quick car, it still affords a level of confidence that you struggle to find in others. Thanks to the advanced front end and aerodynamics, there’s room for mid-corner adjustments. You can easily push it down to the apex, and with a corner approaching at light speed, you can rely on those state-of-the-art brakes more than any race car we’ve sat in. Most importantly, the car looks and sounds like a Ferrari race car should.

Speaking with instructors, the feedback from customers was much the same. They were thrilled at how approachable speed was in this car, and the time sheets told the same story. Within a handful of laps, the top drivers were already within a few seconds of their fastest time at this circuit in their 488 Challenge Evo cars. Put yourself in the shoes of a wealthy person who loves Ferraris, and you can understand why the car is set up this way.

Ferrari 296 challenge s duct — Ferrari 296 Challenge | Image: Ferrari

While this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us, those with deep pockets can walk into a Ferrari dealership and start the process for buying one of these cars to race.

If you’re wondering how much it costs to enter the Ferrari 296 Challenge series, it can be quite hard to give an exact figure as it can change from state-to-state and region-to-region. However, the Ferrari 296 Challenge will cost from AUD$650,000 for the car (road car costs from AUD$604,000), and then about $200,000 ($40,000 per round) to enter the series.

Here’s everything you get for entering the Ferrari 296 Challenege series: