“Have you driven a Ferrari before?” The question threw me for a second. I’d been in Ferraris before, but upon deeper reflection, no, I had never driven one before.
That realisation, right as I carefully slid myself into a 296 GTS (painted in the perfectly-named Rosso Imola red) made the moment all the more special. This drive from Adelaide to The Bend Motorsport Park was something special. This was my first time driving a Ferrari.
READ MORE: Track Test – How the hybrid Ferrari 296 GTB handles itself on the limit
I’m glad I realised it when I did because I was able to saviour it so much more. It made me appreciate how beautiful the big, heavy key really is. How aggressively close to the ground you’re sitting. How the steering wheel screams performance.
It’s hard to know where to put your water bottle and if you’ve got more than a backpack with you, you’re in deep trouble. But it doesn’t matter. This is a two-seater Ferrari supercar. It has something called qualifying mode. What more do you want?
The deep ties to motorsport for Ferrari in general, and the 296 in particular, were important themes for our romp through the South Australian countryside. The primary purpose of the visit was the official launch of the brand new Ferrari Challenge Australasia racing series, which will kick off in 2025. Getting to unleash the road-going 296 on the way was just a bonus.
VIDEO: Ferrari 296 GTB Hot Lap with David Russell
I say unleash, but of course this was open, public roads and there were laws to be strictly adhered to. The beauty of modern supercars is that the brutality of super aggressive engine tuning and hard clutches and performance gearboxes, all the things that used to make these sorts of cars tough work at low speed, are mitigated by modern technology.
With the hybrid system in the 296 you can actually drive in traffic under full electric power (and plenty of it). It’s only once you give it a just enough throttle that the twin-turbo V6 bursts to life. Again, the delivery of the ICE is smooth as silk; in fact, if it wasn’t for the noise you wouldn’t know. It’s a fun party trick, the automatic switch from electric to ICE, but once or twice was enough. I didn’t jump in a Ferrari for a smooth, quiet ride.
So, with traffic cleared it was all about enjoying that twin-turbo V6 (in short, responsible bursts, obviously) and getting a few small insights into what a peak output of 830 horsepower (which it can make between ICE and hybrid in qualifying mode) feels like.
Spoiler alert, it’s a lot of fun. Even backing off is fun, given the full turbo experience has been provided. If you like aggressive turbo noise, you’re in for a treat.
Thankfully, at least as far as I’m concerned, it’s only the low-speed driving experience that has been sanitised. Once out on faster, bumpier roads, you’re left under no impression you’re driving anything but a Ferrari. You feel every bit of the road. For a purist with a racing background, it’s an incredible experience.
One word of warning, when they say the steering is direct, it really is. It’s all nice and manageable when you’re out on the open road, but be gentle when you go to avoid a pothole on the highway. You can find yourself in a different lane very quickly.
With Ferrari, it’s all about the experience. And that is clearly the case with the new Ferrari Challenge as well. Ferrari Challenge Australasia is an extension of the Club Challenge program that has been running in Australia since 2022.
Club Challenge gives customers the chance to buy a Challenge race car, which up until now have been mostly the 488 Evo model, and do track days with proper coaching and technical support, as well as the level of hospitality that Ferrari customers expect.
Like in other regions, such as Europe, North America, the UK and Japan, Australia will now have the next step of Ferrari’s ‘clienti’ program – a dedicated one-make racing series. Rather than targeting existing racing drivers, like GT World Challenge Australia or Carrera Cup or the plethora of other categories we have in this country, Ferrari wants to bring new drivers to the market.
The carrot is the brand new 296 Challenge which is, as you’d expect, stunning. Given this is the third generation of Challenge car following the 458 and 488, the key is in the refinement.
For example, the previous V8-powered versions suffered understeer. That’s quite normal for cars built for amateur drivers. But courtesy of an s-duct at the front, and swan neck mounts on the rear wing, Ferrari has been able to boost overall downforce and shift the balance more towards the front, without taking grip away from the rear and making the car too hard to drive.
A new braking package has a much wider operating window and the the fact that the hybrid system has been removed made room for a very good air conditioning unit to improve driver comfort.
The first V6-powered Challenge car may be without the hybrid help it gets on the road, but with a revised exhaust and other tuning it still makes 700 horsepower, more than 30 clear of the isolated ICE horsepower from the road car.
The general outcome is a race car that’s significantly quicker than the 488 Challenge. The older model will still be eligible for Ferrari Challenge Australasia, but will compete in a different class due to the performance deficit.
The entire Ferrari Challenge is dealer aligned, with customers who want to go racing buying a new 296 Challenge from their trusted Ferrari agent. The dealership will then be aligned with a Ferrari-approved team, which itself will work closely with AF Corse from Italy and Motokinetic here in Australia.
VIDEO: AVL takes a hot lap in the Ferrari 296 Challenge
You can take your 296 Challenge home with you if you want, but when it comes to racing the car, it’s full service. Your dealer-aligned team, under the guidance of those Italian and local partners, will run the car for you, provide you with an engineer and mechanics and a driver coach.
Not to mentioned you’ll have access to top-notch amenities and food during your day at the track. From the glimpse we saw at The Bend, it will be a premium experience.
What does it cost? Ferrari won’t tell you. Not unless they think you might actually buy one of these cars and go racing with it.
Funnily enough, the race car itself is cheaper than its road-going counterpart, given it’s not taxed the same as something that will be registered. But that’s not to say it’s cheap. And the rumblings are the budgets for a season are not for the faint-hearted.
The cost of both car and racing program means it will targeted at amateur drivers, rather than Pros like Carrera Cup. Ferrari is expecting 18-20 cars on the grid next year and says it has most of those spots already filled.
The five-round calendar is impressive, starting as a support category at the Bathurst 12 Hour and then joining the new SRO series at Phillip Island, Sydney Motorsport Park and The Bend. Another SMP event will be run by Ferrari itself.
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