Antonello Coletta, Global Head Endurance and Corse Clienti, looks back on the 2023 season which, in addition to the launch of two new cars, the Ferrari 499P Modificata and the 296 Challenge, the ninth model of the Prancing Horse single-brand series which will debut on the track in 2024, was characterized by record participation in non-competitive programs aimed at customers.
Coletta, in 2023 the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli crossed the finish line of its 31st season: what is the outcome of the year?
“The history of our single-make brand, the longest running in the world, represents a unique event on the international scene. From the debut of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in 1993 to today, the championship has established itself on an international level and the season just concluded also confirms the goodness of our project in continuous evolution. The number of subscribers to the Europe and North America series remains at the highest levels, furthermore this year we have witnessed a sort of 'rebirth' of the UK series after the complicated years conditioned by Covid-19, while the new series national team was a huge success and catalyzed considerable enthusiasm.”
A championship which this year too has given some young drivers the opportunity to demonstrate their value: this is the case, for example, of Eliseo Donno, winner of the Pirelli Europe Trophy…
“A positive sign for our single-make series which in the past has been a launching pad for several drivers. I'm thinking for example of Nicklas Nieslen, winner of the European series in 2018, who after that season entered the world of GT competitions with Ferrari and found himself, five years later, among the six drivers who competed with the 499P in the FIA WEC. A growth path only possible in Ferrari.”
Photo by: Federico Basile | AG Photo
#19 Eliseo Donno, Radicci Automobili
The season saw the launch of two new cars: the 296 Challenge and the 499P Modificata which inaugurates the new Sport Prototipi Clienti programme. What do they represent for the future of Corse Clienti?
“With the 296 Challenge, which will make its racing debut next year in the Europe and North America series, we are entering the future of the single-make series. The ninth model in the history of the Ferrari Challenge introduces substantial innovations. From an engine point of view, for example, the adoption of the V6 derived from the 296 GTB is a real turning point considering that previously the Challenge cars had always fitted eight-cylinder engines. The 296 Challenge, capable of delivering 700 HP, as well as being the most powerful car ever to appear in the single-make series, rewrites new standards in terms of performance, aerodynamics and driving fun for the customer.”
“The 499P Modificata, however, represents something unique in the international motoring panorama, a strictly limited series car designed for the enjoyment on the track, not in the race, of customers who will have the opportunity to drive a car very similar to the one entered into the legend by winning Le Mans”.
The World Finals at Mugello concluded the season with record numbers…
“Numbers that testify to the good health of our Customer Racing department. As many as 103 drivers competed in Tuscany, representing 24 nationalities, who challenged for the world title. Furthermore, an extraordinary participation involved the non-competitive programs for customers, with 19 F1 Clienti single-seaters and 56 XX Program cars brought to the track by 88 drivers arriving from 25 countries, while the Club Competizioni GT involved 37 drivers from 14 nationalities. Finally, I would like to remember how the Course Pilota, which this year saw the introduction of some new teaching methods and proposals, has garnered widespread acclaim by knowing how to renew itself. In addition to the extraordinary figures, these data are testimony to the affection shown by our customers”.
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