The Gala evening of the Ferrari World Finals was the scene of parties, awards and above all the presentation of some new features.
In the tent set up in the Mugello paddock, 1200 guests took part in the dinner which began immediately with the video “Emozioni Ferrari”, in which the most beautiful images of the Prancing Horse’s GT Sports Activities were shown, followed by the award ceremony of the Ferrari Challenge Champions of Europe, North America, UK and Japan.
“It’s a fantastic evening and you are the demonstration of what the essence of Ferrari motorsport means, so thank you for what you transmit to us through adrenaline, driving precision and speed on the track”, said the CEO of Ferrari , Benedetto Vigna, referring to the winners of the Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli categories as they proudly lifted their cups.
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari World Finals 2023, atmosphere Gala dinner: Enrico Galliera, Benedetto Vigna, Antonello Coletta
Subsequently, the microphone on the stage was passed to Enrico Galliera, Ferrari Commercial Director, who introduced the subsequent phases of the evening, starting from the unveiling of the 296 Challenge, displayed on the right-hand side and ready to race in the Maranello single-make series from 2024 starting from the continental series and then also arriving at the national ones from the following year.
“This year is special because we have two cars to present, the first time for us at the World Finals. The first is a new model which from next year will take the place of the most successful and appreciated car of the Challenge, the 488”, Galliera said.
“For the first time, the 296 Challenge presents an internal combustion V6, with many new technical features such as the braking system, designed to improve braking and driving sensitivity, also considering the lighter weight of the vehicle”.
“The confirmation is that at Mugello the car lapped 2″ less than the previous model, confirming the enormous work that went into its creation.”
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari World Finals 2023, atmosphere Gala dinner: Ferrari 296 Challenge
Following is one of the most emotional moments, which sent endless shivers down my spine and shed a few tears of emotion. We are obviously talking about the great feat accomplished at the 24h of Le Mans by the Ferrari AF Corse team with the 499P #51 driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado, capable of triumphing in the Centenary edition of the French classic.
With them on the stage were also their companions from the #50, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco, the latter applauded for the Hyperpole achieved in the timed trials on the Circuit de la Sarthe, as well as the boss Antonello Coletta and the engineer Ferdinando Cannizzo.
“Obviously thinking that 5 years ago I was here as Ferrari Challenge Champion, and now as a WEC driver fills me with pride, also confirming what the Maranello single-brand platform can do, for which I can only thank the Ferrari,” Nielsen said.
Fuoco instead recalled the record in Qualifying: “It was a beautiful lap, very exciting, I’m clearly very happy with what we did”.
Molina added: “It’s always special to be part of this family, in a very special moment because it was the first year with the LMH prototype. We want to continue making history, thank you all for the support.”
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari World Finals 2023, gala dinner atmosphere
Calado was also smiling: “It’s a fantastic moment and I would like to thank everyone who worked on this project: mechanics, managers, drivers, engineers. They were the key to achieving this fantastic success.”
Pier Guidi instead returned to the episode of the long pit stop, with the reset of the car which made everyone break out in a cold sweat: “Luckily I had a note attached to the top of the cockpit with the procedure written on it, it went well and it was exciting be able to win.”
Giovinazzi was also very excited: “It was a long and challenging season for me as I was making my debut, but winning Le Mans after 50 was a historic result for us and we want to continue fighting to do even better next year”.
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari World Finals 2023, atmosphere Gala dinner: Ferrari 499P Modified
After the usual photos and another well-deserved standing ovation, we moved on to the second presentation, that of the 499P Modificata, the car derived from the Hypercar which will give life to the new Ferrari Customer Sports Prototype category, for those who want to drive it on the track in non-competitive sessions.
“This project was born thanks to all the Ferrari customers who race and who expressed interest in it. 400 people worked on it, identifying the right people. Next year we will launch this new program called Sport Prototipi Clienti and we needed a dedicated car”, he continues Galliera.
“It was easy to find it, something special like the 499P that won Le Mans, created in a limited series with some changes, not being subject to regulatory restrictions. It will have more power thanks to new software, it will be lighter, it will benefit from the push-to-pass with the addition of power and all-wheel drive active immediately.”
It was subsequently announced that the 2024 Ferrari World Finals will be held in Imola on the weekend of 16-20 October, returning to the Santerno circuit as happened in 2022.
The grand finale was obviously the group photo with all the professionals who have this program in hand, and then leaving room for the inevitable ritual photos with these two fantastic cars.
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