Ferrari 488 Challenge
Revealed at Daytona during the Finali Mondiali event
is the new Ferrari 488 Challenge, the sixth model of its kind and the first to
go turbo. It's motivated by the same 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 as the road-going
488 GTB, producing the same 661 horsepower. Thanks to other modifications,
it's a heck of a lot faster.
The engine is remapped and unburdened by 43 pounds
of excess weight. The exhaust shaves another 19 lbs, and the gearbox has been
reprogrammed and fitted with shorter ratios. The Slip Angle Control system has
been reprogrammed as well, but the biggest changes were made to the vehicle's
aerodynamics.
Most obvious is the giant rear wing, derived from
the unit designed for the 488 GTE,
and went on to win its class in the FIA World Endurance Championship this
season.
The front end has been redesigned as well, with
inverted radiators to both improve cooling and reduce drag. There are new vents all over to help keep everything at optimal operating
temperatures while being hammered around the track for lap after lap.
The sum total is a car that can lap Ferrari's famed
Fiorano test track in 1:15.5. That's a full second faster than the 458
Challenge Evo it replaces, a solid seven and a half seconds faster than the
street-legal 488 GTB on which it's based, and more than four seconds faster
than LaFerrari (the fastest road car ever to lap the circuit).
Launched in 1992 with the 348, the Ferrari Challenge
is celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. Over the course of that
quarter-century, the series has attracted over 1,000 drivers to take part in
more than 1,000 races across three continents.
