UNVEILING THE NEW FERRARI 458 CHALLENGE…
The 2011 Ferrari Challenge season will welcome the new 458 rocket. As the most captivated FC driver in history, it seemed almost logical that Scott TUCKER was one of the first to test the terrible machine. The Maranello racing car will benefit from the F-1 Trac system, and will be equipped with Brembo CCM2 brakes that TUCKER has already experienced on the Ferrari 599XX that it is helping to develop.
▌ TESTS OF THE FERRARI F458 IN VALENCIA
The F458 will replace the F430 Challenge which has been the absolute reference since 2006. TUCKER participated in the first F430 event at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and won the last official race with this car last month at the Ferrari World Finals. “I will always be particularly fond of the F430 given the tremendous success we’ve had in that car,” saidTUCKERwhich counts with her 32 victories, 45 podiums, 2 consecutive titles of champion of USA and 3 titles of vice-champion of the USA …“But, it’s always exciting to get into a new race car, especially one that comes from Maranello.”
Following his performances of the World Finals at the “Ricardo Tormo Valenciana Valencian Community” in Spain, TUCKER takes the reins of this new supercar, testing any system of this more powerful and lighter stallion. The platform is that of the 458 Italia, but is radicalized for the competition: 570hp, V8 direct injection (9000 RPM), and a gearbox modified to cash more torque at low speeds. The car is also equipped with Brembo CCM2 brakes, directly from the 599XX, another horse with which TUCKER is rather complicit. “I was asked to test the 599XX and had a hand in helping to develop that car,” he said. “I got to experience the new braking system in the very early going, and I have to say that it is fantastic. It’s going to be a great addition to the Challenge car.”
Another first for a Challenge model is the addition of the F-1 Trac traction control system, the most sophisticated of its kind. Developed in-house by Ferrari, this system monitors grip for maximum high-performance and employs logic and strategies derived from Ferrari’s extensive racing experience in the Formula One series.
