Ferrari 458 Challenge debuts
Meet Ferrari’s new racing challenger. The 458 Challenge has just been revealed at Ferrari’s Annual Dealer Meeting, held at the firm’s base in Maranello.
Hot on the heels of the road-going 458 Italia, the Challenge uses the same 562bhp 4.5-litre V8 as the production car. But there have been changes to the gear ratios and the gearbox software to deliver more torque at lower revs.
The big changes are to do with the 458’s weight. A crash diet of carbon fibre and lexan polycarbonate, plus thinner body panels has shaved weight, but Ferrari refuses to say just how much has been saved.
The suspension has been lowered by 30mm and now uses some very focussed single-rate dampers with stiffer springs, and centre-nut 19-inch racing wheels wearing Pirelli slick tyres. To ensure adequate stopping power, Ferrari has borrowed the Brembo CCM2 carbon ceramic brakes from the 599XX. These are combined with a two-setting ABS system that can be switched for low grip or dry surfaces.
All in, the modifications have allowed Ferrari’s test drivers to shave two seconds off the F430 Challenge’s lap time at the firm’s Fiorano test track. The 458 Challenge will lap the track in 1m 16.5sec, and generate lateral-G figures of up to 1.6G in the process.
The 458 Challenge will hit circuits in 2011 as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, which sees track-prepared F430s, 360s, F355s and 348s do battle. The firm has also confirmed a new Asia-Pacific racing series, following Aston Martin’s lead with its Vantage one-make racer.
Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/
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