[Schumacher]

A firend of mine who is an instructor at Audi High Performance Driving was asked if he would instruct at a local Ferrari 360 Challenge driving course today. He naturally jumped at the chance and has so far phoned me three times from inside the car so that I can listen to the engine note. I have listended to at least 10 minutes of this today!

Awesome.

To check out the course that he is instructing, check out the website www.taurinoracing.co.za

regards

 

[Dmitri]

You just run into all sorts of up close and personal Ferrari moments, huh? There you go making us Jealous again.

 

[Schumacher]

Not my intention at all to make you jealous. It is quite interesting thiough how all thing dovetail together. When my friend and I went to see the GTO, it was at the workshop that prepares and runs the 360 Challenge course. It was while we were there that he was asked if he could help out by instructing for a day.

It was quite funny, after we got back into the car he was like: "so... they want me to drive a 360 Challenge car for the day.... on the racetrack... and get paid for it! Where do I sign???"

The South African exotic car market is very small and tightly knit. By getting involved with the Ferrari club and visiting the main dealers, you get to be involved with lots of aspects involving Ferrari.

 

[Boxer]

I have done the 360 Challenge in Europe several times and it is great great fun. These are fantastic cars on the track.

 

[Schumacher]

From what I understand the used Ferrari Challenge cars are very well priced.

I've heard a saying that today's racing car is tomorrow's bargain!

 

[Boxer]

From what I understand the used Ferrari Challenge cars are very well priced.

I've heard a saying that today's racing car is tomorrow's bargain!

I don't think there is every really a bargain in the world of Ferrari. You either pay up front or shortly thereafter.....

Challenge cars seem low priced but they have had hard lives and are $$$$ to keep in top condition.

 

[archiegibbs]

I don't think there is every really a bargain in the world of Ferrari. You either pay up front or shortly thereafter.....

Challenge cars seem low priced but they have had hard lives and are $$$$ to keep in top condition.

I've seen the way the cars are abused by the corporate day trippers at Silverstone. I wouldn't buy a used Ferrari that was formerly a track car for corporate joy riders.

I haven't driven a Ferrari on a corporate jolly, but I have driven lots of quality sports cars on these events and they are seriously abused (including by me).

They might be very well maintained mechanically, but they suffer from poor quality body/paint repairs and as Boxer says live hard lives. Best avoided I think.

 

[Saint Bastage]

See...now thats another quandry. When I was searching out my car, I had a very specific set of parameters. One of the most important was "never tracked". I would have to see a huge price drop to even consider such a car.

Now I have my beauty. There's nothing I would love more than to experience her moves on a closed course. I even went to the FCA Empire State meet at Limerock. Ohh so close but chickened out. Just one little stupid mistake can ruin her value and cost an absolute fortune. Better to watch the other's and hope to get a ride.

Maybe someday I be able to afford a Beater. Then...look out...here I come. The true meaning of "Saint Bastard" will be obvious.

 

[archiegibbs]

Personally tracking your own car is completely different.
You know it's your car and would treat it with far more respect than anyone else. No jumping on the seats, scraping the door sills with your shoes, leaning against the paintwork with studs or rivets in your jeans, heavy handed use of the controls, revving it to 8000 RPM and letting the clutch out, powerslides, handbrake turns ...etc.
If you want to track your car, go ahead, just don't let anyone else drive it, and it will still be in pristine condition when you drive it home.

 

[Saint Bastage]

You and I think alike...Long term owners of our babies. When the time comes to sell the car some 20 or 30 years from now, and the potential buyer asks "has it ever been tracked?" I guess my answer will be "Yes, but only by me". Hopefully that buyer won't be as picky as I was. Then again, how many 348 Speciales will be around in 2037.

Probably the most important reason for me to just enjoy the ride is my loss of reaction time, Fat ass, vision decay, and general inability to handle high G's due to age. I don't even like roller coasters anymore and Hot Young chicks just piss me off.

sheesh...that sounds alot like a mid-life crisis...I guess it would be a nasty one if I cared...I'm real content to just enjoy the ride. Cruise a country road listening to the beautiful music played by those pipes with an occasional mass acceleration through second and third. What more could I ask.

 

[archiegibbs]

I agree with everything except the hot young chicks

 

[Saint Bastage]

Just so you understand...They piss me off cuz I can't have them

 

[archiegibbs]

Nor can I, my wife would remove my dangly bits, but it doesn't mean I can't dream

 

[Saint Bastage]

My wife is half Italian, half Greek. Dangly bit removal would be the least of my worries. The only saving grace would be that I would get buried in my Ferrari

 

[archiegibbs]

It beats a wooden box

 

[Boxer]

See...now thats another quandry. When I was searching out my car, I had a very specific set of parameters. One of the most important was "never tracked". I would have to see a huge price drop to even consider such a car.

Now I have my beauty. There's nothing I would love more than to experience her moves on a closed course. I even went to the FCA Empire State meet at Limerock. Ohh so close but chickened out. Just one little stupid mistake can ruin her value and cost an absolute fortune. Better to watch the other's and hope to get a ride.

Maybe someday I be able to afford a Beater. Then...look out...here I come. The true meaning of "Saint Bastard" will be obvious.

I have never understood the concern on if a car has been tracked or not (not that you can really ever prove if it has or has not). When you buy a Ferrari, you are making the the purchase decision based on the current condition of the car, not what type of pavement it might or might not have been driven on in the past. You can put just just as much wear and stress on a car pounding it up empty twisty mountain roads as running it around a track. What is important is the how it has been maintained and the current condition.

 

[Saint Bastage]

While there is a lot of truth in what you are saying, the "Track" aspect suggests a differant type of driver and a much lower expectation of replaced body panels, or major internal damage. I work under the assumtion that people driving on the mean streets are not nugging there way through corners or taking the RPM's just that much higher trying to pass. The spirit of competition that can only be experienced on a closed course drives us to do things we would not normally try. Can you do as much damage on a street...sure...are you more likely to...no.

Just my opinion

Track engines and tranny's get major rebuilds at a much higher frequency than street engines. What would be the reason for that if it isn't pushed harder.

 

[Boxer]

In general I do agree wiht your comments. I think we are talking about two slight different things though. The 1st is a Ferrari which basically spends its life on a track and likely gets raced vs. the second, to which I was thinking of when I wrote my comments, is the Ferrari which on occassion gets taken to the track for club days etc.