What's all this about?
Ferrari has unveiled the latest car eligible for its single-make race series, known - for sponsorship reasons - as the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. Say hello, then, to the 296 Challenge.
Is this a GT3 racer?
No, the Ferrari 296 GT3 has already debuted in international competitive motorsport this season, whereas the 296 Challenge will replace the 488 Challenge Evo in the 2024 European and North American campaigns of the one-make championship. The 296 Challenge is the ninth racing Ferrari conceived for this competition and, fittingly, it was unveiled just before the final round of the 2023 campaign, a race which was held at Mugello in Tuscany. There's also a big gathering of all kinds of road and track-based Ferraris which attend, which is called Finali Mondiali.
Nice timing, Ferrari. So what's the tech spec of the 296 Challenge like?
Based on the 296 GTB road car, which was developed with one eye always focused on the idea it would go racing before long, and taking learnings from both of the aforementioned 296 GT3 and the 488 Challenge Evo, Ferrari says the 296 Challenge is a 'revolutionary design' compared to the car it is replacing. The 2992cc twin-turbo V6 at its core has been stripped of any hybrid assistance, but as it still develops robust outputs of 700hp and 740Nm, it can claim to be the Ferrari Challenge car with the highest specific output in history, clocking a huge 234hp-per-litre. Also, because this is the first Ferrari fitted with a V6 (the Dino doesn't count as the company viewed that as a sub-brand), then the 296 Challenge is also the first racer to take part in the series with a V6 engine, specifically a derivation of the road-going 120-degree unit. Changes to the aero package unleash fully 870kg of downforce with the spoiler in its maximum angle of attack setting, the 19-inch Pirelli tyres are bespoke-developed for the 296 Challenge, and the brakes are a set of CCM-R Plus stoppers made, naturally, of carbon. Finally, it is fitted with the ABS Evo Track control system, an adaptation from the road-going 296 GTB's set-up.
Matt Robinson - 20 Oct 2023
