12 March 2018
Austin, Texas (12 March 2018) - Over 100 Ferrari race cars took to the Circuit of the Americas from March 8 - 12 for the annual North American stop of Ferrari Racing Days. A packed schedule featured six Ferrari Challenge races over the course of the weekend (a first for Ferrari Challenge in North America) alongside lapping sessions for F1 Clienti and XX Programme participants as well as lapping sessions for owners in their Ferrari street cars. This edition of Ferrari Racing Days was headlined, however, by the on-track debut of the FXX-K EVO. Delivered to three clients during the weekend, the new car immediately impressed all in attendance with its aggressive aerodynamics, excellent sound, and incredible performance.
FXX-K EVO. The highlight of the weekend by far was the on-track debut of the evolution package to the Ferrari FXX-K. Boasting 23% more downforce than the FXX-K and over 1,000 horsepower, the EVO immediately established itself as the class of the XX Programme. Three FXX-K EVO packages were delivered to clients at the Circuit of the Americas, in a special presentation by Ferrari North America President Matteo Torre.
F1 Clienti and XX Programme. Ten Ferrari Formula One cars took to the track over the course of this four day celebration, from a 1995 412 T2, to the F138 from 2013. In fact, this was the first time that this particular F138, Alonso's car from the 2013 season, took to the track. The sound of the car's V8 powerplant recalled the first Formula One races at Circuit of the Americas, the first of which was in 2012. Twenty one XX Programme cars also took to the track in sessions dedicated to these racing variants of Ferrari street cars. In addition to the three FXX-K EVOs, there were cars representing the full breadth of the XX Programme, starting with the Ferrari Enzo-based FXX. There were also eight 599XX and 599XX EVO cars who put on quite a display with their front-mounted V12s and front exit exhausts. The balance of the field was made up of the Ferrari LaFerrari based FXX-K in what was by far the largest ever gathering of these cars in North America.
Ferrari Challenge. Six races featuring over sixty Ferrari Challenge cars took place on Saturday and Sunday, including over forty 488 Challenge race cars. Drivers were eager to impress their F1 Clienti and XX Programme colleagues. and perhaps at times became somewhat over-exuberant, with several safety car periods breaking up the action. In all, however, the Challenge competitors acquitted themselves remarkably well, promising a thrilling competition throughout the year to crown a champion.
Schedule: Ferrari Challenge will next take to the track at the world-famous Laguna Seca on May 4 - 6 while the F1 Clienti and XX Programme cars will make their way to the undulating corners of Road Atlanta for a weekend of testing followed by travelling to Imola for a special event on April 20 - 22.