A New UK Challenge Series Revs Up

After an enforced delay caused by lockdown measures, the Ferrari Challenge UK Series is returning to British race tracks in July 2020. That’s welcome news for fans and drivers alike, particularly as the UK enjoys the highest number of Ferrari clients with a racing licence of any country in the world.

Last year, in 2019, the UK was the first country chosen to host a national Ferrari Challenge Series, dovetailing with existing global area championships for Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. If the idea of a national series felt like a leap of faith, then it truly fulfilled its promise. So successful was the inaugural Ferrari Challenge UK season that a second season is now upon us – very fitting as 2020 marks the 60th anniversary of UK imports, making the country the second oldest market for Ferrari.

Ferrari Challenge UK will attend no fewer than three historic British Grand Prix circuits: Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donington, the latter two for the first time. The UK Challenge series is open to any UK client who owns a Ferrari 488 Challenge race car. Joining pilots from last season are many who are new to racing, having completed Ferrari’s ‘Ready to Race’ course. In contrast to other Ferrari Challenge series, UK racers need only a National A racing licence, rather than an International C licence, making it tremendously accessible.

The revised calendar kicks off at with a three-race challenge at Brands Hatch from 24 to 26 July. The racing will be on both the short Indy track and the full Grand Prix track configuration, the latter truly legendary in British motor racing history – and a first for Ferrari Challenge racers. Another historic British Grand Prix track – Donington – is another first-time venue for the Challenge UK series. 

The teams then head to the current home of F1 in Britain, Silverstone, with the finale taking place in October at Snetterton, a circuit that hosted some thrilling races last year.

The series attracts all sorts of racers, from youthful to mature. In his seventies, Alex Moss is the oldest driver in this year’s series. Speaking at the end of last season, Moss remarked: “I haven’t raced since 1986 and thought I was too old for this game. My first time in the car I thought ‘what have I done? This is incredible and scary in equal amounts.’ But the camaraderie of this championship is unbelievable. The friendship, the fun, the hard racing and the desire to beat your mate. I’ve enjoyed it totally.” 

Commenting on the new 2020 season, Francesco Balli, Regional Manager, Ferrari North Europe, said: “We are thrilled that the first season of the Ferrari Challenge UK was an incredible success. We are delighted to welcome many of the drivers from 2019 back to the grid this year, as well as some new drivers who will be taking to the track in their Ferrari 488 Challenge for the very first time. We’ve also seen some clients use the Ferrari Challenge UK series to progress and compete in the Ferrari Challenge Europe season, which is exactly what we had hoped.”

The revised Ferrari Challenge UK Series 2020 calendar is as follows:

Brands Hatch 24-26 July

Donington 29-30 August

Silverstone 19-20 September

Snetterton 9-10 October