The fourth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe season and the fourth car to celebrate the prestigious Prancing Horse one-make series’ thirtieth anniversary. The F430 Challenge, bearing the number 2, with which Niki Cadei won the 2008 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Italia, took to the Hockenheim track during the Ferrari Racing Days.
Based on the eight-cylinder road-going berlinetta of the same name, the F430 Challenge, star of the one-make series from 2006 to 2011, features various modifications, starting with safety elements: a full roll cage in the cockpit, a racing seat and headrest, four point safety harness and, since 2008, mounting points for the HANS system.
The transfer of experience from Formula 1 was remarkable, starting with the transmission and its 150 millisecond shift time and the braking system, which uses carbon-ceramic material (CCM), a first for a Ferrari sports competition car. Apart from other changes, to the differential, suspension, brakes (in carbon and extra fade-resistant ceramic compounds), the exhaust system was updated by moving the exhaust pipes higher up the car’s rear.