The Ferrari 488 GT3 claimed its five-hundredth victory, a milestone that will go down in the annals of the Maranello marque. This historic event was celebrated at the Spielberg circuit in Austria, where Nick Cassidy won DTM Race-1 on Saturday, 24 September, a now unforgettable date for the Prancing Horse. On the same day, in the GT World Challenge Asia, Takeshi Kimura and Kei Cozzolino toasted their conquest of the drivers’ laurels in the overall and Pro-Am classes of the Japan Cup. This brought the tally of titles featuring the same car to one hundred and ten.
The victories. The five hundred races won by the 488 GT3 internationally, both in its standard configuration and in the Evo 2020 version, is a “round” figure. A total that earns the model a prominent place in history as the most successful Ferrari ever. In seven seasons of competing in major national and international series, this true icon of GT racing has racked up an impressive one hundred and ten titles. An extraordinary record of success and a precious legacy that will pass to the new Ferrari 296 GT3, due to make its track debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2023.
Historical milestones. In Austria, during the penultimate round of the DTM, New Zealander Cassidy set off from pole and led all race at the wheel of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse, claiming his second consecutive victory in the German series. The Austrian result marked the five-hundredth victory of the model used in top-level competition. At Okayama in Japan, the ninth round of the GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS finished with a win for the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 27 of Yogibo Racing, crewed by Naoki Yokomizo and Kiyoto Fujinami. Behind them came Takeshi Kimura and Kei Cozzolino in the Ferrari of CarGuy Racing. The latter’s placings secured victory in the overall and Pro-Am classes of the Japan Cup. They also remain in contention for the laurels in the GT3 class, which will be decided tomorrow in the season’s final event.
Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT: “The 488 GT3 is a car that never ceases to surprise us and bring us enormous satisfaction. It is a truly historic feat to reach five hundred victories, hardly predictable when the car debuted in 2016. An incredible result, also thanks to the teams that chose it to compete in the leading world series. I am delighted that this milestone coincides with our victory in the DTM, a series in which we made our debut last year with AF Corse, where we had the chance to appreciate the 488 GT3’s competitiveness. I would also like to congratulate Takeshi Kimura and Kei Cozzolino for delivering the GT World Challenge Asia title, this model’s one-hundred-and-tenth laurel, another genuinely memorable achievement”.