In 2019, the Ferrari 488 is racing throughout the world. In GTE and GT3 guise, Ferrari’s Competizione GT champ is running in multiple championships, including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Asian Le Mans Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in North America, the Blancpain GT World Challenge Series and many more.
And the racing liveries for 2019 show just what a colourful stable of cars are competing this year. Few more impactful than the incredible Via Italia Racing 488 GT3 that competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona earlier this year. Italian racer Andrea Bertolini partnered with the Brazilian trio of Victor Franzoni, Marcos Gomes and Chico Longo in the famed event, driving the unmistakable Via Italia Racing GTD car. Eu sou Brasileiro indeed!
The Japanese Car Guy Ferrari 488 GT3 is another racing car that’s been lighting up racetracks in Asia – literally, thanks to its intense dayglo yellow paint. The searing fluorescent livery has been the one out front too, with the team of James Calado, Kei Cozzolino and Takeshi Kimura winning every single race in this year’s Asian Le Mans Series. The title victory means the team has earned a place on the grid for its vivid racer in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held on 15/16 June.
But Ferrari 488 race liveries don’t have to be retina-searing to stand out. The now-iconic ruby red colours of the Team AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE taking part in the Pro class has been wowing the WEC crowds for several seasons now. In the hands of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, the Italian Tricolore-accented 488 is the reigning World Endurance Champion and has even helped inspire the road-going 488 Pista “Piloti Ferrari”, a car available exclusively for customers involved in the company's motor sports programmes..
Another distinctive Ferrari WEC racer is the Swiss Spirit of Race car 54, raced in the GTE Am class by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci and former F1 star Giancarlo Fisichella. The sparkling silver 488 GTE wears eye-catching red accents, including a classic Ferrari centre stripe – which displays the Swiss flag on the front with pride.
Over in North America, the Squadra Corse Garage Italia Ferrari 488 GT3 of Caesar Bacarella and Martin Fuentes has been turning heads, with a proudly Italian-themed green, white and red livery. The bold car has been designed with contrasting rear sections and stands out no matter how packed the Blancpain GT World Challenge America grids are.
In Italy, the opening round of the Italian GT Championship has been brightened by numerous Ferrari 488 GT3. One of the most attention-grabbing is the RS Racing 488 of Daniele Di Amato and Alessandro Vezzoni. The white racer has a high-impact orange livery that ensures it will never be overlooked. [NOTE: I would like to mention also the AF Corse car driven by Matteo Cressoni and the youngsters Simon Mann and Nicklas Nielsen with a cool Hublot livery] And as with most colourful racing car liveries, the racing drivers’ overalls are multi-coloured to match…
The new colours for the new season show that wherever the Ferrari 488 GTE and GT3 are raced, teams and drivers will always find new ways to make their cars stand out. In years to come, many will likely become highly collectable machines with their original liveries prized by enthusiasts. For now, let’s enjoy them battling hard and building up their racing provenance in what’s certain to be another classic season!