Supercar Driver visit FF Corse

Last week we welcomed Supercar Driver into our workshop, and they also joined us trackside for a Silverstone trackday in which we were running four cars. Members enjoyed watching techs working on the cars in the garage and viewing the trackday action from the pit wall. Members also tried their hand on a Blade simuulator, developed by Aston Martin driver and three-time Le Mans winner Darren Turner. Thank you to Base Performance Simulators for providing the sim.

We thoroughly enjoyed meeting some SCD members and it was also a real pleasure to see their stunning collection of cars!

View more photos from the day here.

FF Corse enter dynamic duo in Ferrari Challenge Europe

GT Winter Series Estoril FF Corse Garage

FF Corse have confirmed a two car team for the 2023 Ferrari Challenge Europe championship, with two young and talented drivers. James Owen and Tom Fleming are to contest a full season in the longest-standing one-make Ferrari championship. After a pandemic-related hiatus to European racing, FF Corse look forward to taking the fight to our European colleagues and teams.

The championship, which visits seven famous European circuits throughout the season, consists purely of Ferrari 488 Challenge cars. The 3.9 litre V8 engines provide a staggering 670hp and 760nm of torque.

Neither James nor Tom had competed in car racing prior to 2023 other than to obtain signatures on their race licenses in 2022 – Tom in a Radical, and James in a Mazda MX5 and an Audi TT.

So, 2023 began with both drivers competing in two rounds of the GT Winter Series in order to get a feel for their Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos ahead of the first Ferrari Challenge round, and the results were impressive! Between them they managed six podiums at their first round in Estoril: three first places, two seconds and a third. And the results at the second round in Valencia were equally as exciting, with Tom doing a sterling job to secure another three wins, and James fought his way impressively through the field in the first two races to finish 4th in both. British Touring Car driver Bobby Thompson joined James for the endurance race, in which they finished in a fantastic second place. This round of the GT Winter Series served as an excellent warm-up for the opening round of Ferrari Challenge next month, which is also in Valencia.

FF Corse Racing Ferrari

James, an avid road car collector, competed in Ferrari Club Challenge with FF Corse in his 488 Challenge Evo to hone his on track ability as part of our Driver Development Programme. Despite his limited race experience, James is showing excellent pace already and is only going to get more competitive as time goes on.

Previously, Tom has competed successfully in the British Kart Championship, finishing 3rd in the standings in 2021. He then graduated to ‘big cars’ with FF Corse in 2022 in our Development Programme and completed a number of tests and races in various vehicles, showing great promise and natural ability.

Ed Barton-Hilton, Development Manager for FF Corse says, “We are delighted to be back racing in Ferrari Challenge Europe, representing Ferrari as the UK’s only partner team. It’s a great addition alongside our existing UK and European track and race operations. To have a pairing like James and Tom is a fantastic opportunity for the team and for their racing development. Working with two young, quick and keen drivers is a real privilege. I’m expecting some strong results this year….”

We are very excited to see what the 2023 season is going to bring for both drivers, who have shown enormous potential in the two rounds of the GT Winter Series.

Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo Valencia

Race Calendar

Valencia 25th – 26th March
Misano 22nd – 23rd April
Spielberg 13th – 14th May
Le Mans 9th – 10th June
Estoril 15th – 16th July
Spa-Francorchamps 16th – 17th September
Tom Fleming FF Corse

GT Winter Series – Valencia

GT Winter Series Valencia

The Dream Team! Congratulations to Tom, James and Bobby for their results in the GT Winter Series in Valencia at the weekend – Tom did a sterling job to secure another three class wins, and James fought his way impressively through the field in the first two races to finish 4th in class in both. Bobby then joined James for the endurance race and they achieved a fantastic 2nd in class.

And as always, a massive thank you to our amazing team who have worked tirelessly in the run-up to this weekend, and throughout the event in order to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Now onward to Ferrari Challenge Europe, we’re very excited to see what the guys can do! We are back at Valencia for the first round of the season, 24th – 26th March.

📷 Daniel Buergin

FF Corse to support Official Ferrari track programme in UK

New Ferrari programme to run alongside Ferrari Challenge UK

 
FF Corse is delighted to provide our full range of services and support to a new Ferrari track initiative, to be run in conjunction with Ferrari Challenge UK. 

Passione Challenge Edition is a brand new on-track activity, hosted by the Ferrari Challenge UK series, designed to be a perfect introduction to those considering racing in the series, or those wishing to get their cars on track in the UK. The event will focus on refining your skills and developing you as a driver. Not a traditional racing competition but an against the clock format still providing a competitive element. 

All new members will receive a personalised set of racing equipment, including racing suit, boots, gloves and protective undergarments. All the packages include full hospitality for a driver and non-driver companion, including all-day refreshments, lunch and dinner with the Ferrari Challenge UK Series drivers.

Not only will Challenge Edition offer over 22 hours on track time across the season but it will also entitle entrants to the superb hospitality over the weekend for drivers and guests.

 

Ferrari Passione – Challenge Edition Calendar

Snetterton – 29-30 April

Saturday – 3 x 45 minute sessions
Sunday – 3 x 45 minute sessions

Oulton Park – 19-20 May

Friday – 3 x 40 minute sessions
Saturday – 3 x 40 minute sessions

Brands Hatch – 24-25 June

Friday (Indy Circuit) – exclusive day with 5 hours track time
Saturday (Indy Circuit) – 3 x 45 minute sessions
Sunday (GP Circuit) – 3 x 45 minute sessions

Silverstone 1-3 September

Friday – 2 x 60 minute sessions

FF Corse is proud to offer its trackside support to all entrants including our usual levels of service, for experienced racers or complete novices. We can provide a complete level of support, from storing and maintaining your 488 Challenge, and conducting your ARDS test to getting your racing licence, trackside support, and additional driver coaching and mentoring.  

Anthony Cheshire, CEO of FF Corse says, “We were delighted to be involved in designing this new on track offering, and invited by Ferrari North Europe to offer our support to Ferrari clients, owners and the dealer network. This fantastic new programme is the perfect platform for those wishing to graduate into the Ferrari Challenge UK series, or for those more experienced drivers, showing what they are capable of against the clock, without the commitment of racing. Our participation validates and recognises the hard work and dedication of the FF Corse team and that we play an important part in Ferrari’s on track activities both in the UK and Europe.”

Sam Osborne, Senior Aftersales Manager of Ferrari North Europe commented, “Ferrari are delighted to see the team at FF Corse embracing the opportunity to bring new drivers into Challenge, through the exciting new programme of Passione Ferrari Challenge Edition. FF Corse are on hand to provide the technical support and guidance to run your car in this new and engaging programme designed to grow your knowledge of Ferrari Challenge and improve and hone your driving skills.”

To sign up, or for full details of our support packages, membership and support offering, please contact Ed Barton-Hilton, Development Manager of FF Corse.

View the 2023 Race Calendar here.

GT Winter Series – Estoril

GT Winter Series Estoril

6 Podiums for FF Corse

The GT Winter Series entered its second round of the season on 14-15 January 2023 in Estoril. The legendary ex-Formula 1 circuit near Lisbon had a lot of action in store and provided one or two surprises. With 44 entries, the field was not only large, but also high-class, featuring GT3, GT4, and three Cup Classes.

Q1 & Q2 – From wet to clammy

The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Estoril was literally pounding the night before the 2023 GTWS opener, with waves up to 7m high and plenty of rain along the coast. So the morning qualifying session was to take place wet, but looking increasingly friendly as the clouds visibly cleared. So the secret of the fast times seemed to lie in the right timing, as the Portuguese sun slowly ate up the drops.

As Q1 began, a wet session was declared. Not why we went to Portugal! Unfortunately James was unable to set a time during qualifying owing to a failed component out of our control, and placed him P36 for the first race. Tom had better fortune, quickly demonstrating his pace, qualifying P1 in class and P12 overall.

Sprint Race 1 – 25 minutes but shorter than expected

Although the track gradually dried over course of the morning, it was still decidedly wet and all the drivers had decided to start on slicks. However, as the track still showed changing conditions, the experienced race director Werner Aichinger decided to increase the number of introductory laps to two so that the drivers could familiarise themselves with the conditions. This sightseeing didn’t seem to work for everyone, as the safety car was deployed almost immediately. The race was barely reopened after two laps of clean-up when another car left the tarmac and caused the next safety car phase. With the safety car back in, only a few laps remained however in the Cup 1 class, which was exclusively occupied by Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos, Tom came in P1 in class and P9 overall ahead of James who put in an impressive recovery drive to P2 in class and climbed 13 places to finish P23 overall. A solid start for the pair.

Sprint Race 2 with real performers and an absurd interlude

Race 2 and while a dry line had appeared on track, it was still wet off line. As the cars headed to the grid, there was a divide of those who had opted for slicks or wets. We went slicks.

The wet circuit off line claimed victims early on, resulting in another two safety cars but this time only for a one lap each, so it gave our drivers plenty of time to reset and push forward to climb the field.

Tom relished the dry line and made his way to third place overall with surgical precision. Unfortunately, he lost out on the fruits of his labour, albeit by the skin of his teeth, as he overtook just before the safety car line on the restart and was handed a 25-second penalty. It was only a matter of a few centimetres, but the rule is the rule. However, he had built up such a superior lead that he was still able to celebrate the class victory.

Again having not set a lap in qualifying, James started P33 for race two, but put in yet another remarkable recovery drive, climbing up to P17 overall, taking another 2nd place in class, in just 25 minutes. Quite impressive given his qualifying woes.

1 Hour Endurance Race, with many battles

The starting grid for the 60-minute Endurance is determined by the combined results of Q1 and Q2, Tom starting P10 overall and James back down to P34. A now fully dry circuit meant we send the drivers off to see what they could do, and they didn’t disappoint.

Over the hour, James made steady working picking off cars ahead climbing a total of 20 places overall. Mighty impressive on his first ever race in a 488 Challenge Evo. During the race, James maintained P3 in class, only to be slowly caught by a pro-driver who had taken over from the car’s owner during the mandatory pit stop. A thoroughly exciting 5 laps ensued as James did his best to fend him off as long as he could. Finally, the pro slipped through dropping James back to P4 in class but in true racer form, James kept pushing for the last two laps and his efforts paid off. The car previously running P2 in class had backed off and slowed. James was able to catch and pass, on the last corner, of the last lap recovering P3 in class! Thoroughly exiting to watch!

Once again Tom showed his class. Efficient in his driving style, fast as an arrow in his lap time, he grabs P1 in class for the third time of the day and an outstanding P3 in the overall, beating plenty of quicker machinery. Remarkably, this too is Tom’s first race in a 488 Challenge.

The entire team at FF Corse are delighted with the results and look forward to the next outing, Valencia, 18-19 February.

Thanks to The GT Winter Series.

Photography Credit: Daniel Buergin, GT Winter Series.

Further dates for 2023 released

We’re getting excited for 2023, as yet more dates are released. Please follow the links below to view all available dates so far, more will be added as they become available!

2023 Track & Test Days

2023 Race Calendar

Portimao – Exclusive Days On Track

Join us for two days at Portimão

1st – 2nd March 2023

Join us for two exclusive days on track at Portimão. Set in the Algarve, Portugal, the circuit is a rollercoaster ride, featuring huge elevation changes, cambered corners and is one of the greatest drivers’ circuits out there. For those who have been before, you will know it’s not one to miss and if you have never been before, you must!

Included

Pre-event Car Preparation
Vehicle Logistics – UK – Spain – Return
Carnet (Export) Booking Service
Track Fee – two days (Exclusive Hire)
Open Pit Lane
Track Support – two days
Trackside Hospitality – two days
Lunch – two days
Dinner – two days
Hotels – three nights
Flight Booking Service

Extras

Driver Coach
Insurance
Additional Guests / Drivers
Fuel, Tyres, Parts, Consumables and Damages

Vehicle numbers are strictly limited so let us know at your earliest convenience if you would like to join us. 


Dates for 2023 released!

 

It’s that exciting time of year when the calendars for next year’s events are released!

We also still have some track action available for 2022 so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to join us.

2023 Ferrari Club Challenge Europe Dates

Next year’s calendar looks to be another fantastic selection of circuits, which will now be held over 2 days with more track space and time guaranteed. Get in touch for further details and pricing.

2023 Club Challnge Dates

 

GT Winter Series
The GT Winter Series is entering its third season. Stronger than ever before and with more events on the most beautiful race tracks in Southern Europe.

GT Winter Series

 

Sound exciting? Get in touch! Phone us on 01327 857601 or email [email protected].

Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo at Mugello

Ferrari Challenge Europe Silverstone Race Report

 

Xpel Ferrari Challenge Evo

The Ferrari Challenge Europe Championship is exclusive to 488 Challenge Evo cars, making for a competitive series with teams and drivers entering from all over Europe. As the circuits change each year, it is a rare occasion that it comes to our home circuit, Silverstone, having last raced here in 2018.

Our driver Jack Brown, supported by Xpel Ltd, have previously competed in Ferrari Challenge but not since 2019 having spent some time in a BMW GT4 in the British GT Championship. Keen to make a return with the FF Corse team, a late entry gave us just one day of testing prior to the race, in what was the heatwave we will all remember. A successful shakedown of car and driver, but due to the heat, not demonstrative of our potential pace.

As the myriad of Ferrari structures are built around us, we start the Friday test and Jack is immediately showing good pace finishing third fastest of his class, Pirelli Trofeo AM, although scuppered by a red flag mid-session resulting in the session not restarting. Later that day, Jack is out again putting in good times until a power steering issue ended our session early. No quick fix, the team set to work replacing the entire power steering system overnight. Interestingly, cars either side of us in the garage were conducting the same repair!

Xpel Ferrari Challenge Evo on the grid at Silverstone

Come Saturday morning, the car is setup and given a clean bill of health, ahead of morning qualifying and race later in the afternoon. With some small setup changes made and pointers from our team, we sent Jack out for his first qualifying session. We know Jack has the raw pace but would his very limited time in the car be enough to ensure a good result? No need for concern as early in the session, Jack goes P1 in class and fifth overall, over a second clear of the next car in class. Technical Manager for FF Corse Jason Cull makes the decision to bring Jack in and save the tyres having surely done enough to secure pole. As the session end, Jack remains P1 – a perfect result and stellar performance by Jack and the team.

Just a few hours later, its race one of the weekend. As the car rolls onto the grid, we are confident of retaining P1 one in class and hopeful Jack may even be able to pick up an overall podium. It’s a rolling race start and as the car head over the line, Jack gets boxed in and drops to P2. Jack keeps a steady pace and consistently closes the gap but is sadly runs out of time and as the flag drops, finishes P2 just 8 tenths of a second behind the leader. Perhaps not what we had hoped for but a very strong result on Jack’s first weekend back. The car is again prepared by the team, setup and tucked in the for the night ahead of race two.

Sunday repeats the same format, morning qualifying and afternoon race. Qualifying sees Jack put in a steady performance to save his tyres for the race, hoping to push hard to the front, qualifying him sixth overall and P3 in class. With fresh tyres, the car well setup and hungry for a good result, the car again rolls out for the second and final race of the weekend. As Jack conducts his lap to the grid, he immediately radios into the team, “Down on power. Down on power…”. The team rush to the grid but with only minutes to spare, we are forced to push the car off the grid and miss the race start. A heart-breaking moment for all and once back in the garage, it is evident that is where our weekend ends as the issue is diagnosed as a turbo failure, not something we could have foreseen or repaired in time to get back into the race.

A tough way to end the weekend but we are all pleased with Saturday’s result which shows great promise for future rounds of Ferrari European Challenge. It was great to have Jack back racing with FF Corse and thanks to Xpel Ltd for their support.

Jack Brown Racing on the podium

GT Cup Brands Hatch – Race Report

Ups and Downs. Literally and Metaphorically.

Brands Hatch GP Circuit can be intimidating to the most experienced of racers with its undulating topography, blind corners and barriers set in your peripheral vision. When faced with a gentleman driver who has only completed 20 minutes on this circuit, in the wet, in a road car, two years ago, you can forgive them for not ‘being on the pace’. And then there is the pro-driver who despite his blistering pace and experience, last raced on the GP configuration of Brands Hatch in 2014 – what could we expect from the weekend?

Saturday morning, as day-glow caps adorned with ‘46’, lined the catch fencing and grandstands (thanks to a certain Moto GP legend making his debut in GT World Challenge) our Gentleman driver Roy is strapped into the 488 Challenge Evo and has just 10 minutes to familiarise himself with the GP circuit and put in a qualifying time reflective of his class win at Donnington last month – a big ask. Too much so for his first outing and he qualifies an uncharacteristically last in class – it can only get better.

Saturday’s sprint race, Roy starts last in class but remains optimistic. “I think I know my way around now, I just need to focus on where to gain the time”. During the 25 minute race Roy takes stock of the 488 Challenge Evo on the demanding GP circuit, learning and analysing his performance with his eyes set on the 50 minute pit stop race that afternoon. Post-race he’s confident and knows what he needs to do.

Up comes Saturday’s 50 minutes pit stop race and starting 22 overall, Roy makes up 5 places over his stint before handing over to pro driver Benny Simonsen who makes up a further 6 places, and taking fastest lap in class, climbing to 3rd in class but a lap later a red flag concludes the race and the result is set to the standings of the previous lap, which classifies us 4th in class – a cruel end.

Sunday races repeats Saturday’s, and Roy is out to qualify again ahead of the sprint race. On his first hot lap, it is all clicking into place and he is two seconds up on Saturday’s time. The sprint race starts under the safety car owning to a Mercedes trying to warm its tyres up, in a barrier, at Pilgrim’s Drop. The incident takes some time to clear and as the race goes green, only 10 minutes remain. As always Roy put in a fast a consistent stint to maintain his position. 3rd in class and 12th overall.

Onto the final race of the weekend – a 50 minutes pit stop race to be shared with Benny and with just 20 minutes until the start of the race, the lingering mugginess in the air final breaks and it’s raining at Brands Hatch. Light rain and a mildly damp surface makes a difficult call for race engineer Jason Cull – do we start on slicks and hope the track dries or start on wets and assume it will keep raining…

As we watch other cars leaving the paddocks, “wets, wets, slicks, wets, slicks…” it seems no one really knows and it’s a bit of a gamble. Roy starts the race and we send him out on wets. The right call but on a quickly drying surface, Roy just needs to hold out long enough on the wets to make it to the pit stop to hand over to Benny who will change to slicks. “I hated every minute of it!” says Roy with a smile. “It was really challenging. Some parts are wet, some are dry. It’s not one or the other which is harder than if it was properly wet.” Nevertheless Roy puts in a solid and consistent stint to hand over to Benny on fresh slicks with just 19 minutes to go. A flawless pit stop by the FF Corse team saw the car exit the pit lane right on the minimum time allowed as set by the regulations however we leave the pit lane 6th in class owing to wet tyres on a drying track.

Benny is on a mission and we watch as he carves his way through the field, again putting in the fastest laps of the class, by some margin. Benny navigates past the slower cars on track and those in our class, climbing the standings to finish 9th overall and 3rd in class. “Perhaps I would have started on the slick tyres but it was the right choice for Roy given his limited running on this circuit configuration, in both wet and dry!” says Benny as he hops out the car. “Car felt good and I think we nailed the pit stop, bang on time. Not a bad result!”

Race and Track Operations Manager Mark Armstrong reports, “I’m delighted for Roy. He’s done a great job considering how little running he’s done on the GP circuit. It’s not an easy track to learn and a harder one to master. I think it shows great promise for the rest of the season.”

“Two podiums out of 4 races is a good result from this weekend. It would have been 3 of 4, had race the second race not finished on a red flag. Roy and Benny did a great job and the team ran the car perfectly. A good weekend for all.” says Development Manager, Ed Barton-Hilton.

As Roy and Benny leave the circuit with a bags full of trophies (including those owed from the previous round at Donington) FF Corse’s Technical Manager, and race engineer for the weekend Jason says, “Today was a good day. Podium and the car is back in one piece. However, we do have a problem…….the opposition beat us packing up the trucks, and that won’t do.”

Next round Snetterton, 11-12 June.