Ferrari chose the Bologna Motor Show to give its new 458 Challenge racer its world debut. It is a track-focused version of the 458 Italia for a one-make racing series with championships around the world - including a new Asia-Pacific series.
The 4.5-litre V8 engine produces the same maximum power in the Challenge as it does in the standard car - 570hp at 9,000rpm. Ferrari has revised the gearing and software of the car's dual-clutch transmission for racing.
Efforts have been made to save weight for the Challenge car. There are lightweight materials including carbon fibre and Lexan, along with thinner body panels to help save a few kilos (although figures are not yet available).
Track-focused suspension features steel uni-ball joints, stiffer springs and single-rate dampers. The Challenge sits 50mm lower than its road-going cousin on 19-inch alloy wheels, carrying slick Pirelli tyres. Brakes come from Brembo and feature the latest generation anti-lock system as fitted to the Ferrari 599XX.
The 458 sees a number of firsts for a Challenge-series car including the electronic E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control. Calibration for these systems is supposedly based on F1 and GT racing experience. Three settings are offered - off, position 1 and position 2 - with the higher position denoting a greater level of electronic intervention.
Ferrari claims that the 458 Challenge will lap its Fiorano circuit in one minute 16.5 seconds. To put that into perspective, the F430 Challenge is two seconds slower and the road-going 458 takes an extra eight seconds to complete a lap.
The 458 will race against F430s, 360s, F355s and 348s in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in 2011.