The 2012 season - Ferrari Corse Clienti

LA STAGIONE/THE SEASON
Competizioni GT
Ferrari’s racing spirit has always been based around its participation
in the Formula 1 World Championship and competition in GT racing,
the latter reinforcing Ferrari’s top line commitment to maintaining
the links between racing and road cars, which harks back to the much
held beliefs of Enzo Ferrari himself. Since 2006, the F430 has totally
dominated the category, with championship wins at the highest level
- Constructors’ Cup and Drivers’ and Teams’ titles in 2006, 2007 and
2008 and in the FIA GT, Constructors’ and Teams’ since 2009. It has
also won the Teams title in the American Le Mans Series in 2006 and
the Drivers’ title the following year, with three consecutive wins in the
Sebring 12 Hours. Also on the palmares, the 2007 and 2008 Le Mans
Series Drivers’ titles, with wins in the Silverstone 1000 kms in 2009 and
2010. It won at Le Mans from 2005 to 2009, also taking the Spanish
GT and GT Open titles in 2009 and 2010, in addition to an extensive
palmares at national level. 2011 marked the race debut of the 458 Italia,
developed in conjunction with Michelotto Automobili in GT2 racing
and, for the first time in Ferrari’s history in GT3 and Grand Am. The 458
definitely lived up to expectations, picking up where the F430 left off,
one of the most successful cars of all time, also confirming the efforts
Ferrari put in to maintaining its technical superiority. There were many
notable wins in last year’s main GT series: the Teams’ and Constructors’
titles in the prestigious Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans
Cup, the Drivers’ title in the FIA GT and GT3 Asia, the Drivers’ and
Teams’ in the Intercontinental GT Open, the British GT Championship
and the BlancPain Endurance Series to name but a few. These wins were
obtained with a car that did not need much in the way of modification,
given that the production version of the 458 Italia features technology
that is aimed at track use. Compared to the F430 GTC, the 458 GT2
delivers more performance and ensures a more consistent performance
over a distance, because it uses its tyres less, which means it can pit
one less time compared to its rivals. The 458 makes the most of all
the equipment linked to pit stops, because refuelling time is tight even
in long distance races. Another new element on the 458 relates to
the rear suspension which uses a multilink system, as opposed to the
triangulated system with pushrods on the F430. This solution makes it
possible to optimise the driveability of the car on the road. The engine
features direct injection which considerably reduces consumption so
that in the 2011 Le Mans Series for example, the 458 GT2 took the
prize in the LM GT Michelin Green category for reduced consumption
figures. In 2011, Ferrari also won with the 458 GT3, taking the Drivers
title in the FIA GT series, taking on a new challenge with a car designed
entirely in-house, the development of which had previously been left to
private teams to manage as they wished. The latest iteration of the 458
is the Grand Am, developed in conjunction with Michelotto Automobili,
based on the berlinetta version of the V8 Ferrari GT3. It will race in 2012
in the famous American series. This car takes into account the different
rules for the American series, particularly the less efficient aerodynamics
for the 500 horsepower car, when compared to the GT version. Also
different is the 48mm restrictor and an 8000 rpm rev limit. Significant
changes have to been made to the car’s braking system, which does not
feature ABS, while also absent on the Grand Am is traction control.
Another difference when compared to the GT3 concerns the rollover
bar which features additional lateral protection to increase safety in a
series where contact between cars is more frequent. The car uses tyres
from Continental, the series’ sole supplier, with a very hard compound
as specified in the regulations for the North American series.
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