Thousands of Ferrari faithful converged on Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas today for the 2024 season opener of the Ferrari Challenge, a global racing series exclusively featuring Ferrari cars.
The Ferrari Challenge Austin event was free to the public at Austin's Formula 1 track, and fans were allowed to walk up and down the paddock area as well as walk the grid before the race.
Similar to a Formula 1 race day, the day featured over ten hours of motorsport activities, including multiple races. See the schedule here or at the bottom of the article.
The Ferrari Challenge offered an unparalleled level of garage access, and I was able to get close enough to watch the race cars roll through pit lane and onto the track.
Before the race, I was able to join the drivers and their cars on the track for the National Anthem of both Italy and The United States. It was incredible to be this close to these powerful vehicles.
After a few practice laps, the first of many races of the day was about to begin, and all of the cars lined up behind the starting line.
After multiple races featuring crashes, high speed passes and straightaway speed, I headed home very satisfied and pumped up for the Miami F1 race next week.
If you are interested in catching the Ferrari Challenge in a city near you, there are six more races in the 2024 season.
You can find the season schedule here.
*************************************************************************
Ferrari Challenge Schedule (Saturday, April 27th, 2024):
Location: Austin, Texas
Track: Circuit of the Americas
GATES OPEN
8:00AM
CLUB CHALLENGE – FREE LAPS
8:00 – 8:40AM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – QUALIFYING 1 – PIRELLI
8:45 – 9:05AM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – QUALIFYING 1 – SHELL
9:10 – 9:30AM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – QUALIFYING 1 – 488 CHALLENGE
9:35 – 9:55AM
CLUB CHALLENGE – FREE LAPS
10:00 – 10:40AM
CLUB COMPETIZIONI GT – FREE LAPS
10:45 – 11:30AM
CLUB COMPETIZIONI GT – OPEN LAPPING
11:35AM – 12:35PM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – AUTOGRAPH SESSION – PODIUM
12:30 – 12:50PM
FAN GRID WALK – NATIONAL ANTHEM
1:00 – 1:15PM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – RECON LAPS – PIRELLI
1:20 – 1:25PM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – RACE 1 – PIRELLI
1:35 – 2:05PM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – RECON LAPS – SHELL
2:15 – 2:20PM
FERRARI CHALLENGE – RACE 1 – SHELL
2:30 – 3:00PM
488 CHALLENGE EVO – RECON LAPS
3:10 – 3:15PM
488 CHALLENGE EVO – RACE 1
3:20 – 3:50PM
PODIUM – ALL CLASSES
3:55 – 4:15PM
FERRARI – HOT LAPS
3:55 – 4:15PM
CLUB CHALLENGE – FREE LAPS
4:20 – 5:20PM
CLUB COMPETIZIONI GT – FREE LAPS
5:25 – 6:25PM