After doing this job for almost 20 years, press events typically all tend to feel similar and often have the vibe of one rolling into the other.
But there are times when you break from the mundane and get the opportunity to do something seriously fun, and something you may never get the chance to do again.
For me, it was the chance to drive a Ferrari (or several in this case!) at the famous Italian brand’s own racetrack in Fiorano, just near its Maranello headquarters. It’s such a historically important track because it was built around Enzo Ferrari’s house.
His house remains on site and while it’s not accessible to visitors, or even customers, it is still maintained for members of the Ferrari family and those close to management.
The test track is secretive because it’s where Ferrari still tests and develops a lot of its cars – and previously its Formula 1 cars. Rule changes prevent Ferrari from using Fiorano to do the Formula 1 development work it once did, but all of the brand’s production models and other race cars are still developed here.
Another fun fact about the track is that, as with most modern cities around the world, housing is built up around the circuit. There’s even an occupied low-rise apartment building directly adjacent to the track – it’s the main reason there is an area near the track exit with signs asking drivers to lift off the throttle.
In that short zone there is a noise meter that can only be triggered a certain number of times before track activity must end. Typically, drivers are only allowed to exceed the noise limit if Ferrari is setting a lap record time for one of its new cars – at which point it’ll set some fast laps before being forced to call it a day.
There’s even an old Lockheed F104 Starfighter jet located on the grounds. Its significance dates to 1981, when a drag racing event between race cars and the jet was held. The intention was to see whether a race car could beat what was one of the fastest jets of its time along the 1km straight.
Race driver Gilles Villeneuve managed to beat the jet several times in a Ferrari 126 CK Formula 1 car – even after more and more weight was removed from the jet in a frustrated attempt to beat the race car (the jet wasn’t allowed to take off). The jet’s fuselage was offered to Ferrari by the Italian minister of defense after it was decommissioned, and it now lives on site at the track.
The track is just under 3.0km long and features 12 turns. The lap record is held by Michael Schumacher, who set a time of 55.999 seconds in an F2004 Formula 1 car. The lap record was safe on the day we were there – because it managed to rain the entire day.
Not letting it dampen spirits; I wanted to have a crack regardless.
We were offered a pair of Ferrari SF90s and a pair of Ferrari 296 GTBs to drive on track. Both cars had around 20,000km on the clock and were part of the Ferrari Approved used vehicle program. The SF90 is Ferrari’s turbocharged V8 hybrid supercar, with electric assistance on the front and rear axles, while the 296 GTB is a turbocharged V6 entirely driven through the rear axle with hybrid assistance.
I’m not going to bore you with attempts to explain what it was like to drive these two cars on the track in the wet, other than to say it was terrifying – and exciting at the same time.
The SF90 pulls relentlessly regardless of track conditions. Even on a sopping wet surface you could confidently hit the throttle, and it would slingshot you without even a moment’s hesitation. Seeing the speedo hit 250km/h down the straight (even with a lift for the noise meter) in the wet was staggering. And the heart in mouth moment driving across the bridge toward a blind corner with a bump enroute was something I’ll never forget.
I’m not an expert driver – I’m not even a seasoned track driver. But I felt confident in the car the entire time. Five to 10 years ago, driving any Ferrari in the wet required a huge amount of caution. Traction control systems were nowhere near as advanced as they are today. Today you can confidently lean on the throttle out of a corner and know the car won’t spit you off.
It was a little hairier in the 296 GTB simply because you don’t have the assistance of a driven front axle to keep things in check. This, paired with wet conditions and wet painted lines on the apex and at other parts of the track, meant I had to be on my best behaviour!
But the 296 did feel far lighter and more nimble on its feet. Two fewers cylinders, less weight over the front axle and a very eager V6 made it feel like a manic go-kart.
The cherry on the cake was the chance to tour the Ferrari factory and the Scuderia building where the brand stores its XX customer race cars. If that’s not cool enough, on the first floor of the building you’ll find all of Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars – most of which are now owned by customers.
Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos in the factory or at the Scuderia building. So, you’ll just have to believe me that it was an incredibly cool experience.
If you don’t own a Ferrari, or have one on the way, there is still stuff you can do as a punter in Maranello and Fiorano. There’s a footpath near the edge of the track that gives you visibility over everything that’s happening – just have a look on Google Maps to see where you can walk.
There’s a Ferrari museum in Maranello just near the factory, along with an Enzo Ferrari museum down the road in Modena. Both of those are open to the public.
And if you feel like dropping some cash on Ferrari merch, there’s a gift shop across the road from the historic gates at the factory in Maranello.
This was an incredible experience and I consider myself very lucky to have been given the opportunity to drive the track and to see what goes on inside the Ferrari factory.
