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  • Ferrari prodigy Lance Stroll beats F1 driver in kart race

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 10 comments

    As previously reported, Ferrari recently recruited a new member into the Ferrari Driving Academy in the form of 11-year old Lance Stroll from Canada. The talented lad joined the Scuderia at the recent Canadian Grand Prix for a go-kart session, and guess what, he ruffled some F1 feathers on track!

    Almost everyone from the team took part in this friendly race where the 12 fastest drivers went on to compete in a final event. The dozen included both F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, but Stroll finished the day second! To achieve that, he must have left some test drivers AND one of Ferrari’s two F1 drivers behind in his dust!

    Your guess is at good as ours as to who that might be, as Ferrari conveniently forgot to add that bit of juicy information to the press statement. Of course it isn’t exactly a level playing field due to factors like Stroll’s lower weight, but it still gives you an idea of what this prodigy is capable of. We did our share of racing with F1 drivers on karts before, but the best of Malaysian motoring journalists couldn’t come within two corners of the real deal! Read our account here.

     

  • Ferrari signs ex-McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 7 comments

    Ferrari has confirmed the appointment of former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry as the Scuderia’s assistant technical director. The 46-year old Briton will work under technical director Aldo Costa starting from July. It’s likely that Fry will jump into the development of next year’s car.

    Fry left McLaren last month after 17 years with the Woking team. He started his career with Benetton in 1987 and worked there as a race engineer and test team engineer till 1992 before moving to McLaren in 1993.

    At McLaren, he was made chief engineer alongside Tim Goss in 2002 and both men alternate as lead designers – Goss is in charge of this year’s car, while Fry was working on the 2011 MP4-26 before leaving McLaren. Would he bring valuable information to his new team?

    “Within our team, then, I think we’ve got quite a bit of a talent and depth, so in these situations it’s a great opportunity for someone younger, maybe hungrier, to come along and replace all of us,” McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said of Fry’s departure last month.

     

  • 11-year old Canadian snapped by Ferrari Driver Academy

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 16 comments

    The tale of a 10-year old called Lewis Hamilton going up to Ron Dennis and telling the boss that he will race for McLaren one day is now a household story. Young Lewis was signed less than three years later, and he’s now the youngest ever F1 world champion. This young man you see here could well be the next Hamilton.

    Only 11 years old, Montreal born Lance Stroll is the latest and youngest driver to be part of the Ferrari Driving Academy, which was created late last year to find and support talented young racing drivers with the eventual aim of getting them into F1.

    At his age, Lance already has two wins at the Canadian national championship in Rotax Mini Max category, Coupe de Montreal and Coupe du Quebec Micro Max Championship in 2008 and both Mini Max Championships in 2009. He finished sixth in the World Finals at Lonato in the Mini Roc category and second in the Rotax Micro Max Florida Winter Tour. He also won the series this year in the Mini Max category along with championships for the Tag/Cadet Florida winter tour. Unsurprisingly, he has been nominated for the Rookie of the Year in 2008 by the Fedération Sport Automobile du Quebec and Driver of the Year in 2009.

    “We are pleased to welcome Lance to our group,” said Luca Baldisserri, the Scuderia’s chief track engineer who runs the academy. “He is very young, but he has already shown in karting that he is exceptionally talented. We will follow him step by step in his forthcoming events in North America and he will soon also take part in our courses at Maranello.”

    At the academy, Lance will join Jules Bianchi, a French driver who won the French Formula Renault 2.0 in 2007 and the F3 Euroseries in 2009 along with podium finishes in the GP2 Asia series. The fact that such an important man in the Ferrari F1 hierarchy heads this program shows how serious Ferrari is in wanting to find new talent.

     

  • Ferrari announces plans for 599 GTB roadster!

    In Ferrari, International News / By / / 10 comments

    Ever thought that the noise from the Ferrari 599 GTB wasn’t loud enough for you? Well, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo could have a solution to that problem as he has just announced that a roadster version of the 12 cylinder engined car will go into production, allowing you to listen to the engine roar unobstructed.

    “This is a very unusual car and it will certainly surprise you,” said Montezemelo. “It’s only going to be available to a very select number of clients who’ve been asking us for an open-top version of the 12-cylinder for quite some time now. We won’t be unveiling it at a show though. Instead, we’ll be organizing private presentations.”

    This isn’t the first V12 convertible from Ferrari though, as previously there was the 575 Superamerica which was unveiled in 2004. The car had an unusual folding system as the panoramic sunroof lifted straight up and plopped backward on to the boot, to avoid compromising luggage space. Only gripe about the setup is the fact that it looked like a convertible Suzuki Vitara with the top up.

    Unfortunately, nothing has been confirmed in regards to the roof system it will use, but you can always trust Ferrari to do what’s best for its supercars. For such limited numbers I’d expect a simple cloth roof to be used instead of designing a complicated hard top convertible system. What you can expect though, is an increase in price to pay for the work that goes into stiffening the bodywork.

    The original hardtop 599 GTB costs around $300,000 when it first hit the market and featured a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine that produces 611 bhp and an incredible 607 Nm of torque. We could expect to see a modified version of this engine housed within the new roadster to make up for the extra weight of the extra body stiffening.

    Montezemolo has even hinted that there might be a suffix added to the title and said it will be a romantic name, along the lines of Fiorano, Italia and Maranello. Thus the best this writer can come up with is something like Venice or Verona. Ferrari 599 GTB Verona – sounds good? What do you think the new car should be called?

     

  • Ferrari extends Felipe Massa’s contract till 2012

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 6 comments

    After Mark Webber committed himself to Red Bull for the 2011 season, the main protagonists of F1′s annual musical chairs game had less room to manoeuvre, and now there’s even fewer possible destinations with Ferrari announcing that it has extended Felipe Massa’s contract. Among those rumoured to be in line for Massa’s race seat were Webber and Robert Kubica.

    The Brazilian will now drive for the Scuderia until the end of the 2012 season at the very least. This also means that Ferrari will have the same driver line-up for the next two seasons, with double world champ Fernando Alonso also contracted to the Maranello team.

    “I am happy to be given the opportunity to drive for Ferrari for a further two seasons. Throughout my entire Formula 1 career, I have always raced with an engine made in Maranello and it is a matter of pride for me to be able to continue working with a team that I regard as a second family,” said Massa, whose original contract was expiring at the end of this year.

    “Felipe has been part of Ferrari for almost a decade and together with us, he has grown as a driver and as a man, going through some very difficult times as well as giving us moments of great happiness. We wanted to show proof of stability for the future, believing in the worth of a driver pairing that is without equal in terms of talent, speed and its ability to work together for the good of the team,” said team boss Stefano Domenicali.

    Massa joined Ferrari in 2001 and has competed in 69 grands prix, scoring 11 wins, 30 podiums and 15 pole positions.

     

  • Injured Valentino Rossi keen to join Ferrari as third driver

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 13 comments

    When speed is in your blood, it doesn’t matter what machinery you’re on, even if going fast on two wheels isn’t quite the same as doing it on four. Valentino Rossi, the undisputed king of MotoGP is one such person. He regularly tests Ferrari F1 cars, posting times that aren’t far away from what the guys who make a living from F1 do.

    And because of that, he has always been linked with a possible switch of sport to F1, and more specifically, the Scuderia. However, the MotoGP man was recently quoted as saying that he would not want to be one of the two main drivers in Ferrari’s line up, which goes hand in hand with Ferrari’s push to have three car entries on the F1 grid.

    “To have a strong team like Yamaha’s (in MotoGP), Ferrari should hire Sebastian Vettel alongside Alonso, I would like to explore the possibility of a third car for myself,” Rossi told Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport.

    Over the Italian GP weekend at Mugello, Rossi crashed during practice and suffered a fractured leg. The Doctor had four screws inserted into his leg in the first operation and he will undergo a second operation today. It will be some time before he gets on a bike again, or a Formula 1 car.

     

  • Ferrari 458 Italia “stealth bomber edition” by Cam Shaft

    In Cars, Ferrari, International News / By / / 27 comments

    We’ve always thought that the sharp lines from the Ferrari 458 Italia gives it a stealthy look. Now, German tuning company Cam Shaft have worked on that idea as one of its “theme cars”, calling this 458 a F-117 Nighthawk in honour of the famous stealth bomber. The whole exterior of the car is covered with a dark grey vinyl wrap to look like the plane.

    Other additions include rivet graphics with “warnings” like “Heater Exhaust”, “Beware of Jetblast” above the three tailpipes, “Danger – Ejection Seat”, “Do not Paint” and “No Handhold” on the side mirror “wings”. A bit childish, but for some this might be the dream machine to fly down the road.

    No engine tuning, so this 458 Italia will come with the standard 4.5-litre V8 that produces 570 bhp and 540 Nm of torque. You can expect a 0 to 100 km/h figure in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 325km/h. The 458 is available for sale at Naza Italia, yours for a cool RM2 million.

    More pictures after the jump.
    Read more ›

     

  • Novitec remembers the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, and tunes it!

    In Cars, Ferrari, International News / By / / 6 comments

    The 612 Scaglietti is not a very popular member of the Ferrari family. More often than not, the big grand tourer is eclipsed by its prettier, sexier and nimbler sisters. Those shopping for a Ferrari are also likely to already have a “family car”. But famous Ferrari tuner hasn’t forgotten the 612, and has released a tuning package for the successor of the 456.

    The 5.8-litre V12 engine gets a horsepower bump to 565 bhp from 530 bhp. Torque has increased to 609 Nm from 588 Nm. These new figures are achieved with the help of a “specially calibrated engine management system” along with Novitec’s high performance exhaust system. This means the Scaglietti’s 0 to 100 km/h time is down to just 3.9 seconds and top speed is 325 km/h.

    Other additions include a new taillight design and a new tyre/wheel combination – 275/30 ZR 20 up front and 355/25 R 21 rears. Inside, one can customise the seats to their heart’s content. Leather seats can be custom tailored to body measurements and even the addition of lateral support and lowered seat positions for tall drivers can be done. Customers can go as far as choosing the thickness and material of their steering wheel. Like many supercars today, the steering will be flat-bottomed.

    Novitec Rosso has an authorised dealer in Malaysia, Iktikad Raya Sdn Bhd, which brought in the Novitec tuned F430. We’re sure they’ll be happy to specially import one of these in for you.

    Gallery after the jump.
    Read more ›

     

  • Sebastian Vettel could join Ferrari “in a few years”

    In Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports / By / / 7 comments

    Young hotshot Sebastian Vettel, who is seen by many (including Bernie Ecclestone) as the brightest spark in F1, has expressed his desire to one day join Ferrari. The 22-year old stated to Spain’s El Pais newspaper, “I am very happy with Red Bull, I am not going anywhere else, but in the future, I don’t know.

    “I want to fight for the world championship, and if you look at the past, Ferrari has always designed very competitive cars. Why not go there in a few years? Ferrari is unlike any other team, it’s a legend. There are other brands that achieve great success, but Ferrari is special,” he praised.

    While the above quote is just Vettel not closing any future doors, his on-form team mate and new championship leader Mark Webber has already been linked to the Maranello based team for the 2011 season. It’s very early in the season but all sorts of transfer talk are already circulating in the paddock. While everyone successful will be inevitably linked to the Scuderia, Red Bull is not a bad team to drive for, as clearly displayed by the super quick RB6 that rivals have no answer for at the moment.

     

  • Job cuts and plant shut down on the menu for Ferrari

    In Ferrari, International News / By / / 28 comments

    Ferrari employees walked out in response to the proposed job cuts by the Italian supercar maker to pay for a 2009 bonus due last month. Ferrari plans to cut 120 office positions and 150 factory jobs to achieve this from the 3,000 people that they employ. This trimming is due to the fact that sister brand Maserati has reduced orders for engines, which Ferrari builds for the Trident marque. Maranello made engines for about 4,500 Maseratis last year, down from almost 9,000 units in 2008.

    Besides the job cuts, Ferrari plans to shut down the its Maranello factory for a week this month, which will involve 600 staff. Ferrari plans to slash 2010 production targets to 11,000 from 20,000 and will cope with the reduction in staff by outsourcing non-core jobs to local companies. The restructuring will help Ferrari focus on product development, technological innovation and reaching new customers.

    Source

     
 
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