2025 Ferrari Challenge - Round 6: Laguna Seca
Admittedly, when we saw the Ferrari Challenge was arriving at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, just down the road from TLP HQ, we were still in the midst of our Car Week hangover, wondering if we had anything left for another track event this year…. NAH! We had no doubts that we would attend. Whether an actual round of the Challenge or an official test day (one each this year at Sonoma and LS), we always try to get to the track to join the rest of the Tifosi faithful to see some of our favorite red race and roadcars that populate the track, paddock, and parking lots.
The North American Ferrari Challenge.
At the heart of the Ferrari Challenge is the Ferrari 296 Challenge — a purpose-built race car derived from the road-going 296 GTB. With a 690-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 engine, track-honed aerodynamics, and cutting-edge electronics, each car is identical, leveling the playing field and putting the spotlight firmly on driver skill. The single-make format is designed to strip racing down to its purest form. No factory teams, no engineering advantages — just raw talent and relentless competition.
The Ferrari Challenge was born, in Europe, in 1993 with the series featuring competition versions of the 348, came to our shores in 1994 and has since featured racing versions of the 355, 360, F430, 458, and 488. We’ve included a gallery below with some examples of previous generations of Challenge cars, including some FXX cars that participate at some, but not every, Challenge event.
Each Ferrari Challenge weekend typically includes practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and two sprint races lasting about 30 to 35 minutes each. Drivers are divided into two classes: Trofeo Pirelli, for seasoned and semi-professional racers, and Coppa Shell, for gentleman drivers and newcomers to the sport. This structure creates competitive balance while encouraging progression from amateur to elite status over the course of a season or career.
Prior to arriving for the finale at Laguna Seca in California with its legendary corkscrew, the Ferrari Challenge stopped at Watkins Glen in upstate New York, Circuit of the Americas in Texas, Mont-Tremblant in Canada, and the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Each circuit offers its own challenges, from fast straights to tight technical sections, forcing drivers to adapt and improve constantly.
The season concludes with Finali Mondiali, Ferrari’s global championship event. Champions and top finishers from North American, European, UK, and Asia-Pacific series converge at the Mugello Circuit in Italy to compete for world titles. Finali Mondiali is more than just a race; it’s a multi-day celebration of Ferrari’s racing heritage, technology, and community. On tap for this finale will be current 296 models, versions of previous challenge cars (back to the series’ beginning in 1993) and the most amazing and fantastic factory prepped and/or maintained versions of Ferrari race cars including those of the FXX series. We’ve had the opportunity to see some of these cars at past Challenge events, and they’re nothing short of breathtaking.
A challenge weekend is more than what’s on track but also about what arrives in the paddock as the event typically draws Ferrari owners to display their road going prancing horses. This year’s event was a little light on the paddock cars, but were told by others that the paddock was most impressive the day before we got there…figures. Before we close on this report and point you to video coverage, we’d like to show you one car from the paddock that everyone was smitten with…us included.
Daytona SP3 in the owner’s paddock
This is the Ferrari Daytona SP3 in an understated matte purple hue (we think it’s called Roman Purple Opaco), with incredibly rich gold/bronze wheels and numerous other trim bits. It’s a V12 powered, almost 830hp, 200+ mph road-going spacecraft with a $2.2 million starting price. As we suspect that this car may have been delivered through Ferrari’s, “Tailor Made” program, we assume $2.2 million was only the beginning. Another one-of-a-kind Tailor Made SP3 sold at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey Car Week auction for a record-breaking $26,000,000!
If any of the above moves the needle for you…and we kinda think it might, please make sure to get a Challenge event on your calendar. If you’re lucky to live in Norther California like us, you can have at least four opportunities to catch challenge cars at Laguna Seca and Sonoma raceway as they both host seperate race and test weekends, giving you plenty of opportunities. If you want to see this event in action, you can watch video on YouTube here.
As with all of our event reports, we have a mega gallery below to hopefully fill in any of the blanks our limited writing skills have left out.
Enjoy!
-The Loud Pedal
