Ferrari Challenge coming to Australia

A one-make GT racing series that’s been an important part of European and North American motorsport for the past 30+ years, the Ferrari Challenge is coming to Australia.

Commencing from 2025, the “Australasian” title for the series infers that rounds will be held on New Zealand and/or South East Asian circuits, as well as in Australia.

Officially labelled as the ‘Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia,’ there are no details available on the new regional series, like the calendar and circuits, but Ferrari says more information will be released in the coming months.

“We are delighted to announce this championship, a project our team has been working on for a long time,” said Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti. “The introduction of the Australasia series is part of a clear strategy that began with the UK national series and continued with the Japan series, which has been a great success in terms of participation.”

Australasian teams will be racing the Ferrari 296 Challenge, which will replace the 488 Challenge Evo used in the existing national and international versions of the Ferrari Challenge series from next year.

The Ferrari 296 has already been seen locally - in GT3 form – at this year’s edition of the GT World Challenge Australia series that got underway with the Bathurst 12 Hour and saw pole and a race win for the Arise Racing team’s 296 (Pro/Am class) at Phillip Island in April.

“The growth of the Ferrari Challenge in recent years has been remarkable, and with the introduction of the new 296 Challenge, the number of participants has exceeded our most optimistic expectations, as seen in the first races of the season,” Andrea Mladosic, Head of Ferrari Challenge and Corso Pilota stated.

“Interest from the markets in the region and numerous requests from our motorsports clients prompted us to explore the possibility of extending the championship, so we are delighted to announce this new series.”

Further details on the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia are expected soon.