Story By: ALICIA BUSA / WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA – MONTEREY, CA – The hillsides of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca take on a decidedly Italian flair this weekend as one of the most famous luxury brands in the world brings its storied history and automobiles to Monterey for Ferrari Racing Days.
The three-day gathering of racing and road cars begins ticketed entry Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19.
The histories of Ferrari and Laguna Seca have been intertwined since 1957. The first of many memorable moments came at the inaugural Pebble Beach Road Race at the “new” Laguna Seca. It was here that Pete Lovely, driving a Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa, upset the star-studded field to win and forever cementing Ferrari’s place in Monterey history.
“The Laguna Seca Recreation Area has shifted from Trans Am muscle cars, to ultra-advance IMSA prototypes and sports cars to the Prancing Horses of an all Ferrari gathering in three weeks’ time,” commented John Narigi, president of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “These three events are providing a significant boost to Monterey County’s local businesses with a steady influx of visitors during a traditionally slow visitation month.”
Ferrari Racing Days is a unique amalgamation of everything Ferrari. It features the highly competitive Ferrari Challenge racing series where professional and amateur drivers go all-out for the race win and critical season points in their championship pursuit.
Complementing the seriousness of the track-only Ferrari Challenge racing is the Corse Clienti programs that exemplify Ferrari’s mastery of building cars that blur the line between road and track.
Ferrari’s highly exclusive XX Programme takes extreme and special cars onto the track that are overseen and managed by Ferrari engineers who, through ongoing data collection, pave the way for the development of solutions that will then be implemented in Ferrari production vehicles.
The Sport Prototipi Clienti is designed for owners of the 499P-derived model – winner of the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans – to take part in unique non-competitive events. The 499P Modificata is a track car equipped with a hybrid powertrain, in a strictly limited series, designed for a select client audience. This program is exclusive to seven circuits worldwide.
Club Competizioni GT, a celebration of Ferrari’s rich GT racing heritage, will round out the weekend’s festivities. Spectators can look forward to witnessing some of the most iconic GT cars of the last 30 years in action including the highly coveted 499P Le Mans Hypercar, showcasing the brand’s legacy of dominance in endurance racing.
Witness the Italian transformation first hand against the backdrop of Monterey hillsides at the only race track in North America to host all five of these series.