Erik
January 5th, 2006, 11:38
Fortune was not smiling for the first client to take delivery of an FXX on the 14th of November in Maranello. The autumn fog clamped down over Fiorano like a wet sponge, damping even the highest spirits and leaving the proud new owner in the unenviable position of having to try Ferrari’s most powerful sports car of all time on a track he didn’t know and, to cap it all, in the wet!
After a sleepless night, the owner was given a thorough briefing on both the car and the track. Giuseppe Petrotta, project manager of both the Enzo and the FXX, was on hand to talk him through the car while ex-Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli was to be his personal instructor for the day.
Capelli was clearly aware of the owners’ nervousness and was helpfully pragmatic. “It’s just like the first time I ever drove a Ferrari F1 here in 1992. The difference is, I had to do a good time – you don’t, so just take it easy!” And with that they headed out for the installation lap, with Capelli at the wheel to show the owner the racing lines they’d been discussing earlier, and point out where the water was lying on the track.
That the FXX is something really special you realise from the moment you see it. What however is not so immediately apparent is its uncompromising racing roots. In fact the installation lap, far from being an exclusive requisite of a F1 car, is an absolute necessity for the FXX too. Which explained the presence of a team of mechanics worthy of a F1 team. With the car safely back in the pits, the mechanics swarmed over it checking absolutely everything while a systems expert downloaded the telemetry data.
First impressions of the car? “Really really good!” commented the owner, barely concealing his awe of the car, “Heading out of the hairpin on the back straight Capelli opened it up in third gear and the wheels spun for about 20 metres. That was the best part of it!” It was clear that the bad weather was going to seriously impede getting to know the car on this occasion. As the rain fell even more heavily, the decision was taken to use the 360 Challenge car on rain tyres for more laps to help the owner get to know the track before trying the FXX. With its 800bhp the FXX is more powerful than any of Ferrari’s previous sports-racers, bettering even the 1993 V12-engined 333 SP, so it’s not a toy to be played with in the rain!
After a few laps in the 360 Challenge, the FXX owner was feeling a little more confident, and it was time to try out the FXX in person. Inside the closed pit the engine was already ticking over to get it up to temperature, the powerful bass note slightly different to the non-silenced prototypes that had been testing here at Fiorano throughout the summer. This car, in fact, is one of those ordered equipped with a specific silencer to bring it within the FIA regulation 105 db noise level that is now common at tracks over Europe.
And then the big moment arrived and the owner prepared to take his place in the drivers’ seat for the first time. The exhaust barked menacingly and the FXX trundled out of the pits towards the main straight. The owner understandably didn’t floor the throttle straight away, but sensibly felt his way along the track for this memorable first lap, before gradually increasing his speed as his confidence grew.
It was a slightly breathless owner who eventually clambered out of the car and pulled his helmet off before stepping back to survey his purchase. The Ferrari mechanics gathered around him, eager to know his impressions. Tense from the driving experience and still overawed by the power on tap, the owner was at something of a loss for words – “really really good! Amazing!”
A simple comment that aptly sums up one of the most extraordinary cars ever to leave the Ferrari factory, and one that is destined to change forever the way the factory receives feedback on the way its clients actually use their high-performance special series cars. With more shake downs of the remaining 28 cars to come over the next few winter months, it only remains to hope that the weather will be a little more kind to future owners!
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After a sleepless night, the owner was given a thorough briefing on both the car and the track. Giuseppe Petrotta, project manager of both the Enzo and the FXX, was on hand to talk him through the car while ex-Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli was to be his personal instructor for the day.
Capelli was clearly aware of the owners’ nervousness and was helpfully pragmatic. “It’s just like the first time I ever drove a Ferrari F1 here in 1992. The difference is, I had to do a good time – you don’t, so just take it easy!” And with that they headed out for the installation lap, with Capelli at the wheel to show the owner the racing lines they’d been discussing earlier, and point out where the water was lying on the track.
That the FXX is something really special you realise from the moment you see it. What however is not so immediately apparent is its uncompromising racing roots. In fact the installation lap, far from being an exclusive requisite of a F1 car, is an absolute necessity for the FXX too. Which explained the presence of a team of mechanics worthy of a F1 team. With the car safely back in the pits, the mechanics swarmed over it checking absolutely everything while a systems expert downloaded the telemetry data.
First impressions of the car? “Really really good!” commented the owner, barely concealing his awe of the car, “Heading out of the hairpin on the back straight Capelli opened it up in third gear and the wheels spun for about 20 metres. That was the best part of it!” It was clear that the bad weather was going to seriously impede getting to know the car on this occasion. As the rain fell even more heavily, the decision was taken to use the 360 Challenge car on rain tyres for more laps to help the owner get to know the track before trying the FXX. With its 800bhp the FXX is more powerful than any of Ferrari’s previous sports-racers, bettering even the 1993 V12-engined 333 SP, so it’s not a toy to be played with in the rain!
After a few laps in the 360 Challenge, the FXX owner was feeling a little more confident, and it was time to try out the FXX in person. Inside the closed pit the engine was already ticking over to get it up to temperature, the powerful bass note slightly different to the non-silenced prototypes that had been testing here at Fiorano throughout the summer. This car, in fact, is one of those ordered equipped with a specific silencer to bring it within the FIA regulation 105 db noise level that is now common at tracks over Europe.
And then the big moment arrived and the owner prepared to take his place in the drivers’ seat for the first time. The exhaust barked menacingly and the FXX trundled out of the pits towards the main straight. The owner understandably didn’t floor the throttle straight away, but sensibly felt his way along the track for this memorable first lap, before gradually increasing his speed as his confidence grew.
It was a slightly breathless owner who eventually clambered out of the car and pulled his helmet off before stepping back to survey his purchase. The Ferrari mechanics gathered around him, eager to know his impressions. Tense from the driving experience and still overawed by the power on tap, the owner was at something of a loss for words – “really really good! Amazing!”
A simple comment that aptly sums up one of the most extraordinary cars ever to leave the Ferrari factory, and one that is destined to change forever the way the factory receives feedback on the way its clients actually use their high-performance special series cars. With more shake downs of the remaining 28 cars to come over the next few winter months, it only remains to hope that the weather will be a little more kind to future owners!
http://www.dcgplus.com/sites/602D65A0-4717-447F-BA53-2C6D6966CCE3/MediaEditor/size3_4097-4205-632684428157582932-29316-320785079.jpg
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http://www.dcgplus.com/sites/602D65A0-4717-447F-BA53-2C6D6966CCE3/MediaEditor/size3_4097-4205-632684428463989182-1869-2653669962.jpg