In its first official race at the Thermal Club, the Ferrari Challenge showed March 14-15 that it’s thriving as a single-marque series now starting its 33rd season in North America. The series offers a well-organized way into motorsports for participants in the Corse Clienti program, who field Ferrari 296 Challenge coupes. The $400,000-plus cars are purchased from local dealerships, which also keep them ready to race. Drivers enlist third parties like Conquest Racing, which supported a quarter of the entries, for transport to tracks, engineering, technical services, and coaching.Doing the season’s six events costs a good $1 million. Besides Thermal, the Ferrari Challenge goes to Sebring, COTA, Laguna Seca, Sonoma, and Road America. To defray costs, some cars show dealer sponsorship, others reflect different commercial relationships, and still others race unsponsored. Thermal’s field of 57 was split into two divisions, Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell, with pro and amateur categories in both and close competition all around.Ferrari Challenge 2026In addition to the races, other 296 and older 488 Challenge models are on hand to take the track for limited free-lapping opportunities in the Club Challenge and Club Competizioni GT categories. There’s no official scoring in these short practice sessions, but it’s a good way for driver coaches and others with access to have some fun. In addition to the on-track racing, all sorts of new and old Ferraris were displayed in the Thermal paddock, making for excellent photo-ops for social media influencers. The racing series started with Ferrari 348s in 1994 in North America, a year after the series started in Europe. Now there are regional series in the UK, Japan, and Australia. Over the years, there was a succession of V8 berlinettas before the 296 Challenge was introduced in 2024 and became the only model campaigning in the North American championship. Dispensing with the road-going 296GTB’s 819-combined-hp hybrid system, the 296 Challenge race car makes do with just the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 generating 654 horsepower. That engine is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The engine’s gruff idle promises thrilling sounds to come, but the yield is more of a gurgle at high RPM, like finding out Metallica’s lead guitarist has switched to the ukulele. It’s not whether you win or lose... well, yes it is.The cars are plenty fast, though. Thermal’s 5.0-mile, 17-turn layout saw speeds reaching 140 mph on the longest straight. Based on the lack of mechanical failures over the weekend, the 296 Challenge showed its ruggedness. The cars are good-looking, too, with impressive rear wings. The Ferrari Challenge filled the Thermal Club’s void after a three-year IndyCar dalliance ended with that series’ defection to Arlington, Texas. Whereas IndyCar drew a decent crowd, there was a lesser but festive turnout of Ferrari lovers who paid $100 for general admission tickets and $250 for the VIP experience. Some perched on the high balconies of trackside villas and watched the cars circulate below. Otherwise, there was a small grandstand at Turn 6. Some spectators climbed atop a clubhouse building for views that extended over half the track (and many guardrails). To welcome everybody, Ferrari prettied up the already alluring setting with rosso banners and buntings throughout the paddock. There was a stirring opening ceremony featuring the Italian and American anthems sung by operatic tenor Ganson Salmon. A flyover by two vintage fighters from the Palm Springs Air Museum punctuated the ceremony. Drivers from wide backgrounds took to the track. IMSA veteran Manny Franco won Sunday’s 30-minute Pirelli pro feature, which was good news for Ferrari Lake Forest, his supporting dealership. Mike Chen dominated the Coppa Shell pro feature, eliciting cheers at Ferrari of Beverly Hills. A few cars ran off the course, raising big clouds of dust. There were a couple of incidents involving contact and body damage, but no heavy crashes. Ferrari Challenge 2026Overall, with its exciting racing, the Ferrari Challenge looks like a good fit for the Thermal Club. Tim Rogers, developer of this elaborate facility, expects a return visit in 2027. He also expects to sell some condos.“IndyCar was great,” Rogers says. “It generated a lot of excitement—but no one bought homes.” Instead, he lost $2 million on the sanctioning fees. He reckons 15 of his Thermal members are already involved in the Ferrari Challenge, making even more of a natural fit. One of that group, Mike Mathes, won the Trofeo Pirelli amateur category for Ferrari of Central New Jersey.“I’ve got some good local knowledge,” Mathes said. Meanwhile, Rogers keeps developing the property and promises two more miles of road racing circuit and—get this!—a 0.6-mile paved oval. For the time being, he scored a big win by hosting the Ferrari Challenge.
