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Scuderia Corsa ready to recapture glory at Le Mans

There's nothing else in this world like endurance car racing. Be it a relatively short race like the 6 Hours of Nurburgring or 24-hour endeavors like Le Mans or Daytona, drivers and cars alike are put through long and grueling racing that either ends in triumph or heartbreak. At this year's Detroit Grand Prix, we had a chance to sit down with Scuderia Corsa drivers Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen just hours before they left for France to participate in first practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Scuderia Corsa competes in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship team in the GT Daytona class. This is the second year Balzan and Nielsen have partnered, and the relationship has been fruitful. The pair won the class championship in 2016 and are currently sitting in second for 2017. Despite being in the sport longer, this will be Balzan's first attempt at Le Mans. The pair will be joined by American Bret Curtis in the race, usually racing against Balzan and Nielsen behind the wheel of a BMW. "There's a lot to prepare for with this race," Balzan said. "Christina raced there last year, so she's helping me prepare. It's not like any other race, even something like Daytona. There's a lot of preparation that goes into this race." Everything from food intake to sleep schedules has to be adjusted and set appropriately. There's 24 hours of on-track action bookended by pre-race prep and a post-race cool down. Your body and mind must adjust accordingly, and it's not as simple as drinking a few cups of coffee and munching on an energy bar. Scuderia Corsa is the defending class champion at Le Mans, though not with Nielsen behind the wheel. The team is backed by Ferrari and competes with 488 GT3s, a stripped out, lightweight, race-only version of the 488 GTB. The cars share a version the 3.9-liter turbocharged V8, but the rest of the car has been extensively modified, bearing little resemblance beyond styling. "The cars don't share much with the regular car," Balzan said. The interior is all removed and the suspension and aero are all different. It looks similar, but it's really changed. It drives like a totally different car." That's par for the course with GT cars. While they might share more in common with road cars than something like the Porsche 919 Hybrid prototype, the world of race cars and production cars are far removed. That said, Balzan and Nielsen both enjoy the road car correlation.

Ferrari testing 458 Challenge Evoluzione at Mugello

Ferrari makes road cars, it makes racecars, and it makes road cars into racecars. The 458 Challenge falls into the latter category, transforming the 458 Italia into the basis for Maranello's one-make spec racing series. It replaced the F430 Challenge in 2011, which in turn followed the 360 Challenge, F355 Challenge and 348 Challenge that started it all in the mid-90s.
Now the Prancing Horse marque is set to move the game forward again with the revised 458 Challenge Evoluzione. Seen here undergoing testing at what could be any tree-lined circuit but is likely Mugello (which Ferrari just happens to own in addition to the Fiorano test track at the factory), the 458 Challenge Evoluzione takes a step further with a new aerodynamics package.
Other changes will likely be nominal, and Ferrari will probably offer existing customer racers the option of upgrading to stay at the front of the pack instead of replacing their $300k racers entirely. One way or another, Ferrari is set to unveil the 458 Challenge Evoluzione, also at Mugello, after the conclusion this year's Finali Mondiali, the event that ties up the end of Ferrari Challenge series from around the world next week.

Touring displays Ferraris old and new at Villa d'Este

Arguably more than any other, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera has long been a mainstay of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, and this year the coachbuilder chose to highlight its long history by showcasing two Ferraris: the first one it ever did and the most recent. The latter is the Berlinetta Lusso which Touring showcased at this year's Geneva Motor Show. A more subtle and elegant take on the visually aggressive Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, the Berlinetta Lusso is rebodied in handcrafted aluminum and carbon fiber and will be offered in a strictly limited run of five examples. The former, however, dates back a lot long than this past March. It's the 1948 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta, one of the earliest Ferraris and the first (discounting the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815) that Touring was called on to clothe. The 166 Mille Miglia was the first car which Enzo Ferrari made in any serious numbers, but this particular show car wasn't just any example: this one was owned by Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli. It's a fitting display from the carrozzeria that won the Design Award with the Disco Volante just two years ago, displayed the Mini Superleggera concept last year and has been part of the Concorso since 1931. Sadly for the Milanese outfit, though, the Berlinetta Lusso didn't win the coveted prize this year: that went to the Bentley EXP 10 Speed Six, which also beat out the SCG 003C, Magna Mila Plus, Aston Martin DBX, Lamborghini Asterion and Zagato Mostro. Related Video: THE FIRST AND LATEST FERRARI DRESSED BY TOURING PARADE AT CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA VILLA D'ESTE 2015 - A rare opportunity to see on stage the acclaimed Touring Berlinetta Lusso and Gianni Agnelli's Ferrari 166MM Barchetta Touring. - Touring Berlinetta Lusso competes for the Concept Cars and Prototypes Design Award. - The magnificent Barchetta owned by l'Avvocato enters the "Gentlemen's racers" class after regaining its authentic shape at Touring Superleggera restoration atelier. Touring Superleggera is embedded in the Concorso since the early editions, having debuted in 1931. The hall of fame includes, among many, the prizes assigned to Isotta Fraschini 8ASS spider, Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider as well as Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Coupe, Pegaso Z102 Berlinetta "Thrill" and recently Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring. Touring believes the Concorso is the ideal stage to showcase innovative prototypes, give rise to new stylistic trends, surprise and amaze the selected attendance".