To the delight of a sparse, rain soaked crowd, seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher attended the Ferrari Racing Days' final day event at Nurburgring. After meeting with Clienti-Collaudatori, the client test-drivers part of the exclusive FXX Programme, Michael took his old F2004 Formula 1 car out for a session followed by a round in the new Ferrari California model.
VIDEO: Schumacher Drives Ferrari California at Nurburgring Festival
Press Release (Click to expand)
Michael Schumacher on the Nurburgring
Nurburgring, 5th October 2008 - The bad weather conditions couldn't hold back the numerous fans to reach the Nurburgring for the Ferrari Racing Days' final day: the event's intense program was completed despite heavy rain and wind to the delight of almost 20,000 spectators. Besides the F430, which started for their sixth run of the Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy, 19 single-seaters from Maranello's F1 Clienti department and the cars from the FXX programme went on the track.
The second run of the European racing series was won by Frenchman Ange Barde (Modena Motors), followed by the German Bjiörn Grossmann (Autohaus Gohm) and the Italian Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli). Amongst the Shell Cup's gentleman drivers the Briton Michael Cantillon (Ferrari GB Dealer Team), who already won race 1, was victorious ahead of the German Wido Roessler (Tamsen) and Peter Reichegger (Rossocorsa/Pellin).
Classification
Pirelli Trophy Europe
Grossmann 261
Baron 258
Blancardi 254
Shell Cup Europe
Cantillon 263
Forer 208
Roessler 185
The Shell Historic Challenge's second race for the cars from grid "A+B" was dominated by Daniel Maier's Maserati 300S ahead of the two Maserati A6GCS of Lukas Huni and Conrad Ulrich. The race of grid "C" was won by the German Darius Ahrabian with his Ferrari 512 BB LM, followed by David Franklin, behind the wheel of a Ferrari 312 P, and Jean Guittard with another Ferrari 512 BB LM.
Michael Schumacher met the Clienti-Collaudatori, the client test-drivers, part of the exclusive o FXX Programme, in the afternoon. They went on the track for two free practice laps. At the end of the session the German driver went on the track with his F2004 in the session, dedicated to the F1 Clienti, and eventually with the latest model with the Prancing Horse, the California, a car the German helped to plan since the early stages.
The European division of the Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy, the F1 Clienti cars and the FXX will be back on the weekend of the 7th October at the Mugello circuit for the Ferrari World Finals 2008: the traditional event at the end of the motor sport season, where the decisive races of the Italian and the North-American Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy and the Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge will be held and the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro will greet its tifosi and while the F430 GT will present themselves to the fans.
Comments
alessandro
October 9, 2008 6:23 PM
Look at the dudes in boots too. Not much more sophisticated than a car.
_M7_
October 9, 2008 7:42 PM
what an ugly car...ferrari lost the good taste of designe long time ago and in the interior looks like a play station lol
Tiziano
October 10, 2008 2:07 AM
the car is a beauty. my fear is though that by producing a smaller car, ferrari will lose a percent of her myth.
evo82
October 10, 2008 3:09 AM
the platform was originally developed for maserati and this is what you get when u put a Prancing Horse badge on it. Fugly!
Alfafox5
October 10, 2008 5:15 AM
This car does not deserve to be called California, that place is way too beutiful to share its name with this ugly design. The butt is too high, and lumpy. :o(
Pentium
October 10, 2008 9:11 PM
I don't know I don't agree with anyone of you!
I like it very much!
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