Ferrari Racing Days Transforms Suzuka
Suzuka, April 21: The second annual Ferrari Racing Days saw a bumper crowd of over 24,000 fans of the iconic marque gather at world-renowned Suzuka Circuit over the April 19-21 weekend. With on-track racing action, static displays of some of the most valuable examples of the brand and passenger rides in the Prancing Horse's latest creations, it was a festival of fun for aficionados.
The paddock featured no fewer than 834 road-going examples of the world's most famous brand, while in the Supercar area, a dozen F40s lined up beside F50, 288GTO and Enzo models, not to mention more than a dozen 599 (most of them GTOs), leaving the assembled throng in a raptourous gaze.
Former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi was the star attraction of the weekend, the Japanese ace piloting the guest car in the closely-fought Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia-Pacific series, Round 2 of which was contested at the circuit. The recently-signed Ferrari GT driver rose through the ranks from the back of the grid to finish third on the podium in the first race, before placing fourth in the second.
The event also featured the presentation of the Ferrari California 30 "Giappone", an ultra-limited edition (only ten examples will be built) of the successful Ferrari California, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the marque's first Japanese Grand Prix victory in Formula One, which took place at Suzuka back in 1987.