It was certainly a supercharged four days at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, which played host to Ferrari’s recent Finali Mondiali. Held for the first time outside Europe, the Finali Mondiali is an all-out celebration marking the end of the Prancing Horse’s 2014 racing season. The event saw cars and drivers drawn from across numerous race categories engage in merciless gladiatorial bouts where no quarter was asked for or given. These races included the final rounds of the three Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Series – Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific – where the grand finale saw a record number of participants compete for the coveted title of World Champion. Also seen on the track were the mighty 458 GTE cars, as well as the ear-splittingly loud single-seat Formula 1 cars that participated in the Scuderia Ferrari division.
With the stakes as high as they were, the tension was indeed palpable both in the engineering bays and out on the circuit. Teams of technicians fussed over last-minute adjustments to the cars as drivers entered a Zen-like trance while mentally preparing themselves for the gladiatorial bouts awaiting them on the track. As engines revved and growled in the bay, more than one unfortunate journalist foolish enough not to don appropriate ear protection (including this one) was left half-deafened as a result of standing directly in the wake of a car’s exhaust at the wrong moment.
As cars thundered out from the bays to do battle on the track over the course of the event, it has to be said that one particularly interesting race was the second round of the Ferrari Challenge North America and APAC Trofeo Pirelli Series. Here, drivers from across the region battled it out in the scorching afternoon sun, and the stakes were raised unrelentingly as numerous drivers experienced collisions with fellow racers. Audible gasps rose and fell from among those gathered at the grandstand as car after car was sent spinning out of control, accompanied by screeches of tortured metal. Thus, the safety car, a pace vehicle that limits the speed of competitors in the event of an accident, certainly had its work cut out for it. Ultimately, the race was won by Max Blancardi of Team Ferrari Houston, with Hong Kong driver, Philippe Prette, pulling ahead of Australia’s Steve Wyatt to seize the Pirelli Pro APAC title.
With the event winding to a close on 6 December, Ferrari decided to pull out all the stops to make sure it rounded up the year with a bang. Even as the sun was beginning to set, a fleet of over 200 Ferraris drawn from across the eras took to the track to proudly show off the brand’s heritage and demonstrate how, even today, the vintage models continue to remain at the forefront of automotive technology, design and innovation.
Following this, two AF Corse team’s 458 GTE cars helmed by World Endurance Champions Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander took to the track. In addition to showing off their impressive racing prowess, Bruni and Vilander also put the 458s through a dummy pit stop and driver change to offer a glimpse into the level of precision and skill needed to operate at peak efficiency in such demanding situations.
It was then the turn of the XX Programme cars to strut out, which saw Ferrari’s FXX, 599 XX and the FXX K take to the track to the delight of all who attended. For those unfamiliar with the XX Programme, it’s essentially Ferrari’s crowd-funded R&D scheme that rewards XX car owners/investors with insanely powerful, non-road legal, hypercars to play with on special Ferrari track days.
While it was a pleasure to be offered a rare look of the XX cars, the star of the show had to be the new FXX K. It must be said that any car that can upstage the mighty 599 XX so effortlessly has to be given a tip of the hat, and the FXX K does just that.
Like the rest of the XX cars, the specifications of the FXX K remain under lock and key. What Ferrari will tell you is that it’s the company’s first-ever car to boast over 1,000hp (1,036hp, to be exact). This was achieved through the use of a mid-mounted V-12 engine and an electric Kinetic Energy Recovery System or KERS (hence the ‘K’ in its name) booster, making the deliciously evil-looking FXX K Ferrari’s fastest roofed car. According to Ferrari, the speed demons lapped its private Fiorano test track in 1 minute and 14 seconds, five seconds quicker than the legendary LaFerrari. Proof, if it was ever needed, that the FXX K is one fast car.
As expected, the FXX K will only be offered to the brand’s closest clients. Its price tag of USD3million (MYR10.5 million) includes two years of Ferrari’s exclusive Corsa Clienti service, where the brand holds the cars in Italy and delivers it to special XX car owners’ track events around the world. Not more than 40 FXX Ks are expected to be produced and, you guessed it, they were all sold out even before the car made its world premier.
Should FXX K owners decide not to renew their service at the end of two years, the car is theirs to keep. But seeing as there are no race series for the FXX K and it’s not street-legal, we can’t imagine why anyone would go through all the trouble of acquiring such a vehicle just to condemn the rest of its existence to that of a multi-million dollar garage ornament.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the conclusion of the event was met with universal sadness. However, the Finali Mondiali certainly went out with a bang as the FXX K completed its final victory lap at the head of a fleet of its XX Programme siblings. As far as finales go, you could not have asked for a better one. Having ended 2014’s racing events on such a high note, one can only expect the rest of 2015 to be just as exhilarating for the Prancing Horse.
