The Ferrari owners and two lucky journalists were participants in the “Pilota Ferrari Around the World”, a full-day driving course that provides the thrills and pleasure of driving a Ferrari on-track with the added benefits of skilled instruction and personal coaching.
Pilota Ferrari highlights the Italian luxury performance marque’s racing DNA and gives owners an in-depth understanding of their Ferraris’ capabilities.
Ferrari owners would come away from the course with more confidence in handling their V8 and V12 engined steeds at high speeds whilst also enjoying the thrill of driving their cars to the fullest potential in the controlled environment of a professional race track.
This was the second time the Pilota Ferrari was held here, after the event made its Malaysian debut in conjunction with Ferrari Racing Days two years ago.
The exhilarating programme was once again hosted by Naza Italia, the official importer of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia.
The Ferrari models brought by their owners to the track included the 430 Scuderia, 488 GTB, 360 Modena, California T, 458 Spider, 458 Italia, 599 GTB and 458 Speciale.
The course consisted of both theory and practical sessions, with participants receiving one-to-one instruction in a regimented series of on-track exercises. It started with a quick briefing on the efficient driving position in the cockpit including advise on gripping the steering wheel at the 9 and 3 o’clock position.
Guided by six professional Pilota instructors authorised by Ferrari, participants spent a lot of time driving on the track with the instructors and received personalised advice relevant to their Ferrari models.
The instructors taught participants about progressive accelerator and brake control, setting precise driving lines through bends and braking and acceleration techniques.
Based on this writer’s experience, a typical on-track session driving at high speeds on the 5.543km main circuit with lots of sweeping corners, wide straights and a tight hairpin bend would see the Ferrari instructor barking at the driver - “Lift off! (the accelerator pedal). Brake hard! Turn! Look at where you want to go - anticipate the turnings....”
Instructors also used vehicle telemetry data to advise participants on how to get faster lap times.
GoPro recorders were installed in the cars, and video reviews were also used in one-on-one sessions with the instructors where participants received advice on how their driving performances can be improved.
“Pilota Ferrari is a thrilling opportunity for Ferrari owners to better understand the racing heritage of the brand. Through participation in this professional course, they learn to master their Ferraris and can experience the full potential of these world-class vehicles.
“This Pilota Ferrari Around the World Malaysia has been yet another successful event and we know our customers will certainly look forward to its return,” said Naza Italia chief operating officer Farid Sulaiman. Among the participants was Selia Group CEO Datuk Mohamed Zaini Amran who owns a 458 Italia.
“This is great fun, and a new experience for me. Pilota Ferrari has helped me to better understand my car. The instructors are very good,” said Mohamed Zaini.
“I learned how to drive better on-track and handle the car in oversteer and understeer situations.
“The highlight is the personalised instructions and ample feedback from the instructors,” said one participant.
Another participant who preferred to remain anonymous said, “I was very excited and was not going to miss it for the world when I heard Naza Italia was going to conduct the Pilota Ferrari Around the World course.
“Where else can one master the intricacies of Ferrari but through a professional course led by an experienced team of instructors including some from Maranello.
“After a gruelling yet highly satisfying day, I came away being a much better driver, comprehending and learning how to get the best from my Ferrari,” he said.
On display at the event was the new Ferrari GTC4Lusso T, which is the first four-seater in Prancing Horse history to sport a turbo-charged V8 engine.
It was recently unveiled by Naza Italia at a base price of RM1.088mil (excluding duty and customisation options).
Below is a video clip of the Pilota Ferrari held in South Korea that shows what participants typically learnt in the programme.
