The Ferrari 488 GT3 claimed its five-hundredth victory, a
milestone that will go down in the annals of the Maranello
marque. This historic event was celebrated at the Spielberg
circuit in Austria, where Nick Cassidy won DTM Race-1 on
Saturday, 24 September, a now unforgettable date for the
Prancing Horse. On the same day, in the GT World Challenge
Asia, Takeshi Kimura and Kei Cozzolino toasted their conquest
of the drivers’ laurels in the overall and Pro-Am classes of the
Japan Cup. This brought the tally of titles featuring the same car
to one hundred and ten.
The victories
The five hundred races won by the 488 GT3 internationally, both
in its standard configuration and in the Evo 2020 version,
is a “round” figure. A total that earns the model a prominent
place in history as the most successful Ferrari ever. In seven
seasons of competing in major national and international series,
this true icon of GT racing has racked up an impressive one
hundred and ten titles. An extraordinary record of success and a
precious legacy that will pass to the new Ferrari 296 GT3, due
to make its track debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January
2023.
Historical milestones
In Austria, during the penultimate round of the DTM, New
Zealander Cassidy set off from pole and led all race at the wheel
of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse,
claiming his second consecutive victory in the German series.
The Austrian result marked the five-hundredth victory of the
model used in top-level competition. At Okayama in Japan, the
ninth round of the GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS
finished with a win for the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 27 of
Yogibo Racing, crewed by Naoki Yokomizo and Kiyoto
Fujinami. Behind them came Takeshi Kimura and Kei Cozzolino
in the Ferrari of CarGuy Racing. The latter’s placings secured
victory in the overall and Pro-Am classes of the Japan Cup.
They also remain in contention for the laurels in the GT3 class,
which will be decided tomorrow in the season’s final event.
Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT: “The
488 GT3 is a car that never ceases to surprise us and bring us
enormous satisfaction. It is a truly historic feat to reach five
hundred victories, hardly predictable when the car debuted in
2016. An incredible result, also thanks to the teams that chose
it to compete in the leading world series. I am delighted that this
milestone coincides with our victory in the DTM, a series in
which we made our debut last year with AF Corse, where we had
the chance to appreciate the 488 GT3’s competitiveness. I
would also like to congratulate Takeshi Kimura and Kei
Cozzolino for delivering the GT World Challenge Asia title, this
model’s one-hundred-and-tenth laurel, another genuinely
memorable achievement”.
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