18 May A Zip Around the Circuit with Ferrari

Did you know that Emilia Romagna is the land of Motors?
If you love fast cars, you’ll love visiting Emilia Romagna; land of Ducati, Lamborghini and Ferrari.

Our first stop on the auto circuit took us to Autodromo di Modena where we had the chance to get behind the wheel of a racing Ferrari. We arrived at the race track in the morning and were met by our driving instructor Pietro. He told us about the Ferrari we were about to drive and while watching a video of a drive around the track, he told us what we could expect out there.

This car is too powerful for the road and can only be driven on a racetrack. We were driving a Ferrari F430; 490 Horsepower, v8 and 6 gears of pure speed! This car can go from 0-100 km in 3.6 seconds! And they’re actually going to let me loose behind the wheel? If you feel the need for speed, this is the car for you baby!

There is no clutch on this Ferrari, all you have to do is change gears on the steering wheel using the feather shift gear system. This gives you more time to concentrate on the little things like making sure to brake when you go around corners and not to fly off into the crash fence. When you approach a bend, you have to press hard on the brakes, there’s no room for taking it easy out there, you have to stay alert and be prepared.

The Race Car Driving Experience

I felt prepared alright, so I volunteered to go first. Hey, I’ve driven a stunt plane in New Zealand, I think I can handle a Ferrari. (hahah!)

I was strapped into the drivers seat with helmet securely fastened. Pietro gave me some last minute instructions and then I was set loose for two glorious laps. The actual experience give you the chance to drive 5 laps, but we were on a short media experience. It was ok though, we all got the hang of it quickly and let it rip on the back stretch of the first lap getting into 6th gear. I didn’t even know that existed!

The adrenaline was riding high when it was over and all the blogville bloggers came out of the drive with big grins on their faces. If anyone had any fears before the laps around the tracks, they quickly disappeared and we were all ready to hop back in for more. I said to Dave, “I can understand why the rich and the famous take up race car driving. It’s a thrill of a lifetime.” It’s something that everyone should try at least once. I’m serious. We’ve had a lot of adventures and thrills and this is up there as a good one. And to do it in Italy, specifically Emilia Romagna, the home of fast cars is a dream come true. It is here that they know cars. They put a lot of love and heart into their Italian designs and while driving this machine around the track, all I could think was, my Cavalier has got to go!

If we ever turn into millionaires, we’re buying a Ferrari and joining the old timers racing series somewhere in this big wide world. I think it would make for a great hobby in our retirement years. Forget about golf, we’re sticking with speed.