When FERRARISSIMA, the Factory’s then semi-annual magazine, published the details of the one-make racing series, the Ferrari Challenge, in issue N° 18 on March, 31st 1993, the first races had been already done. The Factory appointed its dealers and the Ferrari Club Italia to organize a series for Gentlemen-drivers and guests with comparable cars. The first model was the 348 - unimportant if tb or ts -. The first Challenge cars have not been Factory produced Challenge cars but street cars that have been converted by a Challenge kit provided by the Factory. FERRARISSIMA shows the first converted Challenge car on page 98, it is S/N 81437 on Italian MO 824101.
The Factory set some rules to ensure “equality of arms” – represented by the mandatory Factory kit. The challenge car’s weight was limited to 1400 kg for the tb and 1450 kg for the ts. Modifications were possible for engine, transmission, suspension, the electrical system and the brakes – in a way that had to be authorized by the Factory. The rims had to be Speedline rims and the tires had to be exclusively Pirelli. For the first year of the Challenge series, the fuel had to be the fuel that AGIP would provide. The binding Challenge kit contained a roll cage, lightweight Racing seats, a competition steering wheel and lightweight pedals as well as some safety features like a six-point seatbelt anchored to the body, a fire extinguisher, shatter-proof shielding of the headlights, front and rear towing hitches and logically outside snap devices for disconnecting the battery from the outside as well as electrical cutout switches for the inside.
Catalysts had to be added to the cars and the compression level could have been changed to a level of 10,75:1. The intermediate transmission ratio had been set to a maximum of 25/27. Shocks and springs had to be standard and the car could be lowered to a level that the body was not able to touch the ground with flat tires. The passenger seats was allowed to be removed as well as disabling the ABS permanently. The teams were free to choose brake pads, to remove insulating material as well as the air condition. Additional instruments could be added whilst the standard ones could not be removed.
The Italian series was run separately from the western Europe series. The Italia races took place at
28.3.93 – Monza
16.5.93 – Vallelunga
30.5.93 – Misano
13.6.93 – Mugello
18.7.93 – Imola.
The “rest” of Europe or “abroad” as FERRARISSIMA called it, where scheduled as follows
8./9.5.93 – Spa
25. – 27.7.93 – Zandvoort
28./29.8.93 – Salzburg
11./12.9.93 –Dijon.
A combined world final was scheduled for the fall of 1993 at Mugello and took place on October 10th.
Reality looked somehow different then. The first western European race was held in Magny Cours on April 3rd 1993. Spa was followed by Zeltweg on June 5th and 6th, Zandvoort moved to July 3rd and 4th and Salzburg and Dijon did not take place and the Nürburgring was added to take place on the last weekend in September.