Volume 38 Number 9 - 27 April 2013 10th Annual Celebration Exotic Car Festival By Chad Ensz This year’s Celebration event The Celebration Exotic Car Fes- Days, as they call them, allow for forecast indicated that rain would tival is a big event, and the logistics both the novice sports car owner as be inevitable. I’m happy to report are massive. Yet I get the impression well as the seasoned racer to drive that it didn’t rain a drop during the that every effort is made to ensure on these legendary tracks. exotic car activities for the days I costs are being controlled in order to No better way for a Ferrari own- was there! get the most “cashola” in the char- er to learn the limits of their car But the news wasn’t the nice ity’s hands. Jose Villanueva will get and then lay claim to have driven weather – although the Florida cli- his wish and visit the Ferrari facto- at such a special circuit. Everyone mate is always a welcome touch. ry, among more than 20 other wish- should participate in the track day The news this year was what good es that will soon come true with the festivities if for no other reason things were accomplished by the $200,000 raised over the weekend. than to perform a full blown Italian event and its participants. This charitable spirit surrounds the tune up on your Ferrari. An Ital- It all hit home when I met the event and becomes contagious. If ian tune-up is simply taking your Make-a-Wish recipient who is bat- you catch this desire to make a dif- Italian car and driving it very hard tling acute lymphoid leukemia. ference, there will be a link at the to “blow” out the carbon, etc., and Jose Villanueva has a wish to visit end just for that purpose. therefore making your tempera- the Ferrari factory. This teenager The Senega Collection Preser- mental beast run better. is polite and mature beyond his vation Group Members joined a The Celebration Exotic Car Fes- years. I’m sure in some sense the group of active Ferrari enthusiasts tival allowed more than just Fer- curse of his disease has actually in raising $17,000 for Jose and the raris to take the track. All manner molded this young man’s personal- Celebration Exotic Car Festival’s of fast cars were present and ac- ity in a very positive way. It’s often Make-a-Wish Ferrari factory quest. counted for. If you think of a sports said, “It is never what happens to I’d like to reward their generosity car, it was probably there and lap- you but how you handle it.” by publishing their names: Emilio ping the track. There was even a I assume Jose has handled his Azcarraga, Giuseppe Capasso, big Bentley driven aggressively. illness like a champion. But don’t Anurag Dandiya, George Desko, Pe- Then the big boys took the track. let his calm demeanor fool you. He ter Lombardo, Donald Linsey, Joe The CCR, or Challenge Club Rac- was extremely excited to climb in Murphy, Luis Perusquia, Joseph ing, guys have went from humble an F430 Challenge car with event Rubbo, Charles Scardina, Alberto beginnings to gaining traction -- pun co-founder Jeff Ippoliti. It was Sisso, Onofrio Triarsi, Roland Veit, intended -- and now sit in a fairly right here -- at this exact moment -- Frank Weber and Enrique Senior. admirable position with “support” where the real meaning of a charity -- or at least recognition -- from Fer- event becomes abundantly clear. rari North America. This group has gained respect and proven many naysayers wrong. The CCR now possesses much momentum. A Brandon Connolley Photo Add to this the names of Jeff and Villanueva prepares for his ride along with Ippoliti in a F430 about to tackle Daytona James Ippoliti, the 150-plus volun- teers, the 12 Celebration Exotic The Car Festival board of directors and Ultimately, the CCR is a grass- Fe rrari everyone who participates. roots racing group that is more Market The first two day’s activities about the pure sense of what rac- © were held at the famous Daytona ing is versus many Challenge se- Authority International Speedway. Track ries that are more about pomp, Page 2 - 27 April 2013 An estimated 40,000 came to see these machines; it circumstance and image. These highfalutin series have was crowded but not overwhelming. As always, I am turned into monsters that simply make motor racing with the Ferraris which make up just less than a third inaccessible to many who love the sport/hobby. Their of the total car count with around 80 cars. flaw is the need for boat loads of money. I’d have loved to see older Ferraris present, but this I completely appreciate what the CCR stands for and isn’t Cavallino. The Exotic Car Festival brings out the against. Just like at last year’s French Quarter Classic, more modern cars, and to be quite frank, the crowds I use the power of the pen to promote these guys and present probably appreciated the later model cars what they ultimately want to do -- make racing more ac- much more than “old” cars. cessible and fun. That’s a spirit in motor sports that no The oldest Ferrari there was a 330 GT 2+2, but it one has been able to duplicate in many, many years. looked nothing like the grand tourer Maranello built. It My only complaint for the CCR races at Daytona appears as a fairly accurate “166/212 MM Barchetta,” was the timed 15-minute races. Once a car goes off which makes the Dino 206 GT the oldest Ferrari there course (a few did) the pace vehicle comes out, and by if you want to be technical. But if we were to be truly the time racing is resumed and tires are back up to technical would a car without a Ferrari badge be the temperatures, the checkered flag is waving. That is oldest Ferrari? The oldest Ferrari may well have been frustrating to a veteran racing observer and probably a red 365 GTB/4 “Daytona.” Let the debate begin. ultra-frustrating to the participants. I’ll give the orga- When most Ferraris are from the last 30 or so years, nizers credit; they are respecting a schedule to keep all I begin to search for the odd-balls, finding those with things running smoothly. But a better timeframe for unique color combinations or other special features. I the real racers may benefit all. found some interesting cars, such as an F512 M, a 550 The numbers were nice, with more 100 sports cars Barchetta, a 612 Sessanta -- yes Sessanta (the last of in and around the paddock area. No less than 30 Fer- 60 special 612s built), some real sharp, like-new 308 rari Challenge cars took the flag for the CCR races at and 328s, and a 550 Maranello in Rosso Barchetta with the Daytona. crema and bordeaux interior. There was a rosso Dino -- red/orange and one of the best Ferrari colors -- Dino. There were many more highlights such as the Sen- ega Collection Preservation Group section that had -- among two fantastic Dinos – all four Ferrari supercars, with a 288 GTO, F40, F50 and an Enzo. Phil Bachman brought out a virgin Ferrari from his collection; it had not previously been shown. Bachman explained many of the unique features of his 612 Ses- santa and not just the three-position electrochromic glass roof because all 60 Sessantas received this. Bach- Like the French Quarter Classic and the Crescent man marveled in pointing out the “one-offs” only seen Classic -- much has been exercised in making the eve- on his car, the 60th and last one. ning activities memorable. The only real difference The paint can’t be classified as a color. The closest is Celebration is a much larger event and to properly way to describe it is a pearl/yellow/cream that changes entertain that many people, the coordination/organiza- color as you move around the car. This paint was the top tion must be overwhelming. of a two-tone scheme with a metallic dark brown being After the cars and track cool, the event had a great the lower color. Follow the color with unique badges evening planned. The first night had a catered dinner and commemoration pieces and touches like the fact and party inside the 60,000-square-foot motorsports that every factory worker involved with this car signed themed Velocitorium at the Daytona 500 Experience. the radiator cover. The interior is custom trimmed, and After the second day of racing the participants were the luggage is made to match. There are custom fea- invited to an estate in Celebration for an incredible tures galore, all one has to do is start looking. night of food and a magic show. In typical concours tradition, the cars that received The highlight – to many – was Saturday’s car show. awards were paraded in front of the gathering crowds. Here one will see everything except cars built before There the announcer offered a bit of history and infor- 1950. Among the 260 cars were some celebrity auto- mation about the cars and owners. mobiles like the Lamborghini Countach from “Can- The major awards are as follow: nonball Run,” the Lamborghini Diablo and Mutt Cutts Best of Show -- 246 GTS -- Senega Collection van from “Dumb and Dumber,” the Batmobiles from Best 12-cylinder Ferrari -- 550 Maranello – Lawrence Heil the ‘60s television series and 1989 movie with Michael Best 8-cylinder Ferrari -- 288 GTO -- Senega Collection Keaton, the “Star Wars” Land Speeder, the “Back to the Future” DeLorean, the Plymouth Fury from the Best Competition Car -- 348 Challenge – Steve Plaster Stephen King film “Christine,” and the hot rod from Most of these awards made some sense, yet I preferred the TV show “Happy Days.” There was even the world’s the 206 GT (Senega Collection) for Best of Show even largest street legal monster truck.