Ferrari to woo owners with track days

THERE’S a big group of winners coming out of Ferrari’s decision to take over the importing side of the Australian business – the owners.

A direct link between Maranello, Ferrari’s traditional heartland, and Australia means that all the same customer services offered to overseas buyers – think track days with Ferrari mechanics on standby, rubbing shoulders with factory drivers and fleets of historic racing cars – will be available here.

Herbert Appleroth, the newly appointed chief executive of the fledgling Ferrari Australasia, said factory-backed events will soon appear on the Australian calendar.

“We will be investing heavily in bringing them (Ferrari customers) experiences that they’ve never had before, which only the factory can bring,” he said.

“It’s all about these experiences that money can’t buy. It also will focus on our true DNA, about the race track and racing,” he said.

He said owners could expect “large-scale events” coming to Australia over the next few years.

“For example, we’re working on a concept called Ferrari racing days where we bring the Ferrari racing world to a marketplace,” he said.

“Last weekend we held one in Abu Dhabi, and in April we hold it at Suzuka in Japan.

“Our plan is to also bring this to Australia -- where we bring our formula one cars, all our race cars, our GT cars, we bring a team of 50 mechanics who look after our customer’s cars.”

He said race days would involve challenge races, as well as driver training designed to help owners drive their cars “to the limit”.

“We are quite a regulated country, so it is important that we give those customers the ability to love their car, but on the track.”