Experience

Ferrari Driving Experience Graduate Moves on to Challenge

Many Ferrari owners consider it a responsibility to learn how to manage the full range of driving capabilities offered by a Ferrari motorcar.  The path begins with Ferrari Driving Experience Basic, then Ferrari Driving Experience Advanced and perhaps as far as Ferrari Challenge.  One Ferrari owner, Ted Skokos, tells the story of his path to becoming a Ferrari Challenge racecar driver.

I have always loved cars since my teenage years and have had a fascination with Ferraris in particular as an adult.  I purchased my first Ferrari in 2005. It was an F430 F1 coupe and was the finest driving automobile I had ever owned. 

Looking back on my driving experiences with the F430, I now realize that I never even scratched the surface of the capabilities of that wonderful machine.  My wife Shannon, knowing my secret desire to become a racecar driver, surprised me with the basic Ferrari Driving Experience course for my 2006 birthday.  I’d never seen a racetrack much less driven on one.  I instantly bonded with the Ferrari Driving Experience instructors and enjoyed every minute driving the F430s on the track. 

At the Ferrari Driving Experience Basic, I learned driving skills and basic characteristics of balance, acceleration and braking and how each of those affects the performance of a racecar at high speeds.  I had always had an innate ability for speed but had never really understood the physics involved.  Ferrari Driving Experience Basic wetted my appetite to learn more and to refine my driving skills.  By the end of my second day, I had registered for the advanced course, telling my wife what I wanted for my next birthday gift.

The Ferrari Driving Experience Advanced course took me to the next level, absorbing instruction from 17 professional Ferrari driving instructors who possess a unique ability to not only lead by example, but also to teach in a logical and concise manner. I responded well to their instruction and encouragement and I decided to become a Ferrari Challenge driver.


I hired Ferrari driving instructors Anthony Lazarro and Martin Roy to serve as my personal driving coaches.  Anthony advised me to order my Ferrari Challenge racecar and to attend a three-day SCCA driving course in Atlanta to qualify for my Grand-Am license. The combined coaching skills of these two well-respected and extremely talented veteran race car drivers has allowed me to take my driving skills to another level in less than a year.

To be fair to yourself and other Challenge drivers, you must devote substantial time to improving your driving skills.  It is also a substantial financial commitment.  Lastly, you need to have the support of your spouse or significant other.

At age 61, I am the next to oldest Challenge driver in the 2008 race series, competing against drivers from age 19 into their 50s.  It is extremely challenging just to keep up but it is so rewarding to know that at my age I can still compete with the younger guys.


For me, the Ferrari experience is the embodiment of the endless pursuit of perfection, the blending of the ultimate skill of human ability with the perfect mechanical companion.  In that regard, it is more Hellenic in nature.  However, what separates a Ferrari car from all others is its romantic nature--its refined sleek lines and highly-sophisticated performance combined with its supernatural ability to generate an immense adrenaline rush in all drivers who dare to sit behind the wheel.  It is hard to explain to the casual observer, but you know it when it hits you.


There are many rewards of being a Challenge driver. The satisfaction of knowing that you are chasing a dream, that you are perfecting a skill that few people have ever attained and that you are privileged to be a member of one of the most elite clubs in the world--the Ferrari family of racecar drivers.

The best reward is the many great friendships I've made with many of the Challenge drivers, former drivers, pit crew members, racing officials and the Ferrari employees and driving instructors.  It is truly a family affair. Every now and then, I have to pinch myself to realize I am living the dream of many a boy and man.  How cool is that!?  As we say, “Drive fast and don’t crash!”