The Ferrari 458 Challenge has just made its global public debut at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy. The 458 racer car is based heavily on Ferrari’s 458 Italia road car, but with a number of revisions, including a drop in weight, to ensure it’s a star on the track.

The Challenge uses the same 425 kW 4.5-litre V8 as the production car. But there have been changes to the gear ratios and the gearbox software to deliver more torque at lower revs.

The big changes are to do with the 458’s weight. A crash diet of carbon fibre and lexan polycarbonate, plus thinner body panels has shaved weight, but Ferrari refuses to say just how much has been saved.

The suspension has been lowered by 50 mm and now uses single-rate dampers with stiffer springs, and centre-nut 19-inch racing wheels wearing Pirelli slick tyres. To ensure adequate stopping power, Ferrari has borrowed the Brembo CCM2 carbon ceramic brakes from the 599XX. These are combined with a two-setting ABS system that can be switched for low grip or dry surfaces.

In a Ferrari first, the Challenge car adopts the E-Diff electronic differential and F1 Trac traction control systems from the road car. However, the electronics systems have been recalibrated for track use.

All in, the modifications have allowed Ferrari’s test drivers to shave 2 seconds off the F430 Challenge’s lap time at the firm’s Fiorano test track. On slick tyres, the 458 Challenge will lap the track in 1m 16.5sec, and generate lateral-G figures of up to 1.6G in the process.

Joining the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge at the Bologna display is the F430 GTC owned by the AF Corse team. The 458 Challenge will hit circuits in 2011 as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, which sees track-prepared F430s, 360s, F355s and 348s do battle. Next year’s season will also be extended to include a new Asia-Pacific series.