Ferrari are expected to be back in the forefront of the racing action in the FIA GT3 Championship this year as a version of the 430 Scuderia has been developed for the GT3 class and it will be campaigned by three teams.

The Ferrari name is expected to be back in the forefront of the racing action in the FIA GT3 Championship this year as a version of the 430 Scuderia has been developed for the GT3 class and it will be campaigned by three teams. The new car has been developed by FIA GT3 championship regulars Kessel Racing.

The Ferrari F430 made a splash in the FIA GT3 Championship when the Kessel Racing's young Swiss pilot Henri Moser won the FIA GT3 title in 2007 at the wheel of the Maranello sports car in just his second season of racing driving alongside French driver Gilles Vannelet. However last year the Italian machine was outclassed by rivals including Ford, Corvette and Aston Martin. Jose Manuel Balbiani ended up the season as the highest placed Ferrari pilot occupying 13th place in the final drivers' classification.

For 2008 Kessel Racing has developed a a successor to the winner of the 2007 FIA GT3 European Championship. The Ferrari Scuderia GT3 is based on the highest performance production evolution of the Ferrari F430, the 430 Scuderia. Subject to the FIA's approval, the Scuderia GT3 will receive a new homologation form.

Three teams have already expressed their intention to enter the Scuderia GT3 in the series this year. Championship regulars Kessel Racing and JMB Racing will be joined by for the first time by CRS Racing who are extending their activities to FIA GT3 Championship alongside their confirmed two-car entry in the FIA GT Championship.

The new Scuderia GT3 has a 4.5 litre engine and boasts a significant increase in horsepower. It uses a sequential gearbox and incorporates the Scuderia road car's gearshift, which is almost as fast changing as in an F1 car. Along with a completely new aerodynamics package the car is expected to have what it takes to go out and win races this year.

CR Scuderia have already tested the Ferrari Scuderia GT3 this month. "We had a great test at Guadix in Spain last week," said Team Director, Andrew Kirkaldy. "The drivers we ran went very well and we are very close to signing up drivers for one of the Ferraris. We have had significant interest in our GT3 programme so we are now actively looking for the best driver combination for the second car so that we can run two cars that are both capable of winning."

The official test and media days for the 2009 FIA GT3 season will be held at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track on April 6th and 7th. The French circuit has already hosted official test days for the FIA GT3 European Championship in 2005, just after the official launch, and in 2006. A further general test session will be organised at the new Algarve circuit later in April. The championship will also have two 'Balance of Performance' tests, which will be held after entries close on March 16th. The 2009 FIA GT3 season gets underway at Silverstone (3/05) in the UK, followed by Adria (17/05) in Italy a fortnight later. Then the series travels to Oschersleben (21/06) in Germany, Algarve (13/09) in Portugal and Paul Ricard HTTT (14/10) in France before concluding in Dubai (14/11).