John Marcar's Ferrari Challenge Diary | The Prologue
“Hi, I'm John Marcar, and I'm Professionally Lucky”
I've opened more than a handful of written articles for Driven in which I share my consideration of good luck. The profession I work in is within an industry that I love. The day job (if you can call it that) often provides frequent opportunities that are not only fulfilling to talk about, write about, and share on social media channels but also opportunities that genuinely excite me. I drive cars I could only dream of owning in environments that many would pay a small fortune to experience. I ride motorcycles on dramatic adventures, and each year, I ride up the iconic hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in front of live crowds and cameras streaming to an audience around the world. I travel to exotic locations, stay in glamorous hotels, and enjoy Michelin-star meals with incredible people, all thanks to the profession I've somehow fallen into. I, therefore, rightfully describe myself as very lucky.
My latest band of good luck comes in the form of motorsport. Motorsport is a world I've dreamt of being involved in for as long as I can remember. Like so many reading, I'm sure, I vividly recall sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, watching in awe at the likes of Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Gerhart Berger competing in Formula 1 and Jason Plato, John Cleland and Matt Neil in the British Touring Car Championship. Even from a young age, I knew that my desire to drive a racing car was likely to remain nothing more than a dream, but the vision never died - not even into my late 30s.
Unveiling our Ferrari 296 Challenge
Towards the end of 2024, I presented a video showcasing a brand new Ferrari 296 Challenge in the showrooms of Graypaul Ferrari Birmingham. The video ended with a less-than-subtle nod toward the idea that the challenge car I had showcased might be taking on a starring role in future videos on the Driven YouTube channel. In early February (2025) I released a follow-up video on the channel showing off the very same Ferrari 296 Challenge, this time in the workshops of AF Corse, Ferrari's UK facility for preparing and maintaining the UK Ferrari Challenge Series cars.
The car I unveiled in the follow-up video was the very same car previously shown in the Graypaul Ferrari Birmingham Showroom. Only this time, instead of being Rosso Corsa in colour, it was deep satin black and adorned with Driven logos. The follow-up video was also my opportunity to reveal that the 296 Challenge I was standing beside would be a car I would personally be competing in for the 2025 UK Ferrari Challenge Series. At 37 years of age, the dream had finally come true. The little 10-year-old version of me that had sat staring at the television in the late 1990s would be ecstatic.
I'm going racing!
So yes, once again, I'm sitting in front of a laptop screen, wondering how on earth I've landed a position of such fortune, and I'm writing the beginning of a story that sets the scene for what will undoubtedly be a year I'll remember for the rest of my life. As mentioned in my reveal video, I want to bring the Driven readers, viewers and followers along with me for this incredible ride. I'm all too aware of how lucky I am and how so many others would love the opportunity to do what I'm doing this year.
How has this happened?
I believe it's important to share all of this, including how this opportunity has arisen. Unlike many of the fantastic opportunities I get to experience, such as the cars I drive and the motorcycles I ride, this opportunity has not been gifted or granted by a manufacturer in return for media coverage. Ferrari is aware of my entry to the series, but the entry, the car I'm driving, and all associated costs that come with it are being covered privately. For this, I have a wonderful man named Phil to thank. Phil is the CEO of Paramex LTD - the parent company that owns Driven. Phil is also a Ferrari collector and has an incredible fleet of Maranello’s finest in his garage, including an SF90 Stradale, SF90 XX Stradale, 812 GTS, Roma, Roma Spider, 296 GTB, 296 GTS, Purosangue (V12, of course) and has a 12 Cilindri in build, and at the time of writing this, is in Maranello configuring his 12 Cilindri Spider too. Phil decided he wanted to add a racing car to his already imposing fleet but, with little desire to compete himself, opted to put his motoring journalist (me) in the driver's seat.
Excitement vs. Apprehension
While I'm personally not footing the bill for my entry into the UK Ferrari Challenge series, I am all too aware of the financial outlay that it's costing my boss. The car alone is twice the value of my own house, and some of the associated costs that come with the entry resemble phone numbers with £ signs at the beginning of them. Given the costs and the faith bestowed upon me, naturally, I want to do well, but I also want to keep the car in as good condition as possible throughout the year.
Many unknowns come with entry to a series like this one, such as the quality of other drivers, the conditions of the races at each meeting, and, of course, the potential for human error, which could be as much on my part as it is by others. If things go wrong, it can get very expensive very quickly, and this knowledge sits prominently at the forefront of my mind as I look ahead to the season. Yes, this is very exciting, but it's also a customer racing series, which inevitably means the driver talent pool is varied.
What happens next?
My first challenge of the year is to obtain my Race National Licence, advanced ARDS racing driver qualification and a minimum of 6 signatures on my race licence, qualifying me to drive the 296 Challenge in competition. The goal is to achieve all this with a mini-series arranged by Ferrari called the Ferrari Challenge Ready 2 Race Program - this will be my first introduction to competitive racing against other drivers in a motorsport environment using race-prepared Mazda MX-5s in a tournament of 6 races at Brands Hatch.
Welcome to the Diary
What will follow in this series of written articles is a year of driving in the UK Ferrari Challenge Series. I will share the ins and outs, the ups and the downs and above all, the true story of being one of the luckiest/jammiest/most fortunate motoring journalists of all time.
Welcome to my Motorsport Diaries as I compete in the UK Ferrari Challenge Series in 2025.
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John Marcar’s Ferrari Challenge Diary:
The Prologue >> READ HERE
Chapter 1: ‘Ready 2 Race’ >> READ HERE
Chapter 2: ‘Let's Start Off by Winning’ >> READ HERE
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Words by John Marcar
Photography by Henry Faulkner-Smith and Daniel Maxwell
