Despite its well-documented history – recent as it may be – of reliability issues, the Ferrari->ke252 458 Italia is still considered one of Ferrari’s crown jewels. It’s no surprise that the Prancing Horse has given the 458 Italia its own racing iteration - the 458 Challenge - which is going to participate in the 2011 Ferrari Challenge series.

Recently, Ferrari North America unveiled the official schedule of the racing series, taking it a number of renowned race tracks across North America, including two in Canada with one at Montreal where it is expected to once again support the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix and the other at Toronto where it will be held for the first time as a support race for Izod IndyCar Series.

The 2011 schedule will take place in the following locations in the corresponding dates: April 28th-May 1st at the Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California; May 20th-22nd at the Laguna Seca, Monterey, California; June 10-12 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a support race for the Canadian Grand Prix; July 8th-10th at Toronto, Ontario, Canada as a support race for the IndyCar Series; July 29th-30th at Lime Rock Park, Lime Rock, Connecticut; Sept 23rd-25th at Homestead Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida.

Despite it being a short calendar series, the 2011 Ferrari Challenge Series is shaping up to be a can’t-miss event among auto racing aficionados who are interested to know how the 458 Challenge is going to handle the competition from its equally high-powered Ferrari brethren.

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