Ferrari F458 smashes Bathurst lap record

A brand-new Ferrari F458 has smashed Craig Lowndes Bathurst lap-record by an astonishing two seconds during one of it's first drives around the famous Mt Panorama circuit.

Ferrari outfit Maranello Motorsport tested their car with driver Allan Simonsen behind the wheel and he had little trouble in dipping below Lowndes' V8 benchmark.

Three key Australian-owned GT3 teams have been testing at Mount Panorama in the lead-up to February's 12 hour race.

With Simonsen behind the wheel the car smashed the Mount Panorama lap record, lapping in an astonishing 2:04.9560 – nearly two full seconds underneath Craig Lowndes' V8 Supercar time.

Team owner Mark Coffey said the testing program had achieved the objective of showing what the stunning 458 Italia GT3 car was capable of.

"There are a lot of stopwatches out on the mountain this weekend so with all eyes on the Aussie entries already, it’s going to be a good thing we're being noticed straight up," Coffey said.

"The car has been fantastic straight out of the box. It's very exciting and the Maranello team are looking forward to more development. The racing can't come soon enough."

Meanwhile, long time Ferrari rivals Lamborghini have been well represented with Queensland driver Roger Lago and V8 Supercar driving team-mate David Russell shaking down their brand new Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 GT3.

Victorian Consolidated Chemical Co. Racing also tested their similar Lamborghini, team owner and driver Ted Huglin flying co-driver Cam McConville up to test the car earlier in the week.

McConville, a multiple Bathurst 1000 podium finisher and V8 supercar race winner, said driving the Lamborghini was one of the great experiences of his driving career.

"It's by far the best car I've ever driven around Bathurst," McConville enthused.

"I think I've probably had my best day in a race car for years, I enjoyed it so much. The Lambo feels more like an open wheeler to drive than a Touring Car. I was surprised about how stable it was, how good it was under brakes, across the top.

"I can't wait to get back and drive it in the 12 hour".