Four Ferrari 488 GTE machines will take to the virtual track on Thursday for the third round of the IMSA iRacing Pro Series championship. Led by Ferrari factory driver James Calado, who will race the no. 62 Ferrari on behalf of Risi Competizione, drivers will begin the evening at 6pm ET with qualifying and warm up sessions before getting on the grid for a 90 minute race.
Calado debuts. This week’s event will mark the first time that James Calado has taken part in the IMSA iRacing Pro Series, though of course not the first time this year he has driven with Risi Competizione. The British driver got behind the wheel of Risi’s Ferrari 488 GTE car at the 2020 running of the 24 Hours at Daytona. While late drama unfortunately sidelined the team in the waning hours, there will thankfully be no such difficulties in the virtual world. Instead, James will have to navigate a packed field of 50 top IMSA drivers around a course that he has never driven before in real-life – Mid Ohio.
Balzan Returns. Alessandro Balzan will represent Scuderia Corsa when he takes to the virtual grid in the no. 64 Ferrari 488 GTE. Alessandro made his virtual debut in the second round of the IMSA iRacing Pro Series championship at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, and did a good job to advance from his 20th starting position to 12th at the end of that 90 minute contest. Qualifying will certainly be the key, however as the technical Mid-Ohio track does not offer many opportunities to pass.
Strong field. Mason Filippi and Michael Lewis of Bryan Herta Autosport will round out the competitors in Thursday’s race choosing to make use of the Ferrari 488 GTE machine. While the duo typically race a different car in the real world, they have chosen to take this virtual opportunity to race with the most storied brand in motorsport, Ferrari. Mason will line up in the no. 98 machine, while Michael will line up in the no. 198.
Schedule. Festivities get under way at 6pm ET with a qualifying session, followed immediately by gridding and a 90 minute race. The race will be streamed live on the iRacing Youtube and Facebook channels.