Ferrari makes its return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition with this weekend’s SportsCar Grand Prix on the streets of Long Beach.
Colin Braun and Daniel Mancinelli will co-drive Scuderia Corsa’s No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in the 100-minute race. It will be Braun’s first GTD race since 2017, while Mancinelli is making his debut in the series.
“Giacomo [Mattioli, e.n.] reached out and told me they were doing Long Beach as a one-off, and they would love to have me to come and drive,” Braun said. “It all came together at the last minute. My last time at Long Beach was in 2019, in a DPi, but unfortunately my co-driver had early contact and it was game over on lap one. We won a few times there in Prototype Challenge. I enjoy racing there, and have had some success there.”
Braun is no stranger to racing Ferraris. He became the youngest podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007, when he finished second in GT2 a Ferrari F430 for Risi Competizione/Krohn Racing.
“I enjoy the Ferrari,” he said. “I’ve driven the GT3 a little bit, and do a lot of coaching in the Ferrari Challenge series. I’ve known of Daniel for quite a long time, but I met him for the first time last weekend at Road America, where we were both coaching in the Ferrari Challenge. He’s a great guy, and he’s had a lot of success in Ferraris. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
Scuderia Corsa finished third in the 2017 Long Beach event, with drivers Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan reaching the podium during their successful bid for the GTD championship. The race will mark the return of Ferrari to IMSA competition for the first time since the 2021 season-opening 24 Hours At Daytona. Scuderia Corsa finished 14th in GTD in that event, with drivers Marcos Gomes, Ed Jones, Bret Curtis and Ryan Briscoe. Risi Competizione placed fourth in GTLM, while AF Corse was eighth in GTD in that same event.
Weekend schedule. IMSA competitors will have two one-hour practice sessions on Friday, at 9:45 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. (all times PT). Qualifying for GTD starting position will begin at 4:50 p.m., followed by a 15-minute session to award GTD points at 5:15 p.m. The race takes the green flag at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.