Ferrari Fights for Podium in AM Category

The no. 41 Ferrari 488 GT3 of HB Racing continues to fight for a podium finish at the 24 Hours at COTA, currently running in third position in the A6-AM category.  The Austrian outfit is supporting the loan Ferrari in a 24 hour contest that will take place non-consecutively over two days at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with the opening eleven hours of competition complete, and the remaining thirteen hours to be run on Sunday.   Fielding a trio of drivers, Nick Mancuso, Angelo Negro and Nikolaj Rogivue, the no. 41 Ferrari 488 GT3 of HB Racing started in eighth overall, with a time of 2:07.310, compared to the overall pole time of 2:05.697.  The cars lined up on the starting grid and took the green flag at 11:30AM (all times in Central).  Almost immediately, however, the team ran into difficulty, as a suspected fuel leak forced them into the pits to enact repairs.  While the repair time was remarkably short, only four minutes, it was enough to put the team two laps down.   As the hours ticked on, the Ferrari 488 GT3 ran strongly, posting a best lap of 2:08.639, a very competitive benchmark compared to the other cars in the AM category.  The team also has executed a strong race thus far, with only one penalty for pit speed violation costing the team an extra 24 seconds on pit lane.   As planned, on-track action was halted at 10:30PM.  Drivers and team will take the opportunity to rest before an early morning start.  The green flag for the second part of the 24 Hours of COTA will fly at 8:25AM and run continuously until 9:25PM.  Live commentary and streaming video are available at 24hseries.com.