The chequered flag at the end of the rookie test of the FIA World Endurance Championship, held yesterday at the Bahrain circuit, marks the end of motorsport activities for 2019. It has been a great year for Ferrari with another 22 other international titles to add to its long list of triumphs, plus of course the prestigious victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, as usual, the Maranello-based company is already looking forward to the new season that kicks off in January with the highly anticipated 24 Hours of Daytona and, for the occasion, announced Daniel Serra and Nicklas Nielsen's entry into its roster of official Competizioni GT drivers. The Brazilian, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, has already joined Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado in the 488 GTE no. 51 of AF Corse on several occasions, while the Danish driver has completed a high-level training path that began with the Ferrari Challenge, confirming the educational nature of the Prancing Horse’s one-make series. The sports programmes of the individual drivers will be the subject of future communications.
Daniel Serra. Serra was born in Sao Paulo on 24 March 1984. He started in karting before progressing to Formula Renault 2.0, competing in both the Brazilian and European series. In 2009, he claimed his first victory in the Brazilian Stock Car series, which he went on to win in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In the three years 2014-2016, he drove in the IMSA series for Scuderia Corsa at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 Italia and in his last year, in the 488 GTE at Daytona and the Petit Le Mans, which he won with Scuderia Corsa in 2018. In 2017, he claimed his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, a feat he repeated with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado at the wheel of the Ferrari in 2019. He won the Petit Le Mans for a second time with the same crew, driving the 488 GTE of Risi Competizione.
Nicklas Nielsen. Nielsen is Danish, born in Hørning on 6 February 1997. After making his debut in karting, he joined the Audi Sport Academy and took part in the German Formula 4 championship, winning the Rookie title. In 2017, he entered the world of closed-wheel racing, while continuing to compete in karts and Formula 4. He began in the Ferrari Challenge where he won both races on his debut in 2017, which encouraged him to continue in the Prancing Horse's one-make series the following season. Nielsen found the Challenge an excellent training ground, as we can see by his ten victories and permanent presence on the podium. He walked away with the European series and the world title in the Finali Mondial at Monza. The transition from the 488 Challenge to the 488 GTE was natural and, in 2019, he debuted in the European Le Mans Series with Luzich Racing. He secured the title in the 488 GTE alongside Fabien Lavergne and Alessandro Pier Guidi, with four wins in six races. He was also named ‘Rookie of the year’. He then entered the FIA World Endurance Championship with the 488 GTE of AF Corse, in the LMGTE Am class, together with François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard, winning the opening round at Silverstone and currently in first position in the standings.