- Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen aiming to clinch second-straight GT-Daytona championship
- Ferrari enjoys nine-point lead in GT-D manufacturer championship
- Risi Competizione look to defend team’s 2016 victory at Petit Le Mans
October 3, 2017 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) – This week’s IMSA Petit Le Mans, the final race of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship, will last for ten hours but only two hours and forty five minutes stands between Alessandro Balzan, Christina Nielsen, Scuderia Corsa and the GT-Daytona championship.
GT-DaytonaBalzan and Nielsen will arrive at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia with a 26-point lead in the season championship. Once the team starts the race, she and Balzan will secure the GT-D championship for the second straight season in the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 – in the same year that Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary.
A Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 captured the 2015 GT-D championship, while Balzan and Nielsen captured the 2016 title in a Ferrari 488 GT3. Ferrari also leads the GT-D manufacturer championship entering Petit Le Mans.
Balzan and Nielsen will be joined by Matteo Cressoni, who co-drove to second place finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Six Hours of the Glen. The trio also lead the GT-D standings of the North American Endurance Cup.
GT - LeMans. In GT-LeMans, Risi Competizione will look to close out the 2017 season with a repeat of the way they closed out their 2016 season – with a victory at Petit Le Mans. In an abbreviated season, the team has finished on the podium at Daytona, Sebring, VIR and most recently at Laguna Seca.
For Petit Le Mans, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander will be joined by Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi.
Schedule. Saturday’s Petit Le Mans will be shown live on FOX Sports 1 starting at 10:30 AM ET before switching to FOX Sports 2 from 11:30 AM ET until 2:30 PM ET. The broadcast will begin again on FOX Sports 2 at 5:00 PM ET and show the duration of the race with the broadcast ending at 9:30 PM ET. The race will be streamed for international audiences on IMSA.com, and Friday’s qualifying will also be streamed at IMSA.com beginning at 4:10 PM ET.