Weekend Notebook: Ferrari wins at Road America

The Ferraris achieved good results on the track over the weekend of 4 August, including a win in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTD Pro class with the Conquest Racing crew of Daniel Serra and Giacomo Altoè. Arise Racing’s two 296 GT3s delivered convincing performances in the GT World Challenge Australia, while the best Ferrari finished in the top 10 in the Super GT.

IMSA. A risky but intelligent approach secured victory in the GTD Pro for the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 35 of Conquest Racing during the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America, Wisconsin. Prancing Horse official driver Daniel Serra extended his final stint to complete the race with just one pit stop over two hours and 40 minutes after taking over from teammate Giacomo Altoè, who is also competing in this year’s Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe.

The yellow flags enabled the 40-year-old Brazilian to manage his fuel, and on the last lap he crossed the finish line with just enough in the tank. The US team scored its first victory in the GTD Pro, in what was a spot appearance in the category alongside their full-season GTD entry. The latter, crewed by Manny Franco and Albert Costa, finished sixth in class, while Triarsi Competizione’s number 23 car stopped just minutes before the end and came twelfth in class.

The next round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship is on the weekend of 23-25 August at Virginia International Raceway. This will again be a two-hour and 40-minute race.

Super GT. The top-performing Ferrari 296 GT3 in round four of the Japanese Super GT at the Fuji circuit secured a top 10 finish. Yoshiaki Katayama and Roberto Merhi Muntan, in the Uni-Robo Bluegrass number 6, crossed the line in ninth place after the 71-lap race, two spots ahead of the Ponos Racing number 45 car driven by Lilou Wadoux and Kei Cozzolino. This was the third points finish for the number 6 car, which now sits tenth in the championship standings, while the other Ferrari holds thirteenth position.

The next championship round runs from 30 August to 1 September at the Suzuka track.

GT World Challenge Australia. Arise Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3s claimed two fourth-place finishes in the GT World Challenge Australia at Queensland Raceway, the sixth and seventh races of the season. The number 1 car, driven by Liam Talbot and Chaz Mostert, finished tenth in Race-1 and fourth in Race-2, while the number 8 sister car, piloted by Elliott Schutte and Jaxon Evans, secured fourth and sixth overall. Talbot and Mostert maintain their lead in the championship standings, with a one-point margin over their closest rivals, while Schutte and Evans are fifth, 20 points behind the leaders.

The next round will be at the Phillip Island circuit from 23 to 25 August 2024.