Drivers Wayne Taylor, Eric van de Poele and Fermin Velez finished eighth overall and scored victory in the LMP1 class. ‘That was a special moment,’ Risi says. ‘When I first came to Le Mans, the thought of being there with Ferrari was so far out of sight. Our little team was running Chevron sports racers.
‘I hadn’t even thought of being a dealer! But when I could be both a dealer and race a Ferrari at Le Mans – and be successful at it – it was the true culmination of a dream.’
In the 20 years since, Risi Competizione has accumulated the victories at Le Mans, two American Le Mans Series championships, three victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring and two victories at Petit Le Mans.
The team has also accumulated the staff and talent needed to continue winning races and championships. ‘Our engineer has been with me for 13 years, and we have mechanics who have been with us for up to 22 years. So, it’s a real team. I enjoy long distance racing and that is one of the strong points in how we put the team together and what we concentrate on.