Ferrari returns to success at the 24 Hours of Daytona after a 10 year absence. The victors in the GTD Pro class were Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, in the 296 GT3 of Risi Competizione. In the GTD class the number 21 car of AF Corse, driven by Miguel Molina, Simon Mann, François Heriau and Kei Cozzolino, finished second; third the no. 34 of Conquest Racing; fourth the number 023 of Triarsi Competizione driven by Alessio Rovera, Onofrio Triarsi, Charles Scardina, Riccardo Agostini.
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: Success at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a year after the 296 GT3's difficult debut on this track, is an extraordinary result that repays the tremendous work of our engineers, our technical partners and all the teams and drivers who have worked so hard to bring the 296 GT3 to the level of competitiveness it has demonstrated today, but which it already showed last year. The reliability of the five cars that took part in the race was impeccable and to see them all cross the finish line is a great satisfaction.
We won another 24 Hours, the third in the last year after Le Mans with the 499P and Nürburgring with the 296 GT3, a result that confirms Ferrari as the queen of endurance racing. We are very happy for Giuseppe Risi who has returned to winning ways after many years. Giuseppe is someone who has spent his life in racing, for Ferrari, and winning the 24 Hours of Daytona is an important recognition of the great passion he and his team put into racing. In general, all the teams were commendable, although in the GTD class a few episodes prevented a one-two finish that would have been fantastic. However, to have two cars on the podium is a really positive result that we should be proud of, and it is testament to the fact that the 296 GT3 has begun to take up the legacy of the 488 GT3.
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars: The win at Daytona is a splendid result, but in addition to the outcome of the race, what makes us proud is to have seen all five cars at the finish line after watching them be competitive at all stages of the race. From the point of view of reliability and performance, if we want to make a comparison with last year, we have made giant strides. We won the GTD Pro class and came close to success in GTD, while still taking two 296 GT3s onto the podium. We leave Florida with the knowledge that we have accomplished an extraordinary sporting feat. This 24-hour race confirms the quality of the project and that of the programme, and should stimulate us further to work on and improve the car because I am convinced that it will still be able to give us a lot of satisfaction in the future.
Daniel Serra: I'm really happy, this is the race that I've been trying to win for so long. I was so close so many times. If you ask me every year what my target is at the beginning of a year, it is to win Daytona because it was the first 24 Hour race I did a long time ago. Its a very special race for me. Today is one of the happiest days in my racing career. Its always nice to share the car with Ale, James and Davide. I learn so much from them. Its always nice and we're always pushing each other to be better. The team did a good job. we had a few mistakes in the beginning, but when we had to do it, the team did it. I think we did a good job.
Davide Rigon: I am overjoyed to have finally won the race that opens the season every year. Until now I had only been on the top step of the podium at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, while here at Daytona and I had finished second three times. This result is a dream come true for me. We have prepared this race with great attention to every detail, on a journey that began a year ago, when we brought the new 296 GT3 to debut here. How did I experience the last hour of the 24 Hours? As is often the case in IMSA, the result was still open despite the great performance we had shown up to that point. The tension was as impressive as the joy I felt when Daniel crossed the finish line.
Alessandro Pier Guidi: Ten years after my previous success, I returned to celebrate the 24 Hours of Daytona, a historic race that was among the few I had not had the honour of winning with the 2020 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo. It was a long wait, but I'm really happy to have finally achieved the goal with the 296 GT3. The race was tough, complicated in the early stages, but over the next few hours, thanks to the fact that we did everything perfectly, both we drivers and the Risi Competizione team, we built an advantage that was essential to get on the top step of the podium.
James Calado: First Daytona win which is amazing, very happy for the team and Ferrari. It’s been quite a long time since we won Daytona, so its a great result and a good way to start the year in preparation for whats to come. I'm happy for Giuseppe Risi because he deserves this a lot. He puts a lot of his own resources into it and he's been rewarded nicely.
Miguel Molina: It was a very long race which, as usual, was decided in the final stages. We managed the car well over the 24 hours, and I congratulate the whole team for that. In the last two hours we were in the thick of it for the win, and I did my best to try and get a win - it's a shame I didn't make it, but I'm happy to secure second place once again in this prestigious race.
Manny Franco: “To be on the podium in my first IMSA Championship race is an indescribable feeling,” expressed Manny Franco. “The 24 at Daytona is one of the most challenging races in the world, and I could not be happier or prouder of our performance here in our first outing of the season. All my co-drivers had mega stints and got the job done when it mattered most, and even though we had some hurdles to overcome at some points, we really rallied together to be able to bring it across the finish line in third.”
Alessio Rovera: “It was a 24-hour race well run by the team but in a chase, we always reached first or second position but then each time we had to catch up. It was a shame about the drive-through that heavily conditioned the last hours of our race. However, the car was competitive and the work of everyone allowed us to come close to the final podium, and we can be satisfied with the race pace.”