- Ferrari at the head of GT-Daytona Driver and Manufacturer Championships
- Risi Competizione Returns to GT-LeMans Competition
August 23, 2017 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) – Two Rosso Corsa Ferrari 488s will take the green flag this Sunday at the IMSA GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway.
This weekend’s race will feature IMSA’s GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona classes in a standalone two hour and forty-minute race where the no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE and the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 will seek class victory.
Virginia International Raceway is one of the most historic and challenging circuits on the IMSA calendar. Opened first in 1957, in a race in which numerous Ferraris took part, it is considered a driver’s favorite and a true test of machine with 17 corners and large elevation changes packed into its 3.27-mile layout.
Consistency and speed has characterized Scuderia Corsa drivers Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen’s trajectory to lead the GT-Daytona championship. Their healthy lead of 15 points after nine of 12 races was built upon a streak of six straight podium finishes, which as also enabled Ferrari to lead the manufacturer’s championship. Balzan and Nielsen finished in fifth position at the previous IMSA race at Road America.
For the first time since Circuit of The Americas in May, Risi Competizione compete in the GT-LeMans class. The team, and drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander, started their season with podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The team has won three times at VIR, including a stunning last-lap victory in 2014 with Fisichella at the wheel of the team’s 458 Italia GT2.
The IMSA GT Challenge will be broadcast live on Sunday, August 27 at 1:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1 and will be streamed for international audiences at IMSA.com. Qualifying will also be streamed live on Saturday, August 26 beginning at 12:10 PM ET.