Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 No. 62:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA)
The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 finished on the podium in second place in GTD Pro class, at Saturday’s 27th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans 10-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the final round of the season for IMSA.
Drivers for yesterday’s action-packed race were Ferrari GT factory drivers Italian Davide Rigon, Brazilian Daniel Serra, and Italian Alessandro Pier Guidi, who joined them for this final round. All three drivers competed together with Risi Competizione last year at Petit Le Mans, where they finished third on the podium.
The Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team also finished second in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) Championship, which they contested with all five endurance races this season. Risi Competizione trailed the winning team (Paul Miller Racing) by just two points, 43 to 41. The Risi Competizione team won the inaugural IMEC championship in 2022.
Although the team started the race from the 13th GTD Pro class position, their strategy to not pit during the first full course caution helped elevate them to second in class within the first 30 minutes of the race. They continued to run in the two positions most of the race, including leading many laps. There were a total of five cautions over the 10 hours with three within the first 90 minutes.
Serra clocked the team’s fastest lap in his final stint in the dark on Lap 388 out of a total of 413 laps with a time of 1:19.424.
The 2024 race stats for Risi Competizione this season included a class victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a second-place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring, 11th place at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, ninth at the 6 Hours of Indianapolis and another second-place finish at Petit Le Mans today.
Risi Competizione has celebrated an excellent history at Road Atlanta, having won the inaugural Petit Le Mans in 1998 with a Ferrari 333 SP. The team then collected additional victories in 2008 and 2009 with the Ferrari 430 GT, and then in 2016 and 2019 with the Ferrari 488 GTE.
Quotes:
Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“We tried to win the IMEC championship, but we just weren’t able, but it was our third podium in five races, so it’s been a very nice season. It’s always great to race with Risi and I’m happy for the team that we could do a nice season.”
Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
"Well, I'm happy for the podium because for sure we didn't expect to be so close in the end. We were surprised that we had a good performance, and I have to say it's a pleasure to drive with Ale and Daniel and with a super team in Risi. We did a great job all together. We had a mistake on strategy, expecting a safety car in the fourth hour that didn't come, so we missed the points for that segment of the (IMEC) championship. Then in the eighth hour we just missed being in P1 at the time mark for the IMEC points again so that was a disappointment. But looking at the race as a whole, we gave everything we had. I drove always on the lmit and the car was good and fun to drive. The championship was amazing, but I expected more. It was a positive season overall, especially with the Daytona victory, and we hope to get Petit Le Mans next year."
Alessandro Pier Guidi driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“We tried to win the race and the IMEC championship and unfortunately, we couldn’t do it. We made some small mistakes at the fourth and eighth hour to get the points needed, but we still earned a podium which is a great result. Every time at Petit we show our performance. We began the year with the win at Daytona and finished it with a second place here, so it’s been a positive season and we can look forward to the future.”
Sponsors for the 2024 season for Risi Competizione include Pennzoil, Ferrari of Houston, OMP Racing and DEA.
Risi Competizione Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, has not yet made any official announcements for plans for the 2025 race season.
