At the checkered flag it was the 296 GT3 of Conquest Racing – the only Ferrari team participating in the entire IMSA season – which took the second step of the podium in GTD.
Albert Costa, Manny Franco and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli shared the #34 Ferrari which occupied 14th position in the GTD Class with two hours and 34 minutes to go. At that point Costa got behind the wheel, opting for slick tires after a downpour.
Just 12 minutes later, another sudden downpour dashed the chances of two more Ferrari teams. Costa continued, waited 40 minutes for the red flag and then held firm in the final sprint towards the checkered flag, recovering numerous positions.
“It was fantastic, we didn’t make any mistakes, and our guys made an amazing pit stop to get us back into the fight,” Costa said.
“I am proud to be part of this team. We have learned from our mistakes in previous races and this is the result of hard work and determination.”
“At the end there was a thin dry line and it would have been very risky and easy to make a mistake. But we managed to achieve a great result from a championship perspective.”
#57 WINWARD Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3: Manny Franco, Albert Costa Balboa, Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO: John Potter, Andy Lally , Spencer Pumpelly
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
In his first professional race at the Glen, Franco said he was satisfied with his best result of the season.
“The car improved a lot from testing to qualifying thanks to the small changes. The cool temperatures balanced the car. It’s the first time I’ve raced a GT3 here, having participated in the Ferrari Challenge two years ago,” comments the American.
“It’s very challenging to manage mentally with the traffic. I had a lot of fun. We chose the moment to stop in the pits to change tires.”
While Conquest was able to celebrate, for the Ferrari 296 GT3 #62 of Risi Competizione of official drivers Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon the end of the race was affected by a contact.
Serra started the race from the pole position of the GTD PRO, but the team was put into difficulty several times in the game of joints between slick and wet tyres.
The Brazilian led throughout the opening stint, but dropped to fifth at the first pit stop, before rising to second again.
Rigon switched to wet tires when the precipitation arrived and the race went to “caution” mode due to an accident.
The Venetian was third on slick tires with 1h40′ to go when he encountered another sudden downpour. Under the yellow flag he went off the track, hit the wall and suffered damage to the rear suspension. Returning to the pits, he was forced to retire.
#62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3: Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon
Photo by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Images
Miguel Molina, winner of Le Mans in mid-June, finished seventh in GTD in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari, shared with Simon Mann and François Heriau.
Mann was second at the halfway mark. He returned to the pits to hand over the car to Molina two hours from the end, during the transition from wet tires to slicks.
Molina was then caught in the downpour which saw him spin and stop on the edge of the gravel. Unable to move until he was pushed by the race stewards, he lost a lap before rejoining. Thanks to a wave-by, he regained the lead lap and finished seventh under the checkered flag.
Onofrio Triarsi qualified second in the 296 GT3 #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari of Central Florida / David SW, also driven by works driver Alessio Rovera and Charlie Scardina.
Triarsi held second position for the opening half hour, before an unscheduled green flag pit stop. He handed the car over to Scardina, but a penalty for an unauthorized tire change caused the team to lose a lap, and they were unable to recover despite pushing for the remaining five hours. Triarsi took the checkered flag in 13th position.
One minute after Triarsi’s early stop, Roberto Lacorte in the #47 of Cetilar Racing was hit by an LMP2 car entering turn 8.
#023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3: Onofrio Triarsi, Charles Scardina, Alessio Rovera
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
The Tuscan hit the wall – causing extensive damage – and ended up spinning in the gravel. The driver was uninjured, but his Ferrari was forced to retire before recent 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Antonio Fuoco, and Giorgio Sernagiotto had the opportunity to drive.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the success in the LMP2 Class for the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nicklas Nielsen, who shared the Richard Mille AF Corse prototype with the other official Ferrari driver Lilou Wadoux and with Louis Perez Companc.
Conquest Racing will return for the next IMSA race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on July 14. The other four Ferrari teams are also expected for the next Endurance Cup race, scheduled for September 22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
#IMSA #Ferrari #podium #GTD #Glen #Learned #mistakes