Utilizing pit strategy to perfection, Scuderia Corsa maximized its day at Road America when drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell drove the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia to a fourth place finish in Sunday afternoon’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race.
Fourth place allows the team to jump one position in the GT-Daytona team and driver’s championship. Now in third place, the deficit to the championship leader has also been reduced by one point, to nine. It is a small reduction but represents the team’s motto of “Never Give Up” as they chase the GT-Daytona championship.
With some of the team’s championship competitors having an advantage on the long straightaways of Road America, Scuderia Corsa employed a strategy that made the most of the fuel mileage and handling of the Ferrari 458 Italia and would allow Bell to race to the checkered flag without the need to conserve fuel. As different strategies began to play out after the race’s only full-course caution, Sweedler took the Ferrari as high as second position in class.
“We knew that with the long straightaways here at Road America, we would have a difficult time keeping pace with some of the other GT-Daytona cars that have a significant horsepower advantage over us,” said Sweedler. “So the team put us on a strategy that was perhaps a little bit on the safe side, but would allow us to be at full speed at the finish of the race and not have to save fuel. It put us in a good spot and allowed us to have a good points day. This is such a close championship, every point counts and the Scuderia Corsa boys helped us get the most out of today.”
Bell’s afternoon behind the Ferrari was spent mostly without many competitors around, until the final stages of the race. At the checkered flag, Bell missed the team’s second podium of the season by 5.6 seconds.
“For most of my stint, I was kind of on my own just clicking off laps and minimizing the time losses when we were getting lapped by the prototypes,” said Bell. “And then at the end, all of a sudden, I found myself battling for position with two other cars and I was able to make a pass and move up one spot. I was hit by one prototype car and, unfortunately, brought back some battle scars on the Ferrari that the crew guys will have to fix again. But on the whole we are happy with the finish, happy with the points, and looking forward to getting closer to the championship lead next time out.”
Three races remain in the championship, with the first four cars in the GT-Daytona class separated by ten points. Equally important for the team is the manufacturer’s championship, in which Ferrari currently is in second position.
“It was a very positive weekend in which Scuderia Corsa gained a position, and made up points, in the championship,” said Giacomo Mattioli, team owner of Scuderia Corsa. “Bill and Townsend each did a great job behind the wheel, and our guys did impeccable work in the pits all day. We are in the hunt for the championship and each person on our team is going to be giving their all in the final three races. We are looking forward to having a very strong weekend in Virginia.”
The next round of the TUDOR Championship will be the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway on August 21-23. On the same weekend, the team will compete in the Pirelli World Challenge event at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.