Ferrari GT cars enjoyed double success this weekend taking wins in the FIA GT series at Slovakiaring and the Grand Am series in Kansas.
In Kasas for the latest round of the Grand Am championship Scuderia Corsa scored a fantastic win with drivers Leh Keen and Alessandro Balzan. Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazarro finish on podium for fourth time this season with the AIM Autosports car. These results mean that Ferrari now leads driver, team, and manufacturer championships.
The victory, which was the fifth for the Ferrari 458 Italia in the Series, extended Ferrari’s lead in the manufacturer championship and also vaulted Balzan and Scuderia Corsa to the lead of the GT driver and team championships.
“We have been close many times to a win, and for this race Scuderia Corsa really worked out an incredible strategy,” said Balzan. “We worked on the Ferrari not to be really fast at the beginning of a stint, but to be faster the longer the race went on. Also, Leh Keen gave me a lot of help, bringing all his experience to the team. We are very happy and very proud to be a part of Scuderia Corsa. We know that the championship will be very hard, but I think there is no better time and moment to win a race than this point of the championship.”
Keen was equally thrilled to help Scuderia Corsa win their first Grand Am race, and to score his first win at the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia.
“Scuderia Corsa has been in the hunt for the championship all year long and has been waiting for this breakthrough win,” said Keen. “There’s no better time to do it than right here. There are still two races to go and we are leading the championship and this is what the team has been aiming for. So I really want to thank them for bringing me on board and I’m glad that I could help a little bit on their first win, the guys knocked out awesome pit stops, the strategy was on point, and Balzan drove an awesome final couple of stints to bring it home.”
Team owner Giacamo Mattioli, whose Scuderia Corsa team debuted in the series last September at Laguna Seca, now sees his team lead the GT team championship.
“To win our first race is a fantastic feeling,” said Mattioli. “We felt like we had won in Texas, but this is the first official victory of Scuderia Corsa and we won because the team did a fantastic job. Leh and Alessandro drove very well, the strategy was impeccable, and we executed. So I am very happy for Ferrari and leading the championship looking forward to Laguna Seca.”
Also finishing on the podium were Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazarro in the #69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia. This was the duo’s fourth podium finish of the season in the Rolex Series, bringing them within ten points of the driver and team championship.
Unfortunately for the no. 61 R.Ferri/AIM Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia, a pit lane penalty would drop them from the race lead to an eventual sixth place finish. The car, which was qualified on pole position by Alex Tagliani, led much of the first half of the race with Tagliani and Jeff Segal behind the wheel. Segal would also record the fastest lap of the race.
The next round of the Series be at Laguna Seca on September 8, and will be shown live at 5:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1 in the USA.
Meanwhile at the Slovakiaring there was more success for Ferrari with the AF Corse car, driven by Claudio Sdanewitsch and Michele Rugolo, took the win in the Gentlemen’s trophy. The other Ferrari, again entered by AF Corse and driven by Filip Salaquarda and Fabio Onidi in the Pro Am cup, scored a credible fourth place in this competitive class. The next round of the championship takes place at he Spanish circuit of Navarra on the 29 September.l
Source : Ferrari Corse Clienti