2015 LAGUNA SECA POST-RACE REPORT
Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT No. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA), Pierre Kaffer (DEU)
The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia team finished fourth in Sunday's Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda race in Monterey, Calif. , Round 4 of the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season. The ultra-competitive GTLM class offered a good show for the fans but the speed of the BMWs proved too much for the popular Risi Ferrari team.
The Risi Competizione team still managed a good performance from qualifying driver Pierre Kaffer who collected the fastest GTLM lap of the race on Lap 69 of a total of 108 laps. Kaffer drove the first and last stints in the two-stop two-hour and 40-minute race with teammate Giancarlo Fisichella handling the middle stint.
Additionally Team Manager Dave "Beaky" Sims made an appearance on the podium to collect the third-in-a-row DEKRA Green Challenge Award. The Risi team has dominated as the award recipient this year by being the most environmentally clean, fast, and efficient GT Le Mans (GTLM) competitor at the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races. They won the award at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach and now at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The new aero package or "evolution of type" mandated beginning with this race as part of the BoP (balance of performance) brought a challenge to the Risi Competizione team as they were unable to test the new ACO homologation requirement prior to Friday's first practice session. The factory BMWs dominated the weekend, with a strong challenge from the factory Porsches.
The No. 24 BMW Z4 GTEs of John Edwards and Lucas Luhr won in the GTLM class with Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner finishing second in the sister No. 25 BMW. Patrick Pilet and Michael Christensen were third in their No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR.
The Risi Competizione team now sits fourth in the IMSA GTLM Team and Driver's points championship with 118 points. The No. 3 Corvette retains the championship lead with 128 points, followed by No. 25 BMW with 126 and the No. 24 BMW team with 121.
Pierre Kaffer, driver, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:
"I think today we were ninety-five percent. On my start of the race, I was stuck in first gear and could not change, so I lost a position or two then I gained one back. We made the great pit stop and put the car in the lead so everything was under control. Then, unfortunately, we had the radio problem on the restart call after the caution for Giancarlo, so he lost position on the restart. On my second stint I was right behind (Michael) Christiansen (in the No. 912 Porsche). I could catch up but then finally I hit the inside curb a bit hard in Turn 4, with my thought to take more momentum. In the front was a GTD car and I was concentrating too much to him. Anyway, I bent the steering and after that the race was done because I couldn't get the speed up again.
Today it was horrible in the traffic. I think everyone had some problems, but that's how racing is with different classes racing together. We finished fourth, which isn't a bad result. We scored the fastest lap time in the race, so that's something that gives us light at the end of the tunnel. We are looking forward to the next race at Watkins Glen. I think we learned a lot about our aerodynamic package, which we have here for the first time at Laguna Seca. We lost a few points to the BMW, but we gained points on the Corvette, so it isn't a bad result for us. We win together and we lose together and today we're not on the podium, but I think next time it will be our turn again."
Giancarlo Fisichella, driver, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:
"The main problem was when I went out after our first pit stop. I mean, the crew did a fantastic job and we were first out, but as soon as I went out I felt a big vibration and the vibration was getting worse and worse for the stint. It was very difficult to drive. There was big traffic at the beginning so we lost the contact we had with the leader. At the end we lost the grip so it was so difficult. Then Pierre came back to the car and he did a good job. We ended up fourth. It think it was possible to get a podium today, but both BMWs today we stronger. As of the last race they have been too strong and they need to find something different in the BoP."
Rick Mayer, race engineer, Risi Competizione:
"We qualified better than I thought, which is good, and Pierre started the race and did a really good job. He had a little issue on the start because he couldn't get second gear. It's uncommon, but it happens sometimes, you get a dog- to- dog in the gearbox. He did a really good job to get some positions back and then when we pitted, the crew put him from fourth to first in the pits. That was pretty impressive. We did have the least pit time of any car in our class in the whole race and we won the DEKRA Green Challenge Award again for being the most efficient and Pierre had the fastest race lap so those were both impressive. He had some suspension damage when he hit a curb and went off the track slightly in Turn 4, which caused him not to be able to push at the end. I don't think we had enough for the Porsche at the end anyway. It was close, but I don't think we could have gotten it. The BMWs were fast all weekend and definitely had the car to beat and congratulations to them."
Dave Sims, team manager, Risi Competizione:
"We didn't have the speed today. We really needed to test all this (aero) bodywork. We were basically testing all weekend. We beat everyone on the pit stops again. And then we dropped to P2, P3 and we ended up P4, which is good for championship points, but a podium would have been better. We were playing catch up all weekend with the set up with the bodywork. We need to do some testing before Watkins Glen. The boys did a good and the drivers did a good job, but it just wasn't there today."
Regarding winning the DEKRA Green Challenge Award for a third time:
"Obviously, on the fuel consumption and our pit stops we are on the ball again. The entire crew did a great job and I'm proud we won the DEKRA Green Challenge Award again. That's three in a row for us and we'll take it every time if we can manage to do it."
The next race for the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia will be Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, Round 6 of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Round 3 of the Patron North American Endurance Cup in Watkins Glen, NY from June 26-28. Risi Competizione will not contend Round 5 at Detroit Belle Isle on May 29-30 (P/PC/GTD classes race), as the GTLM class does compete in the round.
