The Risi Competizione Team is looking at the upcoming Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen race, round six of the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season and round five for the GTLM class, as an opportunity to show their impressive pit stop skills. The Risi Team, who currently sits fourth in the GTLM championship has two podiums (2nd at Sebring and Long Beach)  in three Top Five finishes this season.

Risi Competizione will compete in the six-hour race with its two full-time drivers, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Pierre Kaffer in the stunning Rosso Corsa (racing red) Ferrari 458 Italia machine. With numerous pit stops required in the endurance race, the Risi Competizione team is betting their quick pit stops, including fast driver changes, will be a beneficial advantage.

Although the 3.4-mile, 11-turnroad course in upstate New York is not a circuit on which the popular Houston-Texas-based Ferrari team has a lot of experience in recent years, Risi Competizione has a track record that includes two victories, both in 2002 with the 6-hour and 250-mile sprint races, five podiums and two poles (both races in 2002) in the early Grand-Am racing days. The team returned to The Glen for the first time since 2004 last year when Fisichella and Kaffer combined for a seventh-place class finish in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 456GT.

This weekend will be Kaffer's fourth appearance at Watkins Glen; his best finish was third place in 2013 with Starworks Motorsport in the DP class. Fisichella, who recently finished second on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia LMGTE Pro class, makes his second appearance at Watkins Glen,  again with Risi Competizione, after teaming with Kaffer for the first time last year. Kaffer collected the fastest lap record of the 2014 Six Hours of The Glen race.

In the past nine races the Risi Competizione team, with the Fisichella/Kaffer pairing, has collected five podiums (including victories at Road America and VIR in 2014) and three second-place finishes (Indy in 2014 and Sebring and Long Beach in 2015). They also have two poles (Indianapolis 2014 with Fisichella and VIR 2014 with Kaffer). The team is seeking their third podium finish of the season at Watkins Glen.

PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:

You have raced at Watkins Glen in both GT and DP cars in recent years. What are your thoughts and memories about this track?

"I almost won my first DP race in Watkins Glen. In the end we finished third. In general I have very good memories of this track and it is one of my favorite! I am looking forward to drive there again. It's like a Nordschleife (Nurburgring), only small."

Last year, despite the team's 7th place result, you had the fastest lap of the race in GTLM class. What is it going to take to be on the podium this year?

"We were unlucky last year. This year I think we are in a good shape and I´m sure one of the key points will be our strategy and pit stops to win or finish on the podium again."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:

What has your experience been like racing at Watkins Glen?

 "Last year we had some difficulties with the alternator and our radio communications that cost us a couple of positions. It is a nice circuit and I'm glad to race there again."

Congratulations on your recent podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. What feelings do you have going into this weekend's race and have you done anything different in preparing for this race?

"It is always nice to be on the podium at Le Mans because it is such an important race. It would be better to win though. We will do some pit stop practice with the team because it will be quite important for Watkins Glen but nothing special."

RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:

What are some of the Risi team strengths that play to a track like Watkins Glen?

"For a six hour race many things have to be right. The crew preps a perfect race car for every event. There are only good professional teams in GTLM but nobody preps a better car than the Risi crew. Our pit stops are very quick, and it's hard to beat the Risi crew in the pits, that includes the drivers, as our driver's change is very fast. That's more of an advantage in the long races that the short races as you have more stops. That gives more opportunities to get an advantage."

What challenges are the team faced with going into this race weekend?

"We still have the revised aero kit that we haven't done much running with. We first ran it at Laguna. We should be able to hone in on a good setup quickly, at least we hope so. This is really the first 'normal' track we go to. The first four races are all setup compromises; Daytona is all about banking speed, Sebring is very bumpy, Long Beach is a street circuit, and Laguna forces the car to be setup very high to avoid damaging the car from bottoming in the 'Corkscrew'. That's four completely different setups required for four completely different tracks. Watkins Glen is more of a traditional setup track for us. We have some good notes from last year and we've made some good setup gains since then."

Tune-In Information:

GTLM qualifying will stream live at IMSA.com on Saturday June 27 from 4:05 p.m.-4:20 p.m. EDT. Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen airs live on FOX Sports 1, Sunday, June 28 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT and on FOX Sports 2 from 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Live timing and scoring is available for all on-track sessions at IMSA.com and on the IMSA Smartphone app.

FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a recap all the action of Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, July 5 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.