The popular Houston, Texas based Risi Competizione Team returns to the small Central Florida town with their new Ferrari 488 GTLM in an attempt to add to their impressive history at the 3.74-mile 17-turn circuit. Round two of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series will see the 465-horsepower Prancing Horse of Giancarlo Fisichella, Toni Vilander and Davide Rigon compete against the likes of Porsche, BMW, Corvette and Ford for the 64th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida race, March 19.Sixty years ago Ferrari celebrated its first of 12 victories at the historic Florida circuit when four-time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti drove their Ferrari 860 Monza to victory. Fangio went on to win two additional Sebring classics, one more in a Ferrari. Phil Hill was also three-time Sebring winner, all with Ferrari. Mario Andretti drove Ferraris to victory at the famous Florida circuit in 1970 and 1972. The Ferrari 333 SP was the overall Sebring winner in 1995, 1997 and 1998. That last Ferrari victory at Sebring in 1998 was at the hands of the popular MOMO Ferrari of Gianpiero Moretti, Mauro Baldi and Didier Theys, who is still actively involved with IMSA and Ferrari in the U.S.

Risi Competizione's rich history at Sebring includes three victories (in 2007, 2009, 2010) and four additional podiums (2006, 2008, 2013, 2015) in 14 years and 19 entries since 1998. One of the most exciting race finishes in the history of Sebring International Raceway was in 2007 with a classic Ferrari versus Porsche battle. In the winner-takes-all last lap showdown Jamie Melo, in the Risi Ferrari 430 GT, bested Joerg Bergmeister in a Porsche 911 RSR by .555-seconds.This year Former Formula 1 star Giancarlo Fisichella will be making his fifth start at Sebring and third entry with Risi Competizione. His best finish was last year for second place in the GTLM class.Finnish Ferrari factory driver Toni Vilander will make his third appearance at Sebring, with a best fifth in class in 2012. He previously drove with Risi Competizione in 2011.Italian Ferrari factory driver Rigon will be making his inaugural run at Sebring. He and Vilander participated in the official Sebring Test Days in late February.

Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione Race Engineer:How will the recent test prepare the team better for this week's 12 Hours of Sebring race? "The test was needed. We haven't run the car other than at the race in Daytona, and Sebring is such a different track. We needed this test to learn what the car likes. We should have a very good base setup to start the event testing on Thursday."The GTLM competition at Sebring is more fierce than ever. How do you prepare to go up against some many formidable competitors? "Unfortunately, we didn't get any more power (turbo boost) in the latest round of BoP (Balance of Power) so we will struggle a bit to be honest. We were the slowest car in the straight at the test that will carry over to the race. And there's a lot of straights at Sebring. I think we have a good car, drivers and crew but the rules are currently not in our favor. But we will try our best and with some luck we hope for a good result after 12 hours."Risi Competizione has had some great successes at Sebring. What's the secret to victory at this challenging circuit?"We love this track. It's a team favorite and my personal favorite. There is so much history here. It's such a demanding track with the changes in the surface. As a team we've raced here so many times. The general setup philosophy doesn't change year to year; you just adapt what you've learned over the years to the car you have. You need a reliable, fast car, good pit work and drivers that have good judgment with the amount of risk to take. And hopefully we'll have all of these."Toni Vilander, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM:You are returning to Sebring after participating in the Test last month. How will the things you learned from the Test benefit the team this week?"It was great to have a first real test with the car and team together. We made quite a few set up changes and we are starting with the best combination for Practice 1 on Thursday. We are not happy with current BoP and special power/top speed we are given by the IMSA. That will be one of our most difficult tasks to manage."

Sebring is a very different circuit than most in the world. Talk about some of its unique aspects."The fact that Sebring has so rich history in sports car racing makes it already special. Turn 1 and Turn 17 are something particular; concrete and real bumpy surface make them a great challenge. As with many of the race tracks in North America, Sebring has a lot of character."

The competition in the GTLM class in the IMSA WeatherTech series is second to none. How do you prepare for an endurance race of this nature against the best GT drivers in the world?"I do quite a lot of physical training -- running, biking and cross country skiing. I spend time doing some briefings with Rick (Mayer, Race Engineer) to change opinions on set up and how to improve our speed. During the practice sessions it is important to start straight away with good speed and feeling with the race car. This way we can be ready for the race on Saturday."Giancarlo Fisichella, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM:You are returning to Sebring for the fourth time. What makes Sebring such a unique and challenging circuit?"I'm pretty confident we will do well. We were second last year. We will try to win but it is difficult because all the other drivers are very strong. We are a little down on BoP but we will try to score the best result. Depending on weather conditions, which are not predicted to be dry, we will see."You recently did a very unique thing -- drove your former Ferrari F1 car on the snow in Northern Italy. What was that like and how did the idea come about?"It was a fantastic event and show. I was very proud to be part of this day. It was my first time with the Ferrari on the snow. It wasn't easy because it was very slippery. There were lots of people around the circuit I drove. I'm really proud of it."Talk about the challenges of endurance races and how you prepare mentally and physically for them."I go to the gym. I like cycling a lot. I do some running, swimming and many things which I did for Formula 1 preparation. Regarding mentally, I just jump in the car, close my visor and go do my best."

Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM:You recently drove on the historic circuit for the first time in the Sebring test. What did you think about it and how will the test better prepare you for the race?"Yes, the circuit is very different to the European circuits. I was very happy to drive and learn it during the Test and had the time to learn well. It is difficult, but I really enjoy it and cannot wait to drive again this weekend."

As a rookie at Sebring, what do you see as the most challenging aspects of the circuit?"It will be very important to learn quickly the overtake point of this track because in some place it's very tight and also the surface of the track is very bumpy, so you need to stay concentrate to be very fast all the time."The competition in the GTLM class in the IMSA WeatherTech series is second to none. How do you prepare for an endurance race of this nature against the best GT drivers in the world?"Yes this is true. The competition with the other drivers and other teams is very high, so I prepare well at home in the gym for my body to be ready to any stress from the car. During the race weekend Toni, Giancarlo and me and all the team will stay very focused in all the details and try to use all our potential!"

Practice session one begins Thursday morning, March 17 at 10:00 a.m. EDT with two additional practice sessions on Thursday and one on Friday, March 18. GTLM class qualifying scheduled for Friday from 3:55-4:10 p.m. EDT. The race starts Saturday, March 19 at 10:40 a.m. EDT for 12 hours. Live timing and scoring is available for all on-track sessions at IMSA.com and the IMSA Smartphone app.Tune-In Information:The 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida gets underway at 10:40 a.m. EDT. Live coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on FS1 (FOX Sports 1) and the FOX Sports GO app. Television coverage shifts to FS2 (FOX Sports 2) from Noon to 7:00 p.m.; continues on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile app from 7:00-10 p.m., and concludes on FS2 from 10:00-11:00 p.m., including the checkered flag and winners interviews. A live international broadcast stream is available on IMSA.tv and IMSA mobile app.