The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM of starting driver Toni Vilander and teammate Giancarlo Fisichella drove to a hard-fought Top Five finish in today's Continental Monterey Grand Prix Powered by Mazda race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.The fourth round of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship featured only the Prototype (P) and GTLM classes in a two-hour sprint format. Vilander had qualified the car on the third row, in the fifth starting position, and drove a strong first stint.On the second of three full course cautions, Vilander pitted for a driver change to Fisichella, along with new tires and fuel at approximately 40-minutes into the race and while in fourth position.
The Risi Competizione pit crew, known for their legendary pit stops, did not disappoint and managed to get the car out before several other pitting GTLM cars and into second-place, just behind a BMW that was out of the pit cycle. Eventually Fisichella was the race leader for five laps just past the halfway point of the race, as some cars pitted and some strategized to stay out.The Risi Prancing Horse had to pit one additional time in order to satisfy the needed fuel to finish the race. The team elected to just do a 'splash-and-go' fuel stop only in just eight seconds and without a tire change 50 minutes from the race end and were back on track at approximately 12:25 p.m. EDT. In the end the lack of new tires did not play in their favor as well as the team had hoped and they had to settle for a Top Five instead of the desired victory or podium finish.
The Risi Competizione is now (unofficially) tied for fifth place in both the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Driver and Team Championships after fourth of 11 races.The new Michelin GTLM 'Le Mans tires' that all the GTLM mid-engine teams used for the first time proved to suit the Ferraris well. The Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team is hopeful this will be a positive factor as the Risi team heads to Le Mans, France next month for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 18-19.
Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione Race Engineer:"It was quite a race. We had a great pit stop. On the first full stop, we put Giancarlo out in front. Unfortunately, as the tires got old we seemed to suffer a bit more so we weren't really able to push for a better position. Toni did a good job in his opening stint. Giancarlo was leading for awhile and we decided to pit early to make it to the end on fuel so we wouldn't get caught up in a yellow. Obviously, if you had a crystal ball you would have waited, but that's just how racing is. But we had a good race and we'll rebound for the next one."Toni Vilander, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM:"A lot of things happened in today's race. As we can see from weekend to weekend the performance changes a bit between the different manufacturers. I think the Michelin tires played a key role and we're really happy with the collaboration. The positive thing for us is that from here on out we should stick with these tires. At one point we were leading the race and it didn't look so bad. Giancarlo was on it and then towards the end of the race he had some issues. All positive things and a bittersweet end. We were hoping for a podium, but with P5, we'll take the points. We'll move on to Le Mans, which is a big one. Then, we are back at Watkins Glen and things are all positive. We are four races down, out of eleven, and we just need to keep going. Great thanks to the crew and the guys on that opening pit stop. I was P4 when we pitted and came out first. Thanks to Giancarlo, Giuseppe and everyone on the team. If we keep hammering down, our time will come, I'm sure."
Giancarlo Fisichella, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM:"It was a positive start of the race. We did a fantastic pit stop and I was able to be in front of all of them, except for the BMW who stopped sometime before everyone else. At the restart I overtook the BMW and was leading the race. Then we decided to pit to make it to the end (on fuel) and in hindsight that might have been a wrong choice."
The next race for the Risi Competizione Ferrari team is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, June 18-19. The next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is Round 5, the Sahlen's Six Hours at The Glen, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, June 30-July 3.
