The no. 62 Ferrari 488 GTE of Risi Competizione took the GTLM class win in the 2019 running of the Petit Le Mans. This was the fifth win for Risi at the famed 10-hour event, the most recent occuring in 2016. In the GTD category, the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 car was in contention throughout the race, but a late incident relegated them to fifth at the checkered flag.
GTLM
Risi Competizione took its fifth class win in at the Petit Le Mans, 21 years after its overall victory in the first-ever running of the now-classic endurance event. The no. 62 Ferrari featured an all-star driver line up of James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra, the same line up that took class victory at Le Mans four months earlier. In a race that was interrupted by only four caution periods, the drivers and the Risi Competizione team completed a flawless race, executing efficient pit stops and a perfect strategy, combined with clean, consistent driving throughout the race’s ten hour duration.
James Calado said, “Thanks to the team for an amazing car. The line-up was incredible and our result, it was a hard race. We kind of came into the race at a pace unknown. We had serious blistering of the tires so we were hoping that the temperatures would come down. They did and it helped. The car was amazing at the end and what driving and what a team! It’s an incredible achievement. We keep getting better and better. We’re all getting older but still better. I’m in it every lap still and I just look forward to more of this in the future.”
GTD
The no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 enjoyed a race full of promise but ultimately fell short of the ideal result. After fighting for the lead early in the race, the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari fell back in the middle portion of the race, but was in the midst of a charge to the front as the race neared the final hour. Their charge, however, was blunted by a late-race incident, leaving the team to recover to fifth at the checkered flag.
Cooper MacNeil said, “I feel good about the majority of the season. It went as a race season goes, you have some highs and some lowes and everything in between. The Scuderia Corsa guys perservered all season. They put in the work to compete at the front of the field in this competitive GTD championship. It is too bad we weren’t able to finish the last race on the podium. We ran fast all day and were in contention for a podium up until the last 40-minutes. I feel good about my track record here at [Road Atlanta], we won the race last year. We will be looking to come back even stronger next year.