The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari Team was dealt a tough blow in the 58th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway today after suffering a rare blown tire that resulted in an ultimate retirement just one hour and 20 minutes before the finish of the 24-hour enduro.
Drivers of the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari GTLM entry were stalwart Ferrari Competizioni GT factory drivers James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon.
Brit James Calado experienced a blown right rear tire on the course just after the NASCAR Turn 2 before the ‘bus stop’ on his lap 735 and sustained heavy damage. Because the crash damage wasn’t easily repairable and there was concern in finding all the damage in a quick turnaround, Risi Race Engineer retired the car in the late stage of the race.
The Houston, Texas-based privateer fan-favorite, Risi Competizione Ferrari team, an underdog in the factory backed GTLM class, with a stellar Ferrari GT driver line-up, did not have the race they had hoped. Although consistent and no major problems until near the end, a lack of power never allowed them to be a contender.
There was a total of six full course caution flags for one hour and 43 minutes during the twice-around the clock endurance classic. The winning Daytona Prototype car completed 833 laps. The Risi Ferrari completed 738 laps and was in fourth position in the GTLM class at the time of their retirement. IN the end they finished sixth in class and 30th overall in a 38-car field. Weather for today’s race was sunny with 60-degree temperatures.
Risi Competizione’s last Daytona podium was last year when they finished second in class after leading much of the late race. They also podiumed in 2017, finishing third in the Ferrari 488 GTLM. Risi celebrated two additional second-place finishes in 2003 in the Ferrari 360 GT and in 1999 with the Ferrari 333SP, but still no victories at the renown U.S. endurance circuit.
QUOTES:
Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
“Unfortunately, it was a bad ending to a bad day. We ended up with a right rear tire puncture (explosion) that brought us into the pits that stopped us from finishing. The damage wasn’t easily repairable and there was some risk of not being able to find all the damage to continue. The result wasn’t going to be heroic, so the risk reward wasn’t there for us to fix it and continue.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t competitive here, so it was a race for attrition for us; that’s not a fun way to race for 24 hours, but we’ll regroup and hopefully we’ll come back and have a more competitive rules package for Sebring.”
James Calado, driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM:
Regarding the puncture:
“I came out of Speedway Two, just before the ‘bus stop’, and everything was normal. Then I just had a massive blowout on the rear right. Luckily I just caught it, it was a hairy moment. It could have been a lot worse and unfortunately there was too much damage to the car to continue.
“I feel bad for everyone and all the hard work that went into the weekend because we genuinely thought we could have had a good result. From the get-go, we knew we struggled with pace but not finishing is always tough, no matter the circumstances.”
Alessandro Pier Guidi, driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM:
“We came into the race expecting to struggle, but it seemed a bit better in some parts of the race, we could fight with someone, but mostly I just saw our competitors when we bunched up for the caution periods and then they’d pull away every time.
“The worst thing for me is that I’ve come here to race in the GTLM class since 2016, and I’ve had the same disappointing feeling every year, especially when you don’t finish. We give everything of ourselves, everything we have as drivers and the team does the maximum effort and you want to have a good fight. I’m very sad for Giuseppe and the team, they did everything they could, but it was not enough for a victory this year.”
Davide Rigon, starting driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM:
“All the Risi crew did an amazing job. Everyone was still positive and pushing forward even though we lacked pace. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is sometimes. All you can do when you have a race like this is to look forward to the next event and hope for a better result.”
Daniel Serra, driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM:
“It’s always really sad not to finish a race even knowing we won’t be able to fight in the end in terms of pace. We gave everything from the beginning and pushed as hard as we could. It’s sad for Giuseppe and the team for the money and effort. He gave us the best crew and the best car. Now it’s time to study the race, to work harder and come back stronger.”
The Risi Competizione Ferrari team has not yet announced any additional racing plans for 2020.