RISI COMPETIZIONE ANNOUNCES ENTRY AND DRIVER LINE-UP FOR THE SAHLEN’S SIX HOURS AT THE GLEN
Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo No. 62:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
Watkins Glen, NY, (June 26, 2022)—After qualifying P3 in the GT Daytona Pro class for Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen, the Risi Competizione Ferrari GT3 EVO claimed their second podium finish of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Endurance Championship season with a P2 finish at Watkins Glen International circuit in upstate New York.
In a race that featured 13 GTD Pro class lead changes, seven yellow flags and an unfortunate, ill-timed red flag, the Risi Ferrari ran an exciting race which saw them running strongly in first place before the red flag was displayed and brought the race to a halt.
Frequent Risi driver Davide Rigon (ITA) began the race behind the wheel of the No. 62 Prancing Horse where after running much of the first half in the P4/P5 position he was able to speed near the front of the seven-car class field to P3 before handing over the reins to teammate Daniel Serra (BRA) on Lap 73.
Serra quickly began working his way further to the front of the pack by improving upon Rigon’s best lap time (1:47.684) and continuing to break his own best lap time four more times throughout his stint. On Lap 118, with just under two hours remaining of the six-hour race, Serra took the lead from the BMW M4 piloted by John Edwards. With a storm in the distance and air and track temperatures falling, Serra remained aggressive, eventually widening the lead to nearly 20-seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
However, nearby lightning drew the mandatory red flag with an hour and 22 minutes left on the clock, thereby erasing Serra’s sizable lead. When the green flag dropped an hour later, and with 35 minutes left in the race, Serra came out aggressively, turning his fastest lap (1:46.947) on Lap 140. A necessary splash-and-go on Lap 144 with just 4-minutes 29-seconds left, dropped him from the lead and with little time left the team was unable to reclaim the top spot.
It was Risi Competizione’s first appearance at the 3.4 mile, 11-turn road course of Watkins Glen since 2016 and their fifth appearance overall. Their visit in 2002 resulted in a one-two finish for their two-car team in the SRPII class in a pair of Lola B2K/40s.
The duo of Rigon and Serra, along with teammates James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, captured second place at the Rolex 24 At Daytona earlier this year and the duo finished ninth at Sebring, along with third Risi driver, Eddie Cheever III.
Davide Rigon, starting driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO:
“It was a good race. We finished quite well in the end. I don’t understand why they stopped the clock and gave a red flag but it’s something we cannot control. I’m very happy with the team. They did a super job with strategy, all the equipment, and the car was flying today. Except for missing the power on the straight, especially at sector one, we lost up the essess to the bus stop as others had better straight-line speed. On the start I was in traffic, and it was very difficult to recover. We were very fast in the corners, but not on the straight. Otherwise, I’m very happy and there was not one mistake. Thanks to the team and Daniel did a super job and now looking forward to the next one.”
Daniel Serra, driver No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO:
“We finished P2. I think we were a bit unlucky with the red flag. Unfortunately, they stopped the clock during the red flag, and we then had to do one more stop and some of the other competitors didn’t. Anyway, I think the team did a great job. They executed everything perfect, and the car was good. It was tough to race because we did not have the straight-line speed to fight or overtake the others. We were quick in the corners but were probably the slowest on the straight-line speed. The team did well, and Davide did a really good job and now I think we need to start thinking about the next one.”
Rick Mayer, Race Engineer No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO
“It was a challenging weekend with a very condensed schedule, very little down time for the crew. We rolled off with a good car and improved it through the two sessions. We didn’t have the fastest car this weekend, but luck went our way and the drivers did an exceptional job and the pit stops were flawless. We just ended up about three laps short on fuel after the red flag restart. It seems we are serial bridesmaids.”
The Risi Competizione Ferrari team has not yet announced any additional racing plans for 2022.
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