Grand-Am Rolex Sportscar Series 2012
Round 1: Rolex 24 at Daytona
Circuit |
Daytona International Speedway |
Date |
28.-29.01.2012 |
Laps |
761 |
Distance |
4.359,038 km / 2.709,160 miles |
Two Ferraris in top ten at Daytona Maranello, 29 January – The Daytona 24 Hours took place this weekend at the International Speedway, with over sixty cars, prototypes and GT, taking part, including a racing debut appearance for five Ferrari 458 Grand Am cars, based on the GT3 version of the V8 sports car, built especially for the American series. Of the privateers flying the Maranello colours in the United States, two Ferraris finished in the top ten in a GT class dominated by Porsche, who took all three places on the podium. The Risi Competizione 458 Grand Am faces an uphill battle at Daytona Maranello, 27 January – It’s the second day of practice for the Daytona 24 Hours which gets underway at 15.30 on Saturday. Qualifying to decide grid positions were held on Thursday, while there were two practice sessions today, one of 45 minutes and one of an hour, giving the drivers more time to get to grips with the track in preparation for what is shaping up to be a complicated race, especially because of traffic and the danger of collisions which are a regular feature at Daytona.
In the morning, news came through that the Risi Competizione crew of Giancarlo Fisichella, Gimmi Bruni and Raphael Matos will start from the back of the grid tomorrow, after setting the fifth fastest time, three tenths off the quickest GT car. Gimmi Bruni, who was driving at the time, saw his times cancelled because the height off the ground of his car did not comply with the regulations. The second 458 Grand Am run by the Houston based team (Olivier Beretta-Andrea Bertolini-Toni Vilander) will start eleventh, having opted for a more conservative strategy, saving the car for the marathon event. Of the other Ferraris entered, the AIM Autorsort FXDD 458 produced a great performance in qualifying, second in the GT class and today it ran in only one of the practice sessions, preferring to fine tune its set-up. The AF Waltrip car is 26th on the grid and was seventh fastest in free practice, taking part in both sessions. The countdown begins in Daytona for the 24 Hour race Maranello, 27 January –Qualifying for the Daytona 24 Hours, the famous endurance race at the International Speedway has now taken place, for the opening round of the 2012 GrandAm season.
There are five Ferraris in the GT class and fastest was the AIM Autorsport FXDD car in the hands of Jack Segal. The Miami driver stopped the clocks in 1.49.357, a few tenths slower than the Brumos Racing Porsche GT3, on pole in 1.49.342. Fifth fastest was Gimmi Bruni, lapping in 1.49.661 on his debut at Daytona Beach, driving the Risi Competizione 458 Grand AM. The Houston team’s other car could only manage eleventh in the hands of the Finn Toni Vilander (1.50.191) one place ahead of the Estreme Speed Motorsports 458 in 1.50.197. 26th time for the AF Corse Waltrip car in 1.51.105 as the Italian team is working on the Grand AM project in conjunction with Michael Waltrip Racing, both Robert Kauffman and Michael Waltrip racing with Travis Pastrana and Rui Aguas. Following on from qualifying, two hours of free practice at 18h30, while tomorrow, there are a further two sessions at 9 and 11 to give drivers a last chance to get to grips with the track before the race gets underway at 15h30 on Saturday 28 January. Stars ‘n Stripes debut for the 458 GrandAm Maranello, 25 January – This coming weekend, the fiftieth running of the Daytona 24 Hours takes place at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway. The first running of this famous endurance event dates back to 1966, although as far back as 1962 there was a Daytona Continental race run over three hours. The American event is important for Ferrari, whose ties to Daytona have always been very strong: two outright wins, three over the short distance and six class victories, with 1967 deserving a special mention, when all three steps of the podium featured Ferrari drivers, confirming the Maranello marque’s dominance across the Pond.
This weekend sees the racing debut of the 458 GrandAm a development of the GT3 version of the Ferrari V8 sports car, built specifically for the American championship. Five Ferraris will race in the GT category, the opening round of the Grand Am series: two from the Risi Competizione team, crewed by Bertolini-Beretta-Vilander and Fisichella- Bruni-Matos. AF Corse’s colours will be upheld by Auguas-Kauffman-Pastrana-Waltrip, as the only Italian team entered, while Cosmo-Brown-Sharp-Van Overbeek take to the track in the Extreme Speed car and Assentato-Lazzaro-Longhi- Segal are at the wheel for AIM Autosport, who have a successful track record in this endurance event. The race around the 5.728 km track will present the Maranello cars with many challenges, including the restrictions regarding the use of electronics and the handling of the tyres from the series’ sole supplier Continental, which features a very hard compound. The 458 GrandAm will be trying to live up to the success of the GT3 on which it’s based and which in 2011, its debut year, won countless international championships. The event get underway on Thursday 26 January with free practice sessions and, at 16.15 the short 15 minute qualifying session. More free practice follows on Friday, while the race gets underway at 15.30 on Saturday.
The Risi Competizione 458 Grand Am tests at Daytona Maranello, 8 January – Risi Competizione has just taken part in two days of testing at the Daytona circuit, in Florida in preparation for the opening round of the Grand AM series which gets underway on 26 January. The team from Houston ran two cars to give its drivers a chance to familiarise themselves with the track and work on the set-up of the new car, which is based on the GT3 version of the 458 and which makes its debut at this race.
The sessions went well apart from the fact that one of the drivers, Gimmi Bruni, was suffering with the ‘flu and was unable to drive the number 62 car that he’ll share with long term team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella and Brazil’s Raphael Matos. There are six champions in the Risi line-up and the famous race will be mark the debut for Giancarlo Fisichella and Andrea Bertolini at the wheel of the 458 Grad AM in the States. “I liked the track a lot and first impressions of the 458 were really positive,” said Fisichella. “I am pleased because we are working in the right direction ad we are all determined to be in with a chance of finishing on the podium, although of course our main aim is to actually win.” Bertolini will be sharing car 63 with Monaco’s Olivier Beretta and Finland’s Toni Vilander. “Over the two days we did some important work in terms of car development,” added Bertolini. “It’s my first time at Daytona and thanks to Vilander’s advice I managed to make significant progress. The hardest part of the race will definitely be at night even though the lights are very effective. We are concentrating very hard delivering precise information to the team so that it can deliver a winning car.” Six champions on the books for the Risi team at the Daytona 24 Hours aranello, 4 January – Having earlier confirmed its entry in the Daytona 24 Hours, the Risi Competizione team has published its list of drivers that will fly its colours at the wheel of the two Ferrari 458 Grand Am cars entered for the opening event of the American series. The fiftieth running of the famous endurance race takes place from 26 to 29 January at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway and one of the crews is made up of the established pairing of Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni, who competed together in last year’s Le Mans Series and Interncontinental Le Mans Cup, joined on this occasion by Finnish endurance veteran, Toni Vilander, a regular member of the Ferrari of Houston team for several seasons. Last year, Vilander took the 458 GT2 on its debut season, to victory on the US Road America circuit in the American Le Mans Series. Also noteworthy on the Risi Competizione roster is the experienced Brazilian driver, Raphael Matos, former Indycar champion who has not only been involved in the development of the 458 Grand Am, but also boasts an impressive palmares in the Daytona 24 Hours, having won it in 2008. Also driving for the team is the Monegasque Olivier Beretta, whose cv includes five titles in the GTS ad GT1 classes of the American Le Mans Series and one in the Daytona 24 Hours. Completing the line-up is Andrea Bertolini, who like Fisichella is on the books with Scuderia Ferrari for development work on the car. He also has an impressive record that includes four FIA GT Championship titles.
Daytona 24 Hours - Two 458 Grand Am for Risi Competizione Maranello, 27 December –The Daytona 24 Hours takes place from 26 to 29 January at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway and will feature, right from the opening round of the eponymous series two 458 Grand Am cars entered by the Risi Competizione team. Run by Giuseppe Risi, the team will benefit from the support of Ferrari of Silicon Valley (California) and Ferrari of Ontario (Canada,) the North American dealers who are entrants in the Maranello marque’s one make series. As to the driver line-up for the two cars, this will be revealed shortly. Also taking part in the famous endurance race will be the AF Corse team, which dominated the 2011 Le Mans Series, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the FIA GT3 series. At Daytona, one of their cars will be crewed by Michael Waltrip, Travis Pastrana and the other features two endurance race veterans in the shape of Rui Aguas and Robert Kauffman. The 458 Grand Am is based on the GT3 version of the 458, the latest in a long line of racing iterations of Ferrari sports cars aimed at the American series. The cars are built to the Grand Am regulations and development of its modifications focus chiefly on gearbox, suspension, tyres and brakes. The 458 proved to be very reliable and quick right from the very first test, maintaining the qualities inherited from the road-going version on which it is based, which all augurs well for its race debut. |
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No. 03 -Extreme Speed Motorsport |
No. 03 -Extreme Speed Motorsport |
Copyright |
Copyright |
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No. 56 - AF Corse |
No. 56 - AF Corse |
Copyright |
Copyright |
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No. 62 - Risi Competizione |
No. 62 - Risi Competizione |
Copyright |
Copyright |
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No. 63 - Risi Competizione |
No. 63 - Risi Competizione |
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Copyright |
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No. 69 - AIM Autosport Team |
No. 69 - AIM Autosport Team |
Copyright |
Copyright |
No |
Driver |
Ferrari |
S/N |
Team |
Result |
03 |
458 GTC |
F 142 GT3 3274 G-AM |
Extreme Speed Motorsport |
24. overall/ 13. in class GT |
|
56 |
458 Italia Grand Am |
F 142 GT3 3272 G-AM |
AF Corse |
35. overall/ 22. in class GTE AM |
|
62 |
Giancarlo Fisichella |
458 Italia Grand Am |
F 142 GT3 3268 G-AM |
Risi Competizione |
54. overall/ 41. in class GT/retired |
63 |
458 Italia Grand Am |
F 142 GT3 3276 G-AM |
Risi Competizione |
15. overall/ 5. in class GT |
|
69 |
Emil Assentato Anthony Lazzaro Nick Longhi Jeff Segal |
458 Italia Grand Am |
F 142 GT3 3270 G-AM |
AIM Autosport Team FXDD Racing with Ferrari |
18. overall/ 8. in class GT |
Round 2: Barber Motorsports Park
Circuit |
Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham,Alabama |
Date |
01.04.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 3: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Circuit: |
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
Date |
29.04.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 4: New Jersey Motorsports Park
Circuit |
New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville |
Date |
13.05.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 5: Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200
Circuit: |
Belle Isle Park, Detroit |
Date |
03.06.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 6: Mid-Ohio
Circuit |
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington |
Date |
10.06.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 7: Road America
Circuit: |
Road America, Elkart Lake |
Date |
24.06.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 8: Sahlen`s Six Hours of The Glen
Circuit |
Watkins Glen International – Long Course |
Date |
01.07.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 9: Super Weekend at The Brickyard
Circuit |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Date |
29.07.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 10: Watkins Glen International
Circuit |
Watkins Glen International – Short Course |
Date |
12.08.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 11: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit |
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal |
Date |
19.08.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 12: Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda
Circuit |
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca |
Date |
09.09.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |
Round 5: Lime Rock Park
Circuit: |
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville |
Date |
28.09.2012 |
Laps |
- |
Distance |
km / miles |