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[spankyham]

After putting in such a strong race, and crossing the line as the winner it must have been tough to first hear the win was being taken away. In the end common sense prevailed and the 458 was reinstated as the race winner.

Here are some great images from Daytona. The are all hi-res so if you click on them you will see the hi-res and can download them if you like - enjoy

[spankyham]

[spankyham]

[What's Burning?]

I'm excited about this one.
[youtube]HOvA2SYIYiI[/youtube]

[sagi58]

Two quick questions:

What was the penalty for?

Does it happen often that a penalty is overturned?

[What's Burning?]

It was a penalty that they now routinely issue in F1. Avoidable contact, the problem was there was no actual contact made. The stewards felt that they didn't give the Audi enough room to safely stay on the track and no actual contact need be made for the penalty to be issued. IMO it was a racing incident two guys fighting for the lead and the win; and no, in the previous two series, Grand Am and ALMS they were very frugal with their penalties and that's part of what made the racing fantastic.

[sagi58]

So, it was "just" a case of who blinked first and the Stewards decided it needed a sort of "warning"?

[spankyham]

Was a really good race at the Glen. I felt really bad for Brundle in the Nissan with the last 2 saftey cars really robbing him/them of a well deserved win. Fisi, in the #62 Risi Ferrari 458, was never really on pace all weekend and struggled in the race. But a great job by the #555 car to come in 2nd in the Daytona class, notch that one up to the Canadian Ferrari "Aim Autosport" team.

[spankyham]

Not often the stars align as well as this in racing. Good result for the 458's at the Red Bull Ring 4 hour ELMS



[pdfview]http://miascuderia.com/media/2014/CorseCliente/ELMSRedBullRing/ELMS-2014_4H_OF_REDBULLRING_Classification_Final.pdf[/pdfview]

[spankyham]

 wrote:">Ferrari First in GT – LeMans at Road America

– Risi Competizione is victorious in GT-LeMans class
– Ferrari of AIM Autosport is sixth, continues championship lead
– Ferrari maintains lead in GT-Daytona championship

August 10, 2014 (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) – A Ferrari 458 Italia took victory for the fourth time this season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at the famous Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on Sunday afternoon.

The no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer scored its first victory of the season, one race after scoring its first podium of the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Competing in the GT-LeMans class, which features factory programs from several OEM’s, Giuseppe Risi’s privately owned team led throughout Sunday’s two hour and forty-five minute race. Withstanding sustained pressure in the closing stages, Kaffer drove the Ferrari past the checkered flag with a 1.5-second margin of victory over his closest pursuer.

The victory is the eleventh for the Ferrari 458 Italia in North American endurance racing, and the fourth in this season’s TUDOR Championship after GT-Daytona class wins at Daytona, Detroit and Indianapolis. It is also the latest in a long line of racing success for Risi, the owner of Ferrari dealerships in Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas.

“It was a great result, especially since this is the first win of the year for Risi Competizione and the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari in North America,” said Fisichella. “Everyone from Risi Competizione did a fantastic job. The key to winning the race was in the pits – we went into the pits in fifth place and came out in first and Pierre was able to keep the position right to the end. I’d really like to thank everyone at Risi Competizione and Ferrari.”

In the GT-Daytona class, Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell drove to a fifth place finish in the no. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia. The result, accomplished after starting from ninth position, maintained their lead in the GT-Daytona point’s championship and helped Ferrari to maintain its advantage in the GT-Daytona manufacturer championship.

Having a troubling race was the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia of Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal, winners of the previous race at Indianapolis. The no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia suffered heavy damage when it was hit by another GT-Daytona class car in the opening stages of the race, and lost several laps making repairs.

The next race in the TUDOR Championship will be the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway on August 23-24. That weekend will feature a standalone race for the GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona class cars.

Relive Ferrari’s success this season at ferraridoesitagain.tumblr.com

About Ferrari North America

Ferrari North America, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and is the exclusive North, Central, and South American importer of Ferrari vehicles including the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Speciale the California and FF Grand Tourers, the F12berlinetta and LaFerrari. The current product line-up comes with the Ferrari complimentary seven-year maintenance program, which covers all factory-scheduled maintenance procedures including labor, related genuine parts and approved lubricants.

[spankyham]

 wrote:">GT Asia – Two Ferrari wins over the Sepang weekend

Sepang, 17 August –There were two wins for Ferrari in the fourth round of the GT Asia championship. In the main series the win came in Race 2, courtesy of Japan’s Keita Sawa and Malaysia’s Weng Sun Mok, who were first past the flag in the Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 Italia.
The duo finished just over a second ahead of the NB Team Aston Martin, crewed by Italy’s Massimiliano Wieser and China’s Xiu Jiang and 16 ahead of the other BBT Ferrari driven by Italy’s Davide Rizzo and China’s Anthony Liu Xu.
The other win came the previous day in Race 1, when coming out ahead of the rest in the GTM class were Denmark’s Thomas Fjordbach and Taiwan’s George Chou, at the wheel of the Taiwan Top Speed Racing Team Ferrari 458 Challenge. The overall winner of the first race was the Craft Bamboo AMR Aston Martin in the hands of the German Stefan Mucke and Hong Kong’s Frank Yu. Second was the Rizzo-Liu Xu Ferrari, with the Clearwater McLaren third, driven by Britain’s Bob Bell and the Japanese driver Hiroshi Hamaguchi.
The next round takes place again at Sepang, from 12 to 14 September.

[spankyham]

 wrote:">United SportsCar Championship – Ferrari Looking for Victory Again in Virginia

After Road America win, Risi Competizione returns to site of 2013 victory

· Ferrari continues to lead GT-Daytona manufacturer championship

· AIM Autosport drivers Sweedler and Bell lead GT-Daytona championship

August 19, 2014 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) – This weekend’s stop of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship sees Ferrari return to the site of a victory for the Prancing Horse in the 2013 American Le Mans Series. The three teams competing with the Ferrari 458 Italia at this weekend’s TUDOR United Sportscar Championship round at Virginia International Raceway are banking on the superior balance of the Ferrari to bring another victory to the brand in this season.

The no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia has rebounded from a challenging start to the season to score a win and a podium in the last two races. Drivers Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella finished in second position at Indianapolis before coming out on top of a thrilling late-race battle to score their first win of the year at Road America. They now return to the site of their victory in 2013, when a late-race pass secured victory for the team.

The GT-Daytona class sees both the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia and the no. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia battling to secure the manufacturer championship for Ferrari. Jeff Westphal and Alessandro Balzan had a difficult race at Road America in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari, while championship leaders Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell had a quiet run to fifth position. The two Ferrari 458 Italia’s have combined for three victories in the GT-Daytona class this season.

A first for the TUDOR Championship, the Oak Tree Grand Prix will feature the GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona classes combined into a single standalone race. Sunday afternoon could bring two victories for the Prancing Horse in the same race.

The GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona race at the Oak Tree Grand Prix will be shown on Sunday, August 24 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.

About Ferrari North America

Ferrari North America, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and is the exclusive North, Central, and South American importer of Ferrari vehicles including the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Speciale the California and FF Grand Tourers, the F12berlinetta and LaFerrari. The current product line-up comes with the Ferrari complimentary seven-year maintenance program, which covers all factory-scheduled maintenance procedures including labor, related genuine parts and approved lubricants.

[spankyham]

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
OAK TREE GRAND PRIX, VIR, VIRGINIA (GTLM 9th ROUND)

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI BOUNCE BACK FROM CRASH TO POLE POSITION AT VIR

Danville, VA, 23 August 2014. Driving the Risi Competizione No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Pierre Kaffer this afternoon claimed his first pole position in the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, just one day after turning his very first laps of the 3.27 mile Virginia International Raceway (VIR) track.

The German set a best time of 1:43.797 on his seventh flying lap in the 15 minute qualifying session to not only claim overall pole position for tomorrow’s GTLM/GTD only Oak Tree Grand Prix, but also set a new qualifying lap record. He starts ahead of the No.55 BMW.

The qualifying result was a great reward for the hard work put in by the Houston-based Risi Competizione crew after an unfortunate accident in practice while Giancarlo Fisichella was at the wheel. The Italian Ferrari Corse Clienti driver was running laps for the first time on some new, hard compound Michelin tires and misjudged the braking point on rubber that wasn’t quite up to optimum operating temperature. He locked up, put two tires onto the damp grass and slid helplessly into the tire wall. While much of the damage was cosmetic, it still required a concerted team effort – smoothly and swiftly orchestrated under the leadership of crew chief Mark Sims – to get the car repaired in time for qualifying.

A delighted Risi Competizione Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, said after qualifying: “Pierre did a very good job indeed. He was relaxed and very positive going into qualifying, and said that the car was great. The crew certainly did an excellent job this afternoon to get the F458 Italia back together after the incident in Practice 3, and this was a good reward for everyone involved.”

Pierre Kaffer added: “This car today is one of the best I’ve ever had in my hands- it’s perfect. It was a bit difficult today because I hadn’t done any laps this morning and thank you to Giancarlo for the opportunity to let me qualify. It’s not so easy to just step in the car, at a track like here at VIR, where it is important to drive really 100% on the right line; if you go over that by even 5% you are off. I really enjoyed qualifying and a big thank you to my boys and Ferrari, and to Giuseppe Risi for giving us the opportunity. To be a privateer team and to compete against all the factory teams is not so easy. We are all looking forward to tomorrow and going for the overall victory.”

[spankyham]

Must have been a great race to watch, with Fisi executing the pass that put them from 2nd to first on the last lap! Great effort from the team against some truly excellent quality opposition.

 wrote:">United SportsCar Championship – Ferrari Flies to Victory at Virginia International Raceway

Alton, 24 August – A dramatic Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) that was settled on the final lap saw the no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia score its second successive victory in the United SportsCar Championship.

The victory is the 12th for the Ferrari 458 Italia in North American endurance racing, and the fifth this season following GT-Daytona victories at Daytona, Detroit, and Indianapolis and two straight victories in GT-Le Mans for Risi Competizione.

The team’s Ferrari 458 Italia also captured pole position for the Oak Tree Grand Prix at the hands of Pierre Kaffer, who led the field to the green flag. Nearly two hours and forty-five minutes later, Giancarlo Fisichella passed a Porsche 911 RSR on the final lap to secure the victory. This win follows a second place finish at Indianapolis as well as a victory at Road America for Risi Competizione, and is the second victory in a row at VIR for the team following victory in last year’s American Le Mans Series race.

“The Ferrari 458 Italia was good and consistent from the beginning to the end, and we had good straight line speed” – said Fisichella – “I think that was key to me being able to pass the Porsche on the last lap. The end of the race was so exciting for us and I think enjoyable for everyone around the circuit and on tv! I braked on the limit and went so close to the Porsche, and it was a great fight between us”.

In the GT-Daytona class, Alessandro Balzan narrowly missed scoring the third victory of the year in the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia that he shares with Jeff Westphal. After a strong opening stint by Westphal and an excellent strategy called by the Scuderia Corsa crew, the Ferrari went from its starting position of ninth to finish in second place.

As a result, Ferrari maintains the lead in the GT-D manufacturer standings.

Having a troubling race was the GT-D championship leading no. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia of Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell. After serving two penalties, Bell would bring the Ferrari to the checkered flag in eighth position. They remain in the lead of the GT-D driver’s championship, but are now tied for the lead.

The next race on the Championship schedule will be September 19-20 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

[spankyham]

 wrote:">GT Asia Championship – Ferrari also wins the second race in Sepang

Sepang, 15 September–Ferrari also won the second race in the GT Asia championship at Sepang. Coming out on top in Malaysia in the tenth round of the season was the Clearwater Racing 458 Italia GT3 in the ands of Italy’s Alessandro Pier Guidi and the Singaporean, Richard Wee. The pair beat off the opposition in the shape of the Aston Martin of Guerrero-Wiser and Mucke-Yu.
However, the title race took place further down the order with Keita Sawa and Weng Seung Mok, winners of the first race in the other Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 entered by Clearwater Racing finishing sixth, making up a further point on series leaders, team-mates, although in a different car, Bob Bell and Hiroshi Hamaguchi, seventh in the McLaren. Pretenders to the title and third crew in the title chase, the BBT team’s Davide Rizzo and Anthony Liu Xu did better, bringing their Ferrari 458 GT3 home in fifth place.

With three races to go, the championship fight is even more open than before, with the top three crews all within eight points. Bell and Hamaguchi have a 2 point lead over Sawa and Mok and eight over Rizzo and Liu Xu. The next round is on 11 and 12 October in Shanghai.