Road Atlanta II: Risi Competizione race report

Calpont Ferrari third at Petit.

Braselton, Georgia -- The Risi Competizione Calpont Ferrari 360 Modena GT driven by Ralf Kelleners and Anthony Lazzaro finished third in GT at today's 10-hour American Le Mans Series season finale at Road Atlanta.

The race started very competitively for the Risi team, moving into second place on lap 76, following an eighth place qualifying effort. For over 100 laps Kelleners and Lazzaro ran strong in second place, one lap ahead of Porsche rivals Bergmeister and Bernhard.

On lap 225 Kelleners pitted early with a vibration in the rear of the 360 Modena. "I had to pit early because I had a vibration in the left rear of the car and did not want to take a chance this early in the race. This vibration caused a lot of oversteer in the right-handers, Road Atlanta is a series of right-handers so this made the rest of the race a real challenge. We tried to make adjustments by adding wing to the car and adjusting tire pressures, but I think it was more mechanical. Although we had these problems, we still had a very competitive race and it really gives us a great platform to build from for the future. We were a lot more competitive from a speed and handling standpoint than we were here in June which is a testament to the Risi team," said Kelleners.

"We had a great first quarter of the race. The car was competitive, the Porsche we were battling with had a problem and things looked good. We were fighting the vibration with increased wing and this affected straight-line-speed, which affected our lap times. To top things off the clutch went around lap 340 along with the radio. The crew did a great job to keep us going and third place is a good result for us today," said Lazzaro.

"Ralf and Anthony did a great job today, third place with the problems were having was a fantastic result. It was a real positive for the team because we managed to lead a handful of laps. Mr. Risi has a dedicated effort to develop the 360 and we showed steady progress all season with seven podium finishes. Next year we should be in a very good position to compete for victories every race," said Dave Sims, Risi team manager.

Finishing on the podium sealed the duos third place position in the driver's standings and Ferrari's second place in the manufacturer rankings.

-rc-