After making their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship return in the race at the Virginia International Raceway after missing four rounds, the #62 Risi Competizione team made it three podium finishes in as many rounds as the trio of Toni Vilander, Giancarlo Fisichella and Alessandro Pier Guidi finished third in the Motul Petit Le Mans.
The #25 BMW Team RLL trio of Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims and Kuno Wittner may have claimed victory, with the championship-winning Corvette Racing line-up of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller finishing second, but the Ferrari of Vilander, Fisichella and Pier Guidi were challengers throughout the ten-hour event at Road Atlanta.
Having started from pole position, the #62 dropped back initially but spent time at the head of the class later in the race, but a stop and go penalty for speeding in the pit lane left them with work to do, and they were ultimately forced to settle for the bottom step of the podium.
“What a day!” said Team Manager Dave ‘Beaky’ Sims. “At the start we were languishing a little bit, but we picked the speed up.
“Pit stops were immaculate and got us right up there and eventually in the lead for a long time, P1. Unfortunately, we got a penalty which put us back to P8 which didn’t look to good at that point, but again the pit stops got us back up there and the drivers really put on a good show.
“The whole team worked together well and it was really pleasing to see it. Here we are at the podium. It adds another podium this year. Every time we finished a race this year it was on the podium, which is a nice statistic.”
