The final round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) Championship head to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the 27th annual Motul Petit Le Mans. This popular 10-hour race will be held October 9-12 at the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Braselton, Georgia road course.
Risi Competizione, the fan-favorite Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team will bring their No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3 GTD Pro class car to close out the season. The driver line up includes Ferrari factory drivers Italian Davide Rigon and Brazilian Daniel Serra, who have competed with Risi in the IMEC series for the previous four rounds, plus Alessandro Pier Guidi, who was a co-driver in the team’s victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona this past January. Pier Guidi also paired with the duo of Rigon and Serra last year at Petit Le Mans, where they finished third on the podium.
This year’s IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Series finale will feature 54 entries, including 13 in the GTD Pro class in which Risi Competizione competes. Another Ferrari 296 GT3 team is entered in the GTD Pro class, with former Risi driver Toni Vilander at the wheel. Additionally, five Ferraris are entered in the GTD class. All four classes – Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) will compete together.
The Risi Competizione team won the inaugural IMEC championship in 2022 and continues to chase their second title this year.
The team’s race record in the IMEC series this year includes a class victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a second-place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring, 11th place at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, and ninth at the 6 Hours of Indianapolis.
Risi Competizione boasts a storied history at Road Atlanta, having won the inaugural Petit Le Mans in 1998 with a Ferrari 333 SP. The team has since collected additional victories at the scenic North Georgia road course in 2008 and 2009 with the Ferrari 430 GT, as well as in 2016 and 2019 with the Ferrari 488 GTE.
L to R: Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra, and Alessandro Pier Guidi
Quotes:
Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“I’m very happy to be back at Petit. It’s a very nice track and I really like it. It will be very busy with the traffic and as we’ve seen at Indianapolis and other races this year, the strategy will be very, very important. With all the cars there is likely to be many yellows (flags) so the strategy will be very important. Last year we had a good car to be fast. Let’s see, we are ready, have a super team and we’ll work for the best outcome. I think we will try to defend the championship but first of all try to do the best and then we’ll see about the championship.”
Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“It’s great to be back at Petit Le Mans. It’s one of my favorite tracks. We have a good history there with some victories and some podiums. It will be nice to end the season with Risi again. We still have a chance in the endurance championship (IMEC) and our focus is to fight for it until the last lap. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Alessandro Pier Guidi driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:
“It’s always a pleasure to be here in the U.S. with Risi. After winning Daytona, I’m back for Petit. We won three years ago, and we were on the podium last year so we will try again. There is still a hope to win the IMEC championship for the guys so we will push hard to try to make it. For sure to win Petit again, which is an amazing race, would be the best closing of the year, starting with the victory in Daytona and closing victory at Petit. We never give up and we try strong and try to win this race.”
he race is set to start at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12, with live television coverage on NBC beginning at 12:00 noon for three hours. Fans can also enjoy flag-to-flag streaming on Peacock, which will carry the full 10-hour race starting at noon. Additionally, IMSA’s YouTube channel will provide a live international feed outside the U.S., while IMSA Radio will cover select sessions live at IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com.
Qualifying for the GTD Pro class will take place on Friday, October 11, at 3:25 p.m. ET for a duration of 15 minutes. This session will be available for viewing on Peacock and IMSA.com. All times are Eastern.
Sponsors for the 2024 season for Risi Competizione include Pennzoil, Ferrari of Houston, OMP Racing and DEA.