Care Racing Development has elected not to take up its two entries for the opening round of the American Le Mans Series. The scarlet Ferrari 550 Maranellos which last year enjoyed such success in North America’s premier sports car series will not therefore be seen at the 2004 12 Hours of Sebring, Florida in March.

Care Racing’s Director of Business Development, Dominique Falque, explained:  “We have been in negotiation with a number of teams throughout the winter months and have tried many different ways to bring these negotiations to a conclusion. 

"Unfortunately there remains a substantial lack of budget at this stage. We have therefore taken the difficult decision not to be at Sebring.

“We know this will be disappointing not only for the many Ferrari fans in North America, but also for the Series and the other GTS competitors as we had some really great and exciting track battles last year. We would still very much like to be in the American Le Mans Series and build on last year’s successes, and are therefore continuing to work on seeking a team and the budget to be in place from the end of June.