The Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GTs will start from first and second position on the grid for this afternoon’s Labour Day American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Mosport, with the number 62 car piloted by Stephane Ortelli and Johnny Mowlem on the pole, and the number 61 car driven by Toni Vilander and Maurizio Mediani in second place. Third on the starting grid will be the Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Race Porsche. The Labour Day Grand Prix of Mosport is the 8th race in the ten round American Le Mans Series.

The pole position was the fifth of the season for a Risi Competizione Ferrari F430GT and the weather at Mosport certainly played a major factor in qualifying. With extremely heavy rains coming down, it was soon evident to ALMS and IMSA officials that a qualifying session was not going to be possible and so the run for the pole was cancelled. Instead, ALMS officials awarded starting positions based on the aggregate times of all practice sessions. The number 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari and the Number 62 Ferri Competizione/Ferrari of Silicon Valley Ferraris had alternated running number one and two in the earlier practice sessions.

“Every session on track is important,” said Team Manager Dave Sims. “Every lap, every practice run, it all adds up. Here at Mosport, being prepared and ready to race right from the start really paid off when inclement weather forced a change in qualifying protocols. This is an intensely competitive GT2 class and everyone we compete against can win any race. Our technical crews did a great job of prepping the cars; the Michelin tires were terrific despite difficult conditions, and the drivers delivered. Now, we have to take it all the way in the race.”
 

Asked if weather would be a factor in the race, Sims replied that “Preparation for weather is a factor. We will be prepared for anything. Everyone on the track will race in the same weather. The Ferrari 430GTs on Michelins are highly competitive in any weather.”

Risi Competizione F430GT Driver (Car number 62) Stephane Ortelli said “We have been competitive in the dry and competitive in the wet. It looks very, very good. We first learned the circuit together this week. It is fantastic and we have the capacity with the Ferrari to go very fast around these corners.” Ortelli is paired for this ALMS event, the 8th of the year, with Johnny Mowlem, who is quite familiar with Mosport, having raced at the track the previous two seasons in a Saleen S7-R.The two are the fifth driver pairing for the number 62 Ferrari this year. “This track is fantastic but very unforgiving," Mowlem noted. "If you go off, you can suffer quite a bit of damage. We had a great race here last year in the Saleen, and I'm honored to be driving with someone like Stephane.”

Risi Competizione (www.risicompetizione.com) is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team lead by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi. Sponsors include Michelin, Boost/Motorola Forza2/Motorsport, LP/Italy, Putnam Leasing, Tubi Style, and AMD.