In its bid to challenge for American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT2 Championship honours and retention of its class-winning 24 Hours of Le Mans title, Risi Competizione present for 2009 a mixture of much that is familiar, with some that is new.  

The team has announced that experienced German sports car driver, Pierre Kaffer, will be joining Risi regular Jaime Melo in the #62 Ferrari F430GT for the 2009 season, beginning with the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida this Saturday (March 21). They will be joined at Sebring this week by Mika Salo, the ever-popular Finn returning to the team for the 2009 endurance events as his schedule allows; the trio will present a formidable line up in what is likely to be intense competition in the GT2 class.  

The Houston-based team, one of the most faithful stalwarts to the ALMS, begins the season by fielding two Ferrari 430 GTs in what promises to be the most competitive, popular and challenging GT2 class ever. For the third year running, Risi Competizione will be partnering with Krohn Racing, whose eponymous owner is also headquartered in Houston, Texas, for endurance events including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele will, as in 2008, be campaigning their distinctive green and blue liveried #61 car.   

“We believe in continuity” said Team Principal Giuseppe Risi. “But we also believe in change. Jaime Melo has been with us since we started racing the 430GT—as has Mika Salo. Jaime will be with us at every race and Mika will make his considerable talents known as his schedule allows. Change this year comes in the form of Pierre Kaffer, a very dynamic young driver, who shares driving responsibilities with Jaime for the ALMS Season. This is a very talented driving line-up and we like the mix of continuity and change. I’m delighted that Tracy is back with us once more,” continued Risi. “He has enjoyed some of his best results in sports car racing with us – a second place at Le Mans and a podium finish last year at Sebring – and each time he drives the Ferrari 430 he becomes more comfortable and confident. I look forward to having he, Nic and Eric together again as I think it’s a great driving combination, and their faith in Risi Competizione means a great deal to all of us.”  

As stated, at the heart of the team is Jaime Melo who remains loyal for a fourth consecutive season. The 28-year-old Brazilian has won 12 times in his relatively short American Le Mans Series’ career – all with Risi Competizione – and has taken 12 pole positions, broken numerous track records and set fastest laps at tracks which were, at the time, all new to him. While the 2008 ALMS season didn’t offer the breadth of victories he and the team had enjoyed 12 months earlier, Melo nevertheless won the highly prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1,000 Mile Petit Le Mans classic as well as the Grand Prix of Mosport. For 2009, he gains a new team mate – 32-year-old Swiss resident, Pierre Kaffer.   

The German national, who has two overall ALMS race wins to his name, has accumulated an important and useful bank of Ferrari F430 knowledge over the last two years, most recently as a regular entrant in the European-based Le Mans Series. The new Risi team mates have recently been together in Italy at Ferrari’s Fiorano base to shake down their 2009 car, and are very much looking forward to a great season together.  

Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele, all full-season drivers in the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, will be looking to improve upon their third place finish in the 12-hour season-opener a year ago. Swedish-born and Buford, Georgia-based Jönsson has been Krohn’s team mate since he started racing six years ago and both he and the highly experienced van de Poele, have a wealth of experience from which Krohn can draw upon. The Belgian is a two-times winner at the 12 Hours of Sebring, an LMP1 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with a Doyle-Risi Ferrari 333SP in 1998 and an overall winner of Petit Le Mans that same year.   

In 2009 the goals will be very challenging: a championship ALMS season and a repeat victory at Le Mans. “Every year, the competition in GT2 improves.” Giuseppe Risi states. “This year, we are facing a renewed effort on the part of the Porsche teams, a renaissance at Panoz, the new BMW team fielded by Rahal/Letterman, and, later in the season, the arrival of the GT2 Corvette factory team. GT2 racing is where the serious competition meets in ALMS,” he continues. “But we are a serious team and no one in racing is more committed to excellence than Ferrari.” The American Le Mans Series will open its 11th season with the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 21.

Nic Jönsson (on returning to Sebring again with Risi): “I think the Risi team preps a very competitive and good race car in the Ferrari 430 GT. They have had a lot of success in the past. The approach in these races has to be to stay out of trouble, make sure you take care of the equipment so you can be there at the end. Because we don’t drive the car very frequently, which takes a little bit of the edge off of you, you can’t be quite as quick as the regular full-time drivers, so you have to be a little smarter, try to stay out of trouble and have a little different strategy. That has been the goal for us the last two years. It’s turned out very well for us with a podium finish in Sebring and a second place finish at Le Mans two years ago and several other podiums. It’s an exciting team to be involved with because they won the championship two years ago and won Le Mans last year with the Risi name. There is a lot of history there and a lot of experience, and many good people involved. I can’t be happier than to be back with Risi and Krohn for Sebring and Le Mans and Krohn Racing for the year.”  

Pierre Kaffer (on joining Risi Competizione): “I’m really looking forward to joining Risi Competizione and to returning to the ALMS. It’s been a long time since I was with such a strong team and a strong team mate, and that means of course we can fight for the championship. The last time I was in Sebring, I was able to win the race and, for sure, this season we will have the possibility to win as well.”   

(On the Ferrari F430 and Jaime Melo): “I really like very much the Ferrari 430, it suits my driving style more than the Porsche [911 GT3] – I feel like we are one when I am in the car.  Even from the first shakedown test, I have a very good feeling about the season and my new ‘home’ – I like the way it feels like one family and that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Jaime and I have discovered we match well together; we are the same height, fit in exactly the same seat, and don’t have to adjust the seat belts, so it makes things easier...it’s not so often you have a 100% match.”

Tracy Krohn (on returning to Risi Competizione): “We have had good success with Risi in that we have finished second at Le Mans in 2007, third at Sebring and fourth at Petit Le Mans in 2008. I believe that we have also had a couple of other top ten placings as well in the last couple of years. The Risi team is always well prepared and completely professional. We have also had the benefit of the Michelin tyres and good support from Michelin as well.”  

(On his ambitions for the 12 Hours of Sebring): “Sebring is one of my personal goals as it has always been one of my favorite tracks. Winning at Sebring is certainly a high point in any driver's career, but for me it is really special because I do not make my living as a driver and competing at this level and winning against arguably many of the best sports car drivers in the world is something nobody can take away!!”

Jaime Melo (on the ALMS): “The GT2 class is the most competitive of all in the ALMS. I want us to be in the top three every time we go out on the track and I think we have everything to be able to achieve that. We are the only Ferrari racing in America this year, so it will be different but, at the same time, it doesn’t change anything about the competition. We don’t know at the moment how the Porsches and BMWs will be on the track, but for sure I think we will be competitive. Ferrari wants to win again!"

(On his new team mate, Pierre Kaffer): “I didn’t really know Pierre before we met at a test in November, but he seems to be very cool and easy to get on with. Very importantly, he also wants to win so will push hard which is good for the team and for me. We also like the car set up to be the same which is a big advantage – just like with Mika, we were always working in the same direction on the car so never had to make compromises.”

Mika Salo (on 12 Hours of Sebring):  “We will obviously be trying to win it again like in 2007; last year was a bit of a mess and the bad result there destroyed our Championship hopes. The competition this year will harder than ever, with more competitive cars, but we’ve got a good package.”

Eric van de Poele (on being back at Sebring): “Last year was new for me because it was the first time I drove in GT2, especially in Sebring. Now I know what to expect and I know we have a new car and everything looks good. I’m happy to share my car again with Nic, and of course with my big brother, Tracy. I think the GT2 class is a bit of the future and that’s why there are so many cars entered in this category. It’s really a category with a lot of success so I think if we can have success it’s a very good achievement because, of course, it’s going to be a hard competition to finish. In the best of those cars, it’s really tough.”