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This weekend sees the new
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 make its much awaited racing
debut at the famous Sebring 12 Hours race, the opening
round of the prestigious American Le Mans Series and of
the intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
With this car, the Risi Competizione team will try and
match the extraordinary series of wins obtained by the
F430 GT over the past four editions of this classic
event. The new V8 sports car, based on the 458 Italia
and developed by Ferrari in conjunction with Michelotto
Automobili, picks up where the F430 GT left off and on
this occasion it will be driven by a crew consisting of
Brazil’s Jaime Melo and the two Finns, Toni Vilander and
Mika Salo.
Watching the 458 Italia GT2 on its maiden outing will be
special guest, Ferrari managing director Amedeo Felisa,
who arrives today in Sebring to witness this special
event which also sees over eighty Ferrari owners taking
part this evening in a parade that marks the opening of
the race weekend prior to the actual start on Saturday
at 10.30 local time.
Other cars entered in the GTE Pro category include the
F430 GT prepared by AF Corse and entrusted to the
experienced Giancarlo Fisichella, Gianmaria Bruni and
Pierre Kaffer, who will tackle the event looking to
score as many championship points as possible. After
this race in the United States, the AF Corse team will
also swap its F430 for the new 458 Italia GT2, having
only recently made its track debut with Fisichella and
Bruni at the Le Mans Series official test day.
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