20.10.2003 SHANE LEWIS LEADS THE ACEMCO FERRARI 360 MODENA TO ANOTHER SOLID FINISH AT THE PETIT LE MANS

Driving with Terry Borcheller and Darren Law, both of Phoenix, Lewis drove the third rotation in the car he has piloted since the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring. The combination ran in the top-ten throughout the day on the 2.54 mile Road Atlanta circuit taking the chequered flag behind a string of Porsches and one other Ferrari. Lewis finished the year with 41 driver championship points after competing in each of the 2003 ALMS races. He also led at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before a rare engine failure ended the team's day at the race's midpoint.
 
"I enjoyed myself in the car today," reflected Lewis. "The Ferrari ran very well; the Yokohamas were awesome. The guys did a great job of giving us a car that, while not there as far as speed went, was there at the end of the day. In an endurance race that is what you aim for: reliability.

"Between the crew guys working on the car and the Ferrari factory we got the reliability we needed to finish when a lot of others cars didn't. The No. 63 doesn't have the outright speed that the Porsches do or the Risi Ferrari does. We got everything we could out of the car, just like we have all season.

"This seventh is like a podium for us because it shows that we have taken the car as far as it can go. The Ferrari 360GT is an awesome car but we just needed to develop it more if we expected to finish in the top-five more often or compete for wins like the Risi guys have. Development is everything in this series. It's what makes the difference between a top-ten, a top-five and a winning car. There are no turn-key successes in professional sports car racing. Still, we have two top-fives and we led Le Mans with the Ferrari. That isn't bad."