Top-Five Start for Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Daytona
Sunny conditions reigned over Daytona International Speedway on Thursday afternoon, welcoming a positive qualifying session for Ferrari teams ahead of the weekend’s 24-hour race.
Six Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos are entered in the event that kicks off the IMSA SportsCar Championship season. Just over a half-second separated the two GTD Pro Prancing Horses from the top spot, while the four Ferraris in GTD were within one second of themselves.
GTD Pro. In the team’s GTD Pro debut, Triarsi Competizione lapped Daytona at 1’45”506 for the fifth quickest time in the class (34th overall). The time was posted by Ferrari factory driver Alessio Rovera, and he led fellow factory driver Davide Rigon who finished ninth with Risi Competizione (41st overall).
GTD. Another Ferrari factory driver, Antonio Fuoco, led the charge of four Ferraris in the GTD field. Fuoco’s fastest lap time of 1’45”527 yields a sixth-place start (35th overall) with AF Corse USA, and fellow Prancing Horse driver Frederik Schandorff will start just three places back amongst GTD cars (43rd overall). With Inception Racing, Schandorff’s lap time came late in the session opposite to other team strategies, and was second quickest of Bronze drivers in the field.
Kenton Koch behind the wheel of Triarsi’s GTD entry followed in 11th (50th overall), and Conquest Racing rounded out the Ferrari roster with Manny Franco in 13th (52nd overall).
The programme. Night practice concludes Thursday’s activities at Daytona International Speedway, running from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. Teams return on Friday for the final free practice session at 11:05 a.m., and the green flag drops for the 24 Hours of Daytona on Saturday at 1:40 p.m. (all times are local). The race will stream live in its entirety for international viewers on the IMSA YouTube channel, and on Peacock TV for viewers in the United States.