Ferrari continues quest for perfect season in GT World Challenge America

With the Am class championship already in hand, Ferrari will continue its quest for a perfect season when the GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS season resumes this weekend at Watkins Glen International.

AF Corse Corse drivers Jean-Claude Saada and Conrad Grunewald have won the Am division in all eight races to date this season in the No. 61 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, sweeping the two-race weekends at Sonoma Raceway, Circuit of The Americas, Virginia International Raceway and Road America, scoring an insurmountable 200 points.

History. Racing at Watkins Glen dates back to 1948, when the first post-World War II sports car race was held on a 6.6-mile course on scenic roads around the through the village at the southern tip of Lake Seneca. Competition moved to a permanent circuit in 1956, which was modified to the current configuration in 1971.

Over the years, Ferrari has played a major role at the Glen. The circuit hosted the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race for 20 years (1961-1980), with Niki Lauda winning the 1975 GP in a Ferrari 312T. Carlos Reutemann captured the 1978 event in a Ferrari 312T3, while Gilles Villeneuve took the following year’s race in a 312T4.

Ferrari also has four overall victories in the Six Hours, including a dramatic victory by Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari 312P in 1972. Kevin Doran fielded the winning Ferrari 333SP on three occasions, with drivers including Max Papis, two-time winner Didier Theys and Gianpiero Moretti. In addition, Bill Auberlen won the GT class in the 2003 Six Hours, driving a Ferrari 360GT for Scuderia Ferrari of Washington.

Other notable performances include famed American sportsman Briggs Cunningham, second in the 1949 Grand Prix in a Ferrari 166; George Constantine winning the 1961 Sports Car Grand Prix in a Ferrari 3.0; and Ickx and Brian Redman taking second in the 1972 Six Hours, driving a Ferrari 312P.

Schedule. The event opens with a pair of one-hour practice sessions on Friday at 12:50 and 4 p.m. (all times ET).

Qualifying for Race 1 will be held Saturday morning at 8:50 a.m., followed by Race 2 qualifying at 9:10 a.m. The opening 90-minute race will begin at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a second 90-minute round on Sunday at 1:15 p.m.