Ferrari Secures IMSA GTD Championship, Wins Petit Le Mans class

James Calado, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander

In its debut season, the Ferrari 488 GT3 has secured the IMSA SportsCar Championship drivers' championship — and won — in the season-ending 10-hour Petit Le Mans.

Driving the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3, drivers Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen secured the GT-Daytona drivers' championship during Petit Le Mans when Nielsen met the minimum driver requirement of three hours. With Jeff Segal as a third driver, the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari finished the Petit Le Mans in third position, finishing the season with two victories and five additional podium finishes. Nielsen also became the first female champion in IMSA series history.

The championship added to the list of championships won in North American sports car racing by Ferrari GT race cars, which include the 2007 ALMS GT2, 2012 and 2013 GRAND-AM GT, and the 2015 IMSA GT-D championships.

Adding to the historic day for Ferrari was the GT-Le Mans class victory scored by Risi Competizione and the no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE. James Calado, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander dominated the class throughout the race to secure their first victory of the season, never falling further down the field than third position — where Vilander had qualified.

This victory was the first for the Ferrari 488 GTE in IMSA and the fourth for Risi Competizione at Petit Le Mans.

Rounding out Ferrari's racers at Petit Le Mans was the no. 68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE. Driven by Andrea Bertolini, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra, the Ferrari finished in eighth position in the GT-Le Mans class.