Fisichella/Vilander to join Risi Competizione at Salt Lake City
Racing alongside ALMS regulars and GT champions, Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni, will be Ferrari F1 reserve driver and Le Mans Series competitor, Giancarlo Fisichella, and two-time FIA GT Championship GT2 class champion, Toni Vilander.
While Finn Vilander, 29, has competed in the ALMS before – two races in 2006 with Risi Competizione – it will be the 37-year-old Italian driver’s debut in the super-competitive GT sports car series. Fisichella has 231 Grands Prix to his name for a number of teams, including of course Ferrari. Both he and Vilander are currently driving alongside Jean Alesi, and Risi’s own Bruni and Melo, for Ferrari team AF Corse in the Le Mans Series.
Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, said of the entry: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Giancarlo to Risi Competizione and to the American style of racing. Since Toni was with us last, the level of competition and standard of entries in the GT class has risen sharply, but I’m sure that two such professional drivers won’t take long to adjust to their new surroundings.
“At the present time, it is intended that the drivers will be with us for just this one race."
Risi Competizione is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team lead by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi. Official team sponsors include Krohn Racing, Ferrari of Houston, Boardwalk Auto Group, Pennzoil Ultra, Motorola, AdShip and QT Technologies.
The next race for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr¢n is the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. The two-hour, 45-minute race is set for 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday, July 11 from Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. SPEED will air the race same-day at 4 p.m. ET. Live radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche – a production of Radio Show Limited – as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242.