Risi weathers damage from Ike

There have been more than a few tense moments for Risi Competizione in the past week. The Houston-based team sits on the same site as Ferrari of Houston, owned by team principal Guiseppe Risi. Hurricane Ike damaged the dealership but spared the racing infrastructure.

“It’s just nasty and messy," said Risi’s Don Pierce, general manager of both the dealership and the race team. “There was no food in the supermarkets. No ice. No landline phone service. No power. The dealership (under renovation) was closed for three days. It’s just plain messy. The only break we caught was a cold spell with low humidity."

Jaime Melo, who will team with Mika Salo and Gianmaria Bruni in one of the team’s Ferrari F430 GTs, said Thursday from Road Atlanta that he had not been to his Houston home since the hurricane came ashore near Galveston. Needless to say, he was eager to get back.

“I have not gotten any calls about anything," said Melo, who won in GT2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year with Salo and Bruni. “I hope that means nothing happened."