ALMS – CarGuy Ferrari triumphs at Buriram
Posted: 12.01.2019
Source: Ferrari
Title practically won
Buriram, 12 January 2019 – Three wins out of there races, despite accidents, blizzards and penalties, the Ferrari 488 GT3 of the CarGuy team is now within sight of the Asian Le Mans Series GT title, and with it of an automatic qualification for the world’s most prestigious race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Chaos. However, the race was anything but straightforward, even if the Ferrari no. 11 soon found itself in the lead after its sister car #51 set off from pole, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Francesco Piovanetti and Oswaldo Negri Junior. The yellow Ferrari of Calado, Kei Cozzolino and Takeshi Kimura was involved in an accident with a prototype early in the race, while a few laps from the end it suffered a penalty for a pit stop infringement. However, none of this prevented the WEC world champion and his two Japanese teammates from winning ahead of the Audi of Tianshi Racing, crewed by Alex Au, Chen Wei An and Jean-Karl Vernay. Third place went to the Ferrari of Spirit of Race.
Championship. On its debut with Ferrari, CarGuy team and its drivers enjoy a 25-point lead over their nearest pursuers with a maximum of 26 still to be won. This means that if the Spirit of Race car doesn’t take pole position at Sepang for the 24 February race, the title would go to CarGuy without even having to start. Indeed, all that Calado, Cozzolino and Kimura need to do is finish the race to be mathematically certain of the title.
Asian Le Mans Series – Two Ferrari crews in search of glory at Buriram
Posted: 10.01.2019
Source: Ferrari
Buriram, 10 January 2019 – The second half of the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) championship begins at Buriram in Thailand over the weekend. Two Ferraris are set to start, both with a good chance of winning.
Out in front. The 488 GT3 of Ferrari debutant team Carguy tops the standings in the GT class. The car is crewed by official Ferrari driver, James Calado, and Japan’s Kei Cozzolino and Takeshi Kimura. The trio has won both races so far on the Shanghai and Fuji tracks and if the other Ferrari finishes off the podium a victory could even clinch the title for the Japanese team with a race still to run. The Asian Le Mans Series also offers places at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Pursuers. Up to this point, the Ferraris have literally dominated the scene, only yielding pole in Shanghai to their rivals. Indeed, in both races the 488 GT3 of Spirit of Race, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Oswaldo Negri Junior and Francesco Piovanetti, came second. The three are the main rivals of the other Ferrari, a very strange and paradoxical situation for Pier Guidi who usually pairs with Calado in the World Endurance Championship at the wheel of the 488 GTE no. 51. The race will start on Saturday, at dawn in Europe.