GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series 2013

Ferrari leads season championships with two races remaining

– Alex Tagliani back in the no. 61 R.Ferri/AIM Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Lime Rock

– Extreme Speed Motorsports to field additional Ferrari 458 Italia at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

September 4, 2013 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) – With only two races remaining in the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, there’s much at stake for Ferrari as its teams prepare for the September 7-8 Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. After a thrilling win for Scuderia Corsa at Kansas Speedway, Ferrari leads the series’ GT-class championships. In addition to Ferrari’s top position in the manufacturer championship ranking, Scuderia Corsa leads the team championship and Alessandro Balzan, driver of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, is the man to catch in the driver championship.

Ferrari enters the weekend coming off of its strongest race of the year at Kansas Speedway. Alex Tagliani qualified the no. 61 R.Ferri/AIM Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia that he shared with Jeff Segal on pole position in his first start at the wheel of a Ferrari. In the race, Balzan and Leh Keen drove the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia to the team’s first victory of the year with Emil Assentato and Anthony Lazzaro finishing third in their no. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia. The double podium for Ferrari put Balzan and Scuderia Corsa at the head of the driver and team championships, but also elevated Assentato, Lazzaro, and AIM Autosport Team FXDD into a strong fourth place in the driver and team championship.

For the remainder of the season, Tagliani will step back into the R. Ferri/AIM Motorsport Ferrari as he and Segal target more class victories. The R. Ferri/AIM Motorsport team scored their first victory at Indianapolis.

“I’m really excited to be back in the R.Ferri/AIM Motorsport Ferrari,” said Tagliani. “Obviously, our race in Kansas was really good and I’m looking forward to being with the team in Laguna Seca and Lime Rock. I really enjoy driving the Ferrari 458 Italia – it suits my style, and I was able to push right away. It was an honor to be representing the Ferrari brand, so I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship. Hopefully we can bring a win before the end of the year.”

A fourth Ferrari F458 Italia will be on the grid as Extreme Speed Motorsports enters a car for Bay Area locals Johannes van Overbeek and Mike Hedlund. The no. 03 ESM Ferrari 458 Italia has competed in three other Rolex Sports Car Series races this season, scoring a best finish of sixth at the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is the home track of Ferrari Silicon Valley, a sponsor of Scuderia Corsa and devoted supporter of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, a home-away-from home and supportive community for kids receiving specialized treatment for life-threatening illnesses in area hospitals, as well as their families. Throughout the race weekend, members of the dealership and motorsports team will host children and families at a trackside hospitality area, giving them insider’s access to the race cars, crew, drivers and all the action.

True to Ferrari’s philosophy that the race and road cars share the same DNA, the Ferrari 458 Italia Grand-Am shares the engine, chassis, and suspension concepts with the road version of the Ferrari 458 Italia. Both cars are built on the same assembly line in Maranello, Italy.

The Continental Sports Car Festival will be shown live on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, September 8 at 5:00 PM ET. Social media updates will be provided throughout the event on Twitter (@FerrariUSA) as well as Instagram (@FerrariAmericas).

About Ferrari North America

Ferrari North America, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and is the exclusive North, Central, and South American importer of Ferrari vehicles including the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, the California and FF Grand Tourers and the F12 berlinetta. The current product line-up comes with the Ferrari complimentary seven-year maintenance program, which covers all factory-scheduled maintenance procedures including labor, related genuine parts and approved lubricants.

About Motorola Mobility

Owned by Google, Motorola Mobility fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives.