AUSTIN, Texas March 6, 2016) – Martin Fuentes began his Pirelli World Challenge season in the strongest way possible by scoring pole position and two victories in the GT-A class at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Fuentes not only swept the weekend in the GT-A class, but his no. 07 AERO-painted Scuderia Corsa / HUBLOT Ferrari 458 Italia had the measure of most of the GT field at times during the weekend’s pair of races. Qualifying on pole position in GT-A and 12th overall for the opening race on Saturday, Fuentes advanced several positions at the start and became embroiled in a race-long battle inside the overall top-10. Consolidating his massive lead in the GT-A class, Fuentes took the victory by 16.6 seconds.
Sunday’s race would bring more success. Starting again from pole position in GT-A, Fuentes withstood pressure midrace from other GT-A competitors before passing several GT class cars in the closing stages to climb high in the overall standings. Winning for the second straight day in GT-A, Fuentes also finished in a strong sixth place overall.
Fuentes finished the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season in third place in the championship, but he now leaves Circuit of The Americas with a commanding championship lead.
“I am obviously very, very happy with the weekend we had at Circuit of The Americas,” said Fuentes. “It was a very good Ferrari that Scuderia Corsa gave me. We all did our part this weekend – the engineer and the mechanics especially – and we are very happy with the results of the weekend. Two victories gives us a good lead in the championship, but now we need to look ahead and concentrate on the next challenge which is St. Petersburg. But I am very happy and want to thank all of the sponsors that helps to make this happen and I am very happy that Scuderia Corsa is leading the championship after the first two races.”
“I am very proud of Martin for such a great weekend at Circuit of The Americas,” said Giacomo Mattioli, Scuderia Corsa team owner. “He didn’t make a single mistake and was extremely fast, and consistent. Our goal is to win the championship and we couldn’t have gotten a better start.”
It is a short turnaround for Scuderia Corsa and Fuentes as Pirelli World Challenge will compete again this weekend at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida. The first race of the weekend will be streamed live on Saturday, March 12 at 9:35 AM ET and the second on Sunday, March 13 at 3:15 PM ET. The Pirelli World Challenge races from Circuit of The Americas will be shown on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, March 13 at 10:30 AM ET.
About Scuderia Corsa
2015 24Hours of Le Mans Podium, 2015 IMSA GTD and 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT championship-winning team Scuderia Corsa was founded in 2013 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo.
Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at #Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com
Team Sponsors:
Ferrari Beverly Hills / Los Angeles / Silicon Valley / South Bay - North America's premiere Ferrari dealership group specializing in new and pre-owned sales, Classiche designation work, collision repair and factory trained service and original parts. CapitalSource is a division of Pacific Western Bank, a Los Angeles-based commercial bank with over $21 billion in assets and 80 full-service branches. CapitalSource makes commercial loans to small and middle-market businesses nationwide. Pacific Western Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ:PACW).
Ferrari Palm Beach - Providing the exclusive Palm Beach market with a premium inventory of new and preowned Ferraris, state-of-the-art facilities and technicians for expert maintenance and repair. Wide World Ferrari - Located in Spring Valley, New York, offering Ferrari customers a premium selection of new and pre-owned Ferraris, expert authorized service and exclusive Ferrari certified body repair. Zonin USA – Zonin USA is wholly owned by Casa Vinicola Zonin S.p.A. in Italy, a company of seven generations of wine makers with eleven estates located in the most prestigious wine growing areas in Italy. Hublot - A champion of innovation, Hublot revolutionized the watch industry with the introduction of the Big Bang, a multiple award winning timepiece created using a combination of precious metals with rubber. Since then, the Swiss brand has become universally known for the concept, “Art of Fusion.” From in-house watch complications to world-class collaborations such as Ferrari and the Los Angeles Lakers, Hublot is constantly evolving and looking to the future. Passtime - Is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of wireless GPS telematics devices for the global automotive industry in the vehicle finance and fleet transportation sectors offering a web-based software portal with a complete end-to-end software solution designed specifically for the automotive industry. SONIC Tools - SONIC Tools is the North American subsidiary of Sonic Equipment, the world's market leader in premium hand tools and tool box systems for both commercial and consumer use. The company's mission is to elevate efficiency in the professional workshop through its premium hand tools and unique tool organization solutions. Sonic Tools' precision-crafted tools, toolboxes and wall systems are found in the world's most progressive automotive enterprises, and personal garages.
Technical Suppliers
Motegi Racing - through technical partnerships with leading professional racing teams, Motegi Racing Competition and High Performance Tuning wheels are designed and engineered for performance. Motegi Racing is a Wheel Pros brand. Wheel Pros products are sold worldwide in more than 20 countries on four continents and through a U.S. network of more than 10,000 active dealers. AERO Advanced Paint Technology is the world’s only ultra-durable, film-based paint appliqué. AERO is 50 percent lighter than
traditional paint, has 100x superior durability, is strip-able, and has virtually zero carbon footprint. AERO the future of paint. Sabelt - leading manufacturer of seat belts and safety harnesses for production and racings cars, race suits, shoes and helmets, carbon seats for automobiles and child restraint systems worldwide. AllState - Allstate Roadside Services strives to provide the industry's best roadside experience for our partners, their customers and our service providers.
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Press release appears courtesy of Scuceria Corsa Ferrari | Ferrari Beverly Hills
All pictures courtesy of Bob Chapman, Autosport Image