This press release originally appears on ScuderiaCorsa.com.
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (March 14, 2016) -- On the challenging streets of St. Petersburg, Martin Fuentes extended his Pirelli World Challenge championship lead as he scored another two GT-A class victories.
Fuentes’ two victories in the no. 07 AERO-painted Scuderia Corsa / HUBLOT Ferrari 458 Italia did not come easy as he overcame mechanical adversity as well as numerous incidents in the pair of races at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He took the GT-A pole position for the first race of the weekend, placing his Ferrari in 12th overall. After a clean start to the race, Fuentes found himself in a large battle with GT-class cars as well as defending his lead in GT-A, but at the end of the race he enjoyed a comfortable in lead in GT-A to take the victory.
“We had a good start in Saturday’s race, but debris on the circuit filled the radiator intakes and the engine started to overheat,” said Fuentes. “So, we had to pace ourselves and keep the engine temperature down. Halfway through the race we saw that our closest competitor was losing time as well so we were able to manage it until the end. It was another great job by Scuderia Corsa and we are all very happy with the result.”
Sunday’s race would be markedly different to Saturday’s. While Saturday’s race ran without a single caution period, Sunday’s race featured two lengthy caution periods which resulted in minimal green flag laps. Using the race’s start and two restarts to his advantage, Fuentes was able to maintain a gap to the second-placed car in GT-A, winning again and finishing in thirteenth place overall.
Fuentes has scored four straight GT-A victories, establishing himself as the championship favorite after the first four races of the season with a 66-point lead.
“It seems that in the second race of the weekend everyone is a little more aggressive so it is important to stay away from the incidents and keep the car in one piece,” said Fuentes. “Scuderia Corsa gave me a great Ferrari to fight with and to score our fourth win of the season. I am already looking forward to the next weekend in Long Beach. Thanks to everyone on the Scuderia Corsa team, including team owner Giacomo Mattioli and technical director Roberto Amorosi – I thank them again for this amazing weekend.”
The Grand Prix of St. Petersberg will be shown on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, March 20 at 12:00 PM ET. The next Pirelli World Challenge race will be the weekend of April 15-17 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Scuderia Corsa will also compete in next weekend’s 12 Hours of Sebring.
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 andScuderiaCorsa.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 pre-owned 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.
###
For Media Inquiries, please contact
Email: press.racing@ferraribeverlyhills.com
Picture Credit to Bob Chapman, Autosport Image