Lakeville & Northeast Grand Prix 2017 at Lime Rock Park/ Col 6° posto di Balzan & Nielsen la Ferrari by Scuderia Corsa é + leader IMSA
Il circuito di Lakeville era tortuoso , così engineering by Alessandro Balzan si è accontentato di essere ‘ragioniere’ con la sua Ferrari 488 GT3 visto che in questa fase finale del campionato IMSA è prioritario la vittoria ‘Costruttori’ per la Scuderia Corsa di patron Mattioli.
E allora , dopo essere risalito fino al 4° posto, ecco che per evitare incidenti e perdere punti preziosi, il ‘ragionier’ Alessandro Balzan ha capitalizzato al massimo i concetti della ‘giustizia comparata’ tanto cara a papà Gianni, avvocato abituato a fare i conti con la realtà, e si è accontentato di arrivare ‘sesto in sicurezza’ all’arrivo.
Certo , ci fosse stata l possibilità di arrivare terzo e salire sul podio, beh qui la domanda nasce spontanea e magari Alessandro Balzan magari ci avrebbe provato, giusto per essere sul podio ancora una volta negli States assieme a Christina Nielsen che aveva fatto il suo dovere nella prima parte del Northeast Grand Prix 2017 sul circuito di Lime Rock Park.
E allora di tutto quanto è successo a Lakeville vi diamo conto nel consueto reportage sempre più english/International proponendovi in sequenza News le considerazioni ufficiali by Races.Ferrari e by Scuderia Corsa estremamente soddisfatti delle performance della coppia Balzan & Nielsen,
Come peraltro Alessandro Balzan che sul suo profilo face book, oltre a postare le immagini corsa che vi proponiamo in fotogallery , in data 22 luglio alle ore 21:45 ha commentato così da lakeville:<< Sesto posto a Lime Rock! Anche se oggi si poteva fare molto di piú abbiamo incrementato da +9 a +17 la leadership in Campionato! So far so good! >>
Tradotto…così lontano, così good e soprattutto così più vicino alla vittoria Costruttori per la gioia di patron Mattioli e della sua Scuderia Corsa grazie alla Ferrari 488 GT3 della bionda di Christina e del piccolo grande uomo Alex Made in Rock-ata.
PRIMA MAIN NEWS ( by www.races.ferrari.com, 23 July 2017) / IMSA – Ferrari increases championship lead in Lime Rock
Lakeville, 22 July 2017 – By finishing in sixth position in Saturday afternoon’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, Scuderia Corsa drivers Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen built upon their championship lead in the IMSA Sportscar Championship.
Mid grid. Starting from ninth position, Nielsen moved the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 forward several positions during a long opening stint in which the Scuderia Corsa team made the most of the fuel mileage of the 488 GT3. After one hour, Nielsen turned the car over to Balzan who emerged from the pits in sixth position. Passing opportunities are at a premium on the 1.5-mile Lime Rock Park circuit and lapped traffic became a factor in the second half of the race. With numerous incidents occuring throughout the GT-Daytona field, Balzan steered the Ferrari away from trouble and finished the race in sixth place to consolidate his lead over the team’s championship rivals.
The two hour and forty-minute race ran caution free. In GT-Daytona class the race was won by the Park Place Motorsports Porsche of Patrick Lindsey and Jorg Bergmeister while the overall race went the Porsche of Patrick Pilet and Dick Werner.
Consistency. Balzan and Nielsen have built their championship lead upon remarkable consistency throughout the first eight races of the season by scoring six podium finishes. After eight races in the twelve race IMSA schedule, they now enjoy a 17-point lead in the GT-Daytona driver’s championship while Ferrari has a three point lead in the manufacturer’s championship. The next race for the IMSA Sportscar Championship will be the Road Race Showcase at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on August 3-6.
SECONDA MAIN NEWS ( by www.scuderiacorsa.com, 23 Jul 2017/ IMSA Championship / Scuderia Corsa Furthers Championship Lead through Crucial Lime Rock Weekend
LAKEVILLE, Connecticut (July 23, 2017)- Surviving a race notorious for repeated incidents and on-track chaos, Scuderia Corsa and the No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 would avoid incident during today’s race at Lime Rock Park, continuing a strong season with a sixth-place finish. Their seventh consecutive top-10 in eight races, both the team as well as drivers Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan would grow their IMSA championship points lead in the process. Additionally, Ferrari continues to lead in the Manufacturer’s Championship as a result.
Starting the race in eighth, Christina Nielsen would take on starting duties, with a championship focus being critical. Avoiding incident, Nielsen’s opening stint would prove incredibly strong, advancing as high as second throughout the opening cycle, pitting after the first hour to let her teammate continue.
Alessandro Balzan’s drive to the finish would continue the team’s calculated approach. Involved in several on-track battles, Alessandro would set several fast laps and excellent pit stops advancing the team to fourth, but ultimately resolving to maintain the car and fall back to sixth by the end.
For Christina Nielsen, holding their championship position is critical as they near the end of the season.
Today is a race with mixed feelings,” stated Nielsen. “I’m happy because we extended our lead in the championship, the team keeps improving with the setup, and it’s a huge plus to have such a good car to drive. I think we’ve proven that consistency is the key, the Ferrari has been a good car to race lately, and we know we what we need to do to improve and move on to Road America.”
For Alessandro Balzan, avoiding the calamity of Lime Rock was critical.
“Being able to escape Lime Rock without major incident was very important for us,” stated Balzan. “It’s always such a wild race to take part in, we knew that one bad move could have completely changed the whole season, so to walk away with a solid result is a huge positive for us. The championship points lead continues, and now with only four races left, so we’re very focused.”
For Giacomo Mattioli, owner of Scuderia Corsa, the team’s championship placement at this point in the season is very encouraging.
“This is a great position to be in as we near the end of the season,” stated Mattioli. “At this point in the championship last year, we actually had a smaller lead than we do now, and we went to win our third championship. The team did a remarkable job today to push through a weekend that can have major championship implications, so we can be satisfied with that and continue on to Road America.”
The next round of IMSA competition will continue in just two weeks’ time at the famed Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Practice will begin on Friday, August 4, with race on Sunday, August 5. Broadcast coverage will begin on Sunday, August 5 at 2:30PM Eton FOX Sports 1.
EXTRATIME by SS/ In cover Alessandro Balzan griffato Scuderia Corsa.
Poi in fotogallery , in sequenza le immagini che mostrano la Ferrari 488 GT3 della Scuderia Corsa in alcune evoluzioni ( compreso pit stop) sulla pista del Northeast Grand Prix 2017 at Lime Rock Park.
E dulcis in fundo il tandem piloti , Christina Nielsen & Alessandro Balzan in versione ‘rosso volante’ per la soddisfazione di patron Giacomo Mattioli sempre più leader ‘Costruttori’ con la sua Scuderia Corsa.
Sergio Sottovia
www.polesinesport.it
