FIA WEC – Another podium for Davide Rigon at the 6 Hours of Bahrain

And three! For the third appointment in a row, Davide Rigon paired with team-mate James Calado wins the podium in the World Endurance Championship, at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GTEPro. After Fuji and Shanghai, it’s the turn of Sakhir, scene of the seventh round of FIA World Endurance Championship, winning  four podiums , with another round on the calendar still to be raced.

Right from the beginning, Davide and James stood out on the demanding circuit of Bahrain, bringing the Ferrari #71 of Amato Ferrari team in top placements of Pro class. After taking the necessary steps in the two free practice sessions, they signed the third best lap time, behind the twin-car #51 of the new World Champions Bruni-Vilander, despite the hard tyres. The 6 Hours proveed to be a tight race from the first passes, with a constant pressure by Porsche and the high temperatures of climate and asphalt. Without making mistakes despite nightfall, Davide and James switched each other, holding up the pace and giving Ferrari and AF Corse a new podium, ending a sensational weekend for the colours of Maranello. “We are very happy for this new podium that led us go one step further in standings“, Davide Rigon said, coming back from Bahrain. Thanks to his third place, he adds a further 15 points, entering the Top Six of the best drivers ever in GT category. “We were very pleased with the time marked in Qualifying, as we had decided to focus on Hard tyres. In race then we fought constantly with Porsche, our main opponents. After losing a few positions at the start to set our tyre’s temperature, I was able to recover and race with great chronometric results on track“, Davide continues. “In the first stint, safety car entry costed us a bit of time. However, podium is always a great satisfaction, especially since we are talking about the most important stage“.

Double joy at AF Corse that celebrated not only Team title, but also Drivers’ title with the more experienced colleagues, Bruni and Vilander. “It was a sensational weekend for all of us in team. As AF, we won the Team title, while Gimmi and Toni won the Drivers’ title“. For the team from Piacenza, it is the third title in three seasons. At this point, in order that the season will be memorable, Ferrari has now to gain Constructors’ title, a mission that it must attempt to complete during the last race of the season, scheduled in two weeks Interlagos in Brazil. “In fifteen days we will be back on track in São Paulo for the final round. My goal is to give Ferrari the Constructors’ title“, the driver Venetian concludes. With these new results, Maranello team has further strengthened its leading position with 261 points.

“I’m very happy for the great weekend of Davide. Just a bit of luck in race has missed. Probably, the second place was within his reach. A really positive weekend ends, thanks to Bruni and Vilander’s winning of Drivers’ Championship and Team Title of AF Corse“, the manager Giovanni Minardi says. “Now, we miss only the last piece, the most important one: the Constructors’ Title with Ferrari. We hope to take it home in the last round, in Brazil. In the second half of the season, racing on tracks already known, we made a big step forward. Standings at hand, unfortunately, we miss the important points of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Davide could have fought for podium“, Minardi concludes.