Conquest Racing with Ferrari were victorious at Road America as Daniel Serra and Giacomo Altoè drove to victory in GTD Pro in their #35 Corsa Horizon Ferrari 296 GT3. This marks the team’s first victory in the class. Manny Franco and Albert Costa Balboa fought back from early setbacks to finish sixth in the GTD class in the #34 Corsta Horizon Ferrari.

After starting from third on the grid, Altoè got shuffled in the mix and lost a few places early on. However, the team opted for an alternative strategy, and as other competitors completed their pit stops earlier in the race, he remained on track, cycling up to first place in the process.

Altoè masterfully retained the lead as the race progressed, and when Daniel Serra took command of the Ferrari 296 GT3 while the field was under a full course caution, the Brazilian driver was promoted to the front of the field as the other GTD Pro cars elected to make further pit stops.

They were the only entry across the entire field to successfully pull off a one-stop strategy. Additionally, they secured the fastest lap in the GTD Pro category, with a flying lap time of 2:04.652.

In the GTD class, full season teammates Manny Franco and Albert Costa Balboa finished in sixth position in the #34 Corsa Horizon Ferrari 296 GT3. The team now sit fourth in the championship with 1,781 points total.

It was an eventful opening stint for Giacomo Altoè, who described his experience behind the wheel by saying that “I had to avoid some chaos around me on the first lap, and from there I just focused on the road ahead. Once I took the lead, I worked on pulling away from the field. We had great pace, and we were on a different strategy compared to all the others. Once I handed the car over to Daniel, it was stressful to watch the aggressive strategy unfold, but the team managed everything very well. They did a great job, I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m super happy,” echoed Daniel Serra. “Coming into this event, knowing that it was a unique opportunity as we are not a full season entry, you don’t necessarily expect to win in such a competitive field. It was a very strong race for us. We took a bit of a gamble and it paid off, we gained a lot of positions. The team did a superb job, and executed amazingly like on the strategy and the pit stop. I’m extremely happy to win again in IMSA.”

It was a challenging home race for Manny Franco, who fell down the standings early on as he had to serve a drive-through penalty for an incorrect starting position at the beginning of the race. However, Franco and Albert Costa Balboa both put their heads down and gained a lot of ground throughout the 2h40min endeavor.

“We had to serve a drive through penalty at the start of the race, but on a positive note, we were able to recover really well,” explained Manny Franco. “We made our way back through the field to finish sixth, so it was a good weekend overall. It was important for us to continue our efforts in pursuing third place in the championship and score points.”

Franco congratulated his GTD Pro counterparts by saying that “it’s a fantastic feat for Corsa Horizon and Conquest Racing, as well as the drivers and the whole crew involved. It means a lot to have a winning car at my home track. It’s also amazing to add another historic win for Ferrari, and we’re continuing our own pursuit of victory in GTD.”

“First of all, I’m very happy for our sister car,” added Albert Costa Balboa. “On our end, we were unlucky with the penalty we got, but we recovered to sixth, which is a good result. I was involved in a very intense fight on the last lap, but overall I’m pleased with the work we put in and all the effort from the team members. To be able to achieve results like these with a two car effort is great.”

When looking ahead to the upcoming event in a few weeks, Costa Balboa stated “we will take away the positives from this weekend. Manny was very competitive, the car felt good once again, and we’re looking forward to Virginia.”

Franco and Costa Balboa will be back on track at the next round at VIRginia International Raceway from August 23rd to 25th.