Conquest Racing With Ferrari put up a valiant effort in the 63rd annual running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, having challenged towards the front of the field for more than half of the duration of the endurance race. However, the #34 Corsa Horizon Ferrari 296 GT3 ultimately suffered mechanical issues in the early hours of Sunday morning that took them out of contention for a podium result. Nevertheless, Manny Franco, Daniel Serra, Cédric Sbirrazzuoli, and Giacomo Altoè persisted through the setbacks and completed the twice-around-the-clock event in 12th place. 

After qualifying in the Top 10, Daniel Serra took the green flag to commence the 24 Hours of Daytona. He rapidly picked his way through the field, moving up into fourth position within the opening hour before handing over the reins to Manny Franco. Following the driver change, Franco showed consistency and strong pace, progressing up to third place.

Further driver changes ensued, with Giacomo Altoè carrying on with the same level of performance and speed that his teammates exhibited. Throughout multiple pit stops and full course cautions, the team were consistently positioning themselves as frontrunners, demonstrated even further by Cédric Sbirrazzuoli’s stint in the car. The Monegasque powered ahead into the lead for a significant portion of his time behind the wheel.

However, as the halfway mark approached, Sbirrazzuoli experienced a fuel pump issue. The car was brought behind the wall into the garage for further assessment, and after some swift repair work by the crew, they were able to bring the car back on track, albeit several laps down.

Serra returned in the driver’s seat and focused on trying to recover some ground during his stint, with full course cautions enabling the team to regain a lap. Further issues arose as dawn approached, this time as Franco was completing another stint of his own. A second mechanical issue, this time a suspension problem, necessitated further examination from the crew back in the garages and required extensive work to address. 

The drivers continued to exchange turns in the car, with Altoè taking the checkered flag for the team in 12th position in the GTD class, securing points that will contribute towards the team’s championship title efforts. 

“I believe the potential was there, but circumstances played out differently,” shared Manny Franco. “We showed good pace and had a strong run going before the mechanical issues came into play. I’m proud of the effort from the entire team, everyone worked tirelessly to keep us in the fight for as long as possible. The season is long, we know we’re capable of winning races, and it won’t be long until we’re back to doing just that.”

“ It was a shame that we encountered issues,” added Daniel Serra. “We were running quite well until we had to deal with the first mechanical problem, and I think a strong result would have been possible had we not had those circumstances. Even if this was not the start of the season we were looking for, we still have many more rounds to go and we will continue to work hard until we get the results we are after.”

“It was a disappointing outcome in the race,” expressed Cédric Sbirrazzuoli. “We were able to stay in the fight at times, but once we began to have issues with the car, that pretty much sealed the deal. From a team and driver standpoint, I believe we did what we could. We didn’t make any mistakes, and we tried our best to raise a challenge. We will be aiming to have a better result at Sebring and get back on the top step of the podium.”

“ The team did a great job throughout the entire event,” emphasized Giacomo Altoè. “The crew, my teammates, everybody gave it their all. We were running well and fighting in the top five up until we had a technical problem, but at least we crossed the finish line. We brought home some points for the team that will contribute to the full season.” 

The team will return to Florida for the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on March 15th, 2025 for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.