Scuderia Corsa Watkins Glen Pre-Race Report

June 24, 2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - It has been a busy few weeks for Scuderia Corsa since the team last competed in a North American event at the combined IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge.

While Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, and key members of the team's management and engineering staff traveled to the 24 Hours of Le Mans - where the no. 62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia finished in third position in the GT-Am class - the bulk of the team remained in the United States to carry out extensive repairs on the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia that competes in the TUDOR Championship's GT-Daytona class. Contact by a Prototype class car in the closing stages of the Detroit Grand Prix sent the Ferrari into a wall, ending Sweedler and Bell's bid for a podium finish.The crew worked from the moment the car was returned to the team's transporter until early this week to complete the repairs for this weekend's Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen is the third event of the Patron North American Endurance Cup, in which Sweedler and Bell are currently second in the GT-Daytona driver's championship while Scuderia Corsa is second in the team championship.With Scuderia Corsa's strong performances at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, Ferrari currently leads the NAEC in the GT-Daytona manufacturer's championship.Meanwhile, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Scuderia Corsa's drivers in the Pirelli World Challenge series will participate in a trio of races. With the second round of racing at Detroit postponed due to rain, Duncan Ende and Martin Fuentes will race their Scuderia Corsa Ferraris on three consecutive days at Road America.Fuentes, driving the no. 07 Scuderia Corsa / Hublot Ferrari 458 Italia, arrives at Road America in third position in the GT-A class with one victory on the season. Ende, driving the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa / Lino'spresso Ferrari 458 Italia, is looking for another top-10 in the GT class after finishing in 9th position in the lone race at Detroit.The Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen will be broadcast live in its entirety on Sunday, June 28, starting at 10:00 AM ET on FOX Sports 1 before switching at 2:00 PM ET to FOX Sports 2. Qualifying will be streamed live on Saturday, June 27 at 3:40 PM ET on IMSA.com.The trio of Pirelli World Challenge races will be streamed live on world-challengetv.com, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, July 5 at 2:00 PM ET.Watkins Glen Technical Analysis - Joe La Joie, engineer of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 ItaliaThe Watkins Glen International circuit presents many challenges for the drivers and teams, especially when the six-hour length of the race is taken into consideration."Watkins Glen International is a challenging circuit that requires a balance between efficient aero balance, support, change of direction, and a solid endurance brake package," said La Joie. "Since it is an endurance race, the handling can sometimes take a backseat to other considerations. Our drivers are to drive defensively until the last hour or so - we can't tear up the car and expect to finish well."Turn one -The front straightaway is the second-longest straight at Watkins Glen and leads into a hard braking zone that is downhill and bumpy, requiring good car control. The drivers must watch for locking of the front tires when trail braking. Turn one also has significant banking so it is fast with high loads and can be hard on the left front tire.Turns two, three, and four - This section of corners need to be taken flat which is difficult because they require the car to have efficient aero balance and support. The gearing must be correct so the drivers can shift between the turns and have the power to maximize their speed up the hill.Bus Stop - The Bus Stop has the biggest brake zone on the track and is a great place to pass. Even though endurance brakes are required for the Six Hours, they must have good torque in order to out-brake the other cars. The Bus Stop itself requires the car to absorb the curbs but also have good direction change.Turn five - The carousel is a long sweeper which requires the differential to be set up properly to allow the drivers to apply the throttle early. The long sustained G-forces require the car to have good balance and support.Turn seven - toe of the boot is rather slow and requires some attention to mid-corner balance so the throttle application can be good in order to get down the next straightaway.Turn eight - The heel of the boot comes after the the third biggest brake zone and is another place to pass.Turn 10 - this turn is fast and we want to keep the momentum up all the way to turn 11.Turn 11 - This is a relatively fast corner that leads onto the main straightaway, which has a large braking zone at the end requiring a high corner exit speed.