IMSA: New turbo cooling kits for Ferrari 488s at Sebring

All twin-turbo V8 Ferrari 488s will carry new turbocharger cooling kits starting this weekend at IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race in Sebring.

"It's to reduce the heat and keep the turbos cooler, which entails little water coolers that go through the turbos and [help] the oil, and [new] ducting," Risi Competizione team manager Dave Sims told RACER. "The goal is to keep the turbos cooler; it's the same turbos, but the cooling kit is new and it's fairly major."

The changes, which have been applied to Ferrari's GT3-spec 488 in the GT Daytona class, and to its GTE-spec 488s in GT Le Mans, and should reduce operating temperatures within the turbo housings, and the temperature of the air being fed to the 3.9-liter V8 engines. Risi driver Davide Rigon hopes the cooling kits allow the team's No. 62 GTLM entry to find some of the top speed it has been lacking.

"We are very pleased with the balance and the handling, but we had no power on the straights," he said. "The GTD cars are faster than us on the straight. We are much quicker in the corners, and then on the straight, they overtook us. At the [Sebring] test, I overtook one BMW [M6] into Turn 15, then on the straight, he overtook me and went five meters ahead to Turn 17. I had to brake very late to pass him. I hope this helps."