Ferrari’s Rigon relishing Risi return

After a year lurking behind the scenes as a technical partner to DragonSpeed, Risi Competizione made its welcome return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, back as a stand-alone effort with its signature No. 62 Ferrari, armed with Ferrari’s new 296 GT3 Evo kit.

With an all Ferrari Official GT driver line-up of Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi behind the wheel – three of the four men that led Risi to a class win at the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona – the fans of the long-serving Ferrari loyalists hoped for a strong result. Instead, a collision between Serra and former co-driver James Calado ended Risi’s race just two hours into the Rolex 24, well short of what the team had hoped for.

“Daytona was not what we wanted,” Rigon admits. “We know the team is super-ready and very experienced. But to do the race would be very nice for us. We were unlucky how the contact was, so we got quite a lot of damage, and to fix the car was too long – so we decided to retire the car.”

Even then, Rigon wasn’t so sure that a win was on the cards, despite the very long safety car intervention for heavy overnight fog, a six-hour, 33-minute intermission that had a big impact on GTD Pro. “We didn’t have the pace in Daytona to do something special, just play with the strategy,” he says. “But on pure pace, we were P5, P6 maximum. Honestly, we prepared so well for the race that together with the team, we just wanted to take it easy for the first hour, and then start to give it the best for the end.

“Sometimes racing is like this. We know how hard and how high level is this championship, even if it’s a 24-hour race, actually it’s like qualifying for the drivers, and for the team.”

Although the team came a cropper early at Daytona, Rigon's enthusiasm for the Risi program was undimmed. Michael Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images

With the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari’s return to GTD Pro, the legendary team from Houston, Texas is once again competing for a Michelin Endurance Cup championship, trying to win its first title since 2022. The road back from a minimum result at Daytona starts at Sebring, where Rigon hopes to use strategy to try and maximize the team’s Endurance Cup points haul at the designated four-hour intervals.

“We’ll really try to maximize it with the strategy tomorrow,” Rigon says ahead of Saturday's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours. “I think we know that maybe it’s tough to do a podium but for sure, we will give our best. To think about the points through the race is one of the goals of the team, to achieve the maximum. And then wait for some good opportunities in the future, like Watkins Glen or Road America or Petit (Le Mans).”

Rigon has never driven a full season in IMSA, but most of his WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career has been spent with Risi Competizione. He and Serra won the Endurance Cup title four years ago, and Rigon was an Endurance Cup driver for DragonSpeed during its 2025 GTD Pro campaign – supported by the Risi crew.

“Of course, to drive our red Ferrari is special,” Rigon says. “Also with Mr. (Giuseppe) Risi, you really feel the passion on the team, the big effort that they put on it.

“But when we’re driving, it’s the same, because you try to give your best, whether you’re with DragonSpeed or Risi. As a Ferrari driver, I try to give my maximum as always, and use my experience to achieve the best result. Which means, sometimes, to not use new tires to give the best to everybody, to improve themselves, and try all together to work in a good direction. So I cannot ask for better, to be honest, as a line-up, as a team.”

After Sebring, there are only three more races left for Risi Competizione this season. Certainly, fans of the team have made it known that they want to see Giuseppe Risi and company return to run a full season for the first time since 2016, and it’s something that Rigon supports, as well – even though he currently has full-time commitments to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Vista AF Corse.

“Honestly, from my point of view, I would love to do a full season in IMSA,” he admits. “I really like the tracks. I like the action here in IMSA. But at the moment, Mr. Risi and the team would like to do just the Endurance Championship. It’s more on the mind, also, for Ferrari to think about the long-distance races.

“Who knows, maybe next year it’ll change. We are ready for it, of course! Then, my calendar will be very, very busy, so then I need to make some choices. But to be here with Risi, with a pro line-up, is actually something which all the drivers like, and I’m really enjoying it.”