Late spin costs Ferrari third-consecutive SRO podium in New Orleans
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NEW ORLEANS (29 April 2023) – With only 10 minutes remaining in Sunday’s SRO GT World Challenge America weekend finale at NOLA Motorsports Park, Ferrari saw its bid for a third-consecutive Pro class podium end with a spin.
On a weekend that has featured heavy rains, high heat, and ever-changing conditions, Manny Franco was running third in class in the No. 21 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 started by Alessandro Balzan. Running in a tight pack, the series’ rookie attempted a pass to the outside when he wound up in the marbles and spun, winding up in a gravel trap to bring out a full-course caution.
Despite losing a lap to the off, Franco was able to restart and came back to finish fourth in Pro in the 90-minute event.
Balzan, who finished second overall on Saturday, started fifth in the class but worked his way up to third by the opening of the pit window with 50 minutes remaining. Franco returned to the race in fourth, and was up to third with 30-minutes remaining.
After the team put in a big effort to recover from an early-weekend setback, Triarsi Competition had a strong run in Pro-Am, with Ryan Dalziel and Justin Wetherill placing seventh in the competitive class in the No. 33 Ferrari 296 GT3 – three positions better than Saturday. Dalziel started in seventh, and was fifth by the pit window. Wetherill rejoined the race in ninth, and gained two positions on the final lap.
The next race for Ferrari in SRO competition is at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas on May 20-21.
