Johansson Joins Scuderia Corsa for Sebring

Scuderia Corsa has announced that the team has retained drivers Stefan Johansson and Lorenzo Case to partner with the drivers of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal, for next weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Johansson, a veteran of 109 Formula One races with two seasons spent with Scuderia Ferrari, has twice won at Sebring twice. His second win, in 1997, came behind the wheel of a Ferrari 333SP, and he also has one overall victory and two class victories at the 24 Hours of LeMans. He was also recently named the Sporting Director of the Scuderia Corsa team.

Case drove with the team at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona. He, Balzan, and Westphal will be making their first start in Sebring’s endurance classic, while Johansson is making his 12th start.

“Certainly, when I joined the Scuderia Corsa program as their Sporting Director, I didn’t know this was what Giacomo had in mind,” said Johansson. “But in all seriousness, I am thrilled to join the team for Sebring.

“With the way the driver rankings had worked out for the GT Daytona class, Giacomo asked if I could help out and of course I am happy to.

“As they showed last season and at Daytona, the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari and its drivers are capable of winning the championship and I am happy to contribute in any way that I can.”

Scuderia Corsa team owner Giacomo Mattioli, who has known Johansson since his time with the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team, expressed his delight in his four-driver lineup for Sebring.

“When I look at the lineup of drivers of our No. 63 I am very excited and motivated for Sebring,” said Mattioli. “Alessandro, Jeff, and Lorenzo proved to be a very fast combination and we are happy we could keep the three of them together for Sebring.

“And, on a personal level, I am very excited to welcome my friend of over thirty years, Stefan, to the team. His experience and speed will be a great asset for us, in this race which is very important not only to use, but to our partners at Ferrari North America who are celebrating their 60th anniversary.

“We hope to add a GTD class victory to the long list of Ferrari’s victories at Sebring.”

The team is looking to rebound from a disappointing run at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where they finished in 11th position.

After contending for the lead in the GT-Daytona class from the start of the race, through the night, and into the morning hours, Balzan was forced to bring the Ferrari behind the wall for repairs when a backmarker hit him in Daytona’s infield.

Time lost making repairs meant the chance for victory was lost, and the team is eager to have another shot at a win at Sebring.