Serra Was “On the Limit” En Route to Conquest’s GTD Pro Win

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Daniel Serra said his Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 was “on the limit” as he stretched the fuel to the team’s maiden GTD Pro class victory in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Road America.

Serra and co-driver Giacomo Altoe gave the Eric Bachelart-led team its first win in top-level IMSA competition in 12 years, completing the two-hour and 40-minute race on only a single pit stop.

It came amid a caution-filled race that saw five yellows that aided the Ferrari team, which showed both pace and efficiency, in a one-off GTD Pro effort.

“Honestly we were not expecting to fight for the win when you enter a field as competitive as it is in GTD Pro,” said Serra.

“We came just for this race, all the mechanics, everyone, working for the first time.

“We were not expecting to fight for it but in the end the team did a super job.

“We gambled a bit with the strategy. We stayed out on the first yellow. We knew we had the speed but we didn’t have the straight-line speed to pass some cars.

“When we stayed out, we gained a lot of track position and we were lucky with the yellows.

“In the end, it was a good call and we finished with the fuel light on in the last lap. It was on the limit but we are super happy to have won the race.”

The Ferrari factory driver completed the final 1 hour and 29 minutes on the same fuel load.

Serra added: “In the last full course yellow, we were still very, very tight on fuel. I was saving a lot during the safety car and it was quite difficult to restart because the BMW in the back has so much speed on the straight.

“I knew that if I lose the position on the restart, it would have been very difficult to overtake them.

“I was saving a lot of fuel, the tires were getting very cold. It was very, very difficult.”

When asked by Sportscar365 if the team’s guest appearance in the class allowed them to take any risks in terms of strategy, Serra said: “In the end, the points don’t matter for us. We wanted to win and in the end it paid off.”

It marked Altoe’s first career WeatherTech Championship victory in only the former Lamborghini factory driver’s third career start.

“It feels absolutely amazing, I have to say, because IMSA is one of my favorite championships because it delivers some really good shows,” said the Italian driver. “The level is crazy high.

“To deliver and bring home the result is never easy for sure, especially for us. As Dani said, the whole package was new for us.

“It was my first time sharing the car with Dani. It was the first time with the team for me.

“Everything was new. But I think we got along very well in just a few days and to bring home the victory today was a great achievement.

“I’m really thankful to the team. They did an amazing strategy and work all weekend long, and also Dani, for the great drive. I’m really happy about that.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John