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GT World Challenge America

8Star Evaluating Pirelli World Challenge Program

Exclusive: Enzo Potolicchio eyeing potential PWC program with Ferrari…

Photo: John Dagys

Photo: John Dagys

On the heels of Dyson Racing’s announcement of a factory Bentley GT3 program, another top-level sports car outfit could soon be headed to the Pirelli World Challenge as well.

Sportscar365 has learned that 8Star Motorsports is evaluating a potential PWC program, which could put orange-colored Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s on the grid in the sprint race championship later this year.

“We have a big team and need to look at other areas of racing in the U.S. as an alternative so we don’t have all of our investment in the TUDOR Championship. We can’t depend on only one series,” team owner Enzo Potolicchio told Sportscar365.

Potolicchio’s Florida-based squad currently fields a Prototype Challenge car in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and recently ordered a new Ligier JS P2, which is still on track to debut at Road America in August, for a three-race program this year.

The two-time Ferrari Challenge champion, who is kicking off 8Star’s GTE-Am title defense in the FIA WEC this weekend in an AF Corse-prepared Ferrari F458 Italia, says he has customers interested for the team’s potential expansion to PWC.

“Obviously with my experience in GT racing and my Ferrari Challenge days, I have a lot of friends that do GT,” Potolicchio said. “That’s an obvious next step who has not done it before.

“We have meetings here in Silverstone with Michelotto. We have that option. It would make the most sense to do a Ferrari unless we get approached by another another manufacturer wanting to do something.”

Potolicchio has targeted a debut by the end of the year, in order to prepare for a full-season assault in 2015.

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

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