Our apologies for missing last week's edition of VeloceToday. Hurricane Isabel left us without power, water, and cable access for a couple of weeks.

FERRARI WINS AT VIR

By David Seibert
Photo by Juda.com

October 5th. Scuderia Ferrari of Washington drivers Brent Martini and Cort Wagner drove their Ferrari 360 GT to a dominating GT victory today in the VIR 400. The win extends the pair's lead in the GrandAm GT Drivers championship, and the Scuderia's lead in the GT Team championship. The win was the team's seventh this season, and has them on track to break the GrandAm record for single season GT wins as well as tying the record for consecutive GT wins, which the team set in the 2002 GrandAm season.

"Smooth and steady won our race," said Wagner. "We had a lot of pressure taken off early on when the BMW broke, so we just ran our own pace and tried to stay out of trouble. It was really about keeping our heads up and being smooth in a well prepared car, which Ferrari of Washington gave us. I wish they'd all go like this."

"Our race was really with the Schumacher Porsche," Martini added, "particularly after the problems the Marcus BMW guys had, but the truth of the matter is that the Ferrari was the better car all weekend. We now have great experience as a team, and Glenn and the crew put together an outstanding car. Cort does a great job setting up a car I can drive fast, and the car was meticulous all weekend long. We were just bulletproof."

Team Manager Glenn Marquis was also pleased with the weekend. "Brent and Cort took an important win, and made it look easy. The championship isn't settled, but this really helped. I was also pleased with our 'experiment.' We ran a second Ferrari 360, a Challenge car, looking toward the 2004 GrandAm SGS class. Those drivers, Asher Hyman, Jeff Segal, and Jim Wilson, proved that the Challenge Ferrari will be a great car for that class, and we're already making plans for next year."

Girard-Perregaux watches remains the Scuderia's primary sponsor; their limited edition "360 GT" chronograph was created to recognize the team and its Ferrari racer. Market Scan Information Systems has joined the Scuderia as a major sponsor. The company, founded in 1988, is an innovation leader in developing financing software solutions for automotive retailers. Associate sponsors for the Scuderia's 2003 season are the Peris Companies, Putnam Leasing, and Tubi Style. The Peris Companies was founded in 1991 as a tenant interiors contractor, but has evolved into one of Washington, D.C.'s top regional construction service companies. Putnam Leasing, with offices in Greenwich, Connecticut and Scottsdale, Arizona, is one of the oldest specialty vehicle leasing companies in the United States, with extensive experience in the Ferrari market. Tubi Style is the leading after-market supplier of sporting exhaust systems for Ferraris and other exotic cars. Further information on the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington and the Ferrari 360 GT is available at www.360GT.com on the Internet.