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RACING RIVALRY RENEWED Historic enemies Ferrari and Porsche battle to the closest finish in Sebring history. STORY BY PETER BROCK. PHOTOS BY GAYLE BROCK Risi Competizione’s #62 F430 GT was the fastest of the five Ferraris at Sebring. 64 FORZA JUNE 2007 FORZA JUNE 2007 65 he 12 Hours of Sebring teams, California’s Flying man Tracey Krohn. The #61 feared Prototype Technology next at 2:03.0—the new RSRs Risi Ferrari, who had to work is always a fascinating Lizard Motorsport and Ferrari, painted in a wild shade Group, one of the most experi - simply had not yet received the his way through the entire Trace. New teams Florida’s Tafel Racing, soon of green and run under the enced teams in the business. development needed to realize pack, but he was on a tear. Just emerge, while familiar ones announced they would each be Krohn Racing banner, would The single Spyker C8 road - their true potential. past the first-hour mark, as evolve, shifting key personnel, ordering two of the new RSRs be shared by Krohn, ALMS ster was noticeably faster than A few tenths further back Bergmeister’s Porsche pitted for drivers and even marque loyal - for the ’07 season. Surprisingly, veteran Nic Jonsson and 2006’s ill-handing entry; the sat the two Tafel Porsches, fuel and tires, the Ferrari broke ties in their never-ending the top-line, Las Vegas-based Colin Braun, a young karting Dutch factory’s cars get better with German ace Wolf Henzler through to take the GT2 lead. attempts to win the champi - Petersen Motorsports/White champion from Texas. every year. And while the C8 in the #71 car ahead of This set up one of the best con - onship. The 2007 American Lightning team, two-time Le For its part, White lacked the front runners’ top Dominik Farnbacher in the tests ever seen at the Florida Le Mans Series season-opener Mans winners with Porsche, Lightning entered its white speed, Sebring is a long race, one #73 machine. They were fol - circuit—the Brazilian in the was no different. didn’t make a similar and yellow #31 Ferrari with where endurance might matter lowed at 2:03.8 by Jonsson in #62 Ferrari against the German Sebring ’07 was dominated announcement. The reason Czech ace Tomas Enge, Tim more than outright speed. the #61 F430. Bill Auberlen in the #45 Porsche. by a GT2-class battle between why wasn’t known until weeks Bergmeister (Lizard driver was next in the #21 Panoz, at Not that these two would Ferrari and Porsche that will later, when the team revealed Jörg’s brother) and Memo Get set… 2:03.9. JMB’s Ferrari was well work alone: Each had equally go down in the record books it had jumped ship to Ferrari. Gidley. The team’s second The Ferraris were fastest in off the pace, qualifying 14th in qualified co-drivers and team as the closest finish in the race’s White Lightning owners car, the red #32 F430 run practice, so there was little sur - class, while White Lightning’s strategists, and every member 50+ year history—as well as the Dale White and Mike Petersen in conjunction with Corsa prise in qualifying when Melo #32 F430 sat at the back of the of the teams would be chal - most controversial final corner. had clearly been impressed by Motorsports, would be driven put Risi’s #62 car solidly on field after a crash. lenged to keep their car in the However, the story begins one the F430’s speed. So while the by Maurizio Mediani, FIA the GT2 pole at 2:02.4. lead. For instance, in the third full year earlier. pair had run one of the most GT regular Rui Aguas and Unfortunately, while trying to Go! hour, Le Mans-winner Marc Even though Giuseppe Risi’s successful ALMS Porsche teams Jose Maria Lopez. better his time, Melo spun and After the green flag waved Lieb in the Porsche slipped brand-new Ferrari F430 GT2 in ’06 (winning the drivers’ France’s JMB Racing flat-spotted his tires. The rules at 10 a.m., Enge in the # 31 past Salo in the Ferrari. But the didn’t win at Sebring in 2006, title with factory hot-shoe Jörg brought the final Ferrari, the state that cars must start the White Lightning F430 led Finn soon snatched the lead its blistering performance with Bergmeister), early in 2007 blue #24 F430. It was to be race on their qualifying rubber, GT2 for just one minute, back, as the two drivers battled unknown driver Jaime Melo they went to Italy to acquire piloted by Ben Aucott, Joe so when the Risi crew changed before tangling with an aggres - as though the Sebring enduro and Risi regulars Ralf Kelleners and test a pair of F430s. Marcari and Rob Wilson. the ruined tires, the F430 was sive Henzler in the #71 Tafel was a sprint race. and Anthony Lazzaro nearly Leaving the security of the Arrayed against the five sent to the back of the grid. Porsche. Farnbacher took over By the fourth hour, the shattered Porsche’s four seasons Porsche camp was difficult, as F430s were nine Porsches. In White Lightning’s Enge the lead in Tafel’s #73 Porsche, Ferrari-mounted Salo led of dominance in ALMS GT2 White Lightning lost some of addition to the German cars, the qualified second in the #31 but lost it 23 minutes later to Bergmeister in the Lizard racing. Only a few teething the best assets of being a semi- Ferraris would have to contend Ferrari, just 0.3 second off of the #45 Lizard car—Bergmeis- Porsche and Henzler in the problems kept the 4.3-liter factory backed team: a string of with two other marques: Spyker Melo’s time, and with the ter, who had lost a few places Tafel Porsche by a full lap. V8-powered Ferrari from ace drivers, knowledgeable engi - and Panoz. The powerful, V8- Brazilian driver moved to the at the start, had carefully When Salo pitted for fuel, tires winning its class. neers and a Porsche Motorsport engined Panoz racers had won rear, the Czech would start from worked his way back into and a driver change, Mowlem Those issues were worked van full of parts. In addition, Sebring and Le Mans in ’06, and the first position. The fastest striking distance. charged onto the track still out over the next couple of crew chief Dennis Chizma and now the Georgia-built machines Porsche, Flying Lizard’s #45 car It would have been easy to holding a 16-second lead. races, and by mid-season, the his veteran race-wrenchers, who were being run by the much- driven by Jörg Bergmeister, was forget about Melo in the #62 Over the next two hours, F430 was duelling on equal knew all the arcane speed secrets terms with the Porsches, of the German machine, would matching them almost point- be faced with a completely dif - for-point for the rest of the sea - ferent car. son. In the end, Houston-based Although Petersen and Risi Competizione won the White had their work cut out 2006 GT2 teams’ title, and was for them, the team was very clearly a serious contender to excited about its new racers. win it all in ’07, especially with So were GT2 fans—with a a season of running the new total of five F430s on the grid, Ferrari under its belt. a true Ferrari versus Porsche Porsche, of course, had other battle was brewing for Sebring. ideas. The German company had been caught off-guard by On your mark… the speed of the F430 (as well as Risi’s raiders arrived in Maranello’s sudden interest in Florida this year with Brazilian producing a serious GT2 con - Melo, former F1 pilota Mika tender), but late in the ’06 sea - Salo (the Finn regularly drove son, Porsche announced that a the F430 for the team last new 911 GT3 RSR—one based year, and will partner with on the current, 997-generation Melo for the full ’07 season) road car—would be available and fast Brit Johnny Mowlem. for the upcoming year. The new The trio immediately began racer would have a 3.8-liter flat- setting the benchmarks for 6 engine in place of the 996’s Top to bottom: White Lightning’s #31 Ferrari led at the start; Risi speed in GT2 with their 3.6-liter mill, a stiffer chassis driver Jaime Melo; JMB Racing’s F430 was the second-best Ferrari year-old scarlet #62 Ferrari. and wider rear rubber. finisher; White Lightning’s #32 car retired late in the race after an The Risi crew also brought Two longtime Porsche oil fire. Opposite: #45 Flying Lizard Porsche leads #62 Risi Ferrari. its second F430 for Texas oil - 66 FORZA JUNE 2007 FORZA JUNE 2007 67.