The 458 Italia Grand Am passes its Daytona exam

Maranello, 27 July – The 458 Italian Grand Am has just completed two days of intensive testing at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway, as part of its preparation for taking part in the 2012 American championship. Brazil’s Jaime Melo was at the wheel, having just come from partnering Finland’s Toni Vilander to second place in the Mosport Grand Prix, in Ontario, at the fourth round of the American Le Mans Series. The car which has taken over the reins from the GT3, was prepared by Ferrari in conjunction with Michelotto, proved very reliable, as it tackled the five mile circuit. This owes something to its road car roots, although it is naturally modified to meet the rules of the series. “We are pleased with the performance of the car,” commented Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Corse Clienti. “Especially when one considers the fact that, after its shakedown in Fiorano, this is its first real test. It has definitely passed the exam and over two days, we completed around 90 laps with any particular reliability problems. Hard to judge its speed, given that we were the only car on track and had no reference point for the times. However, at the moment, this is not a main concern as our primary interest is in evaluating the behaviour of the car in the light of the various modifications made to it, to conform to the series regulations.

Source: [Ferrari.com]