By Tony DiZinno, IMSA Wire Service
DragonSpeed has had a race-winning pedigree in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for many years, but it hasn’t recently had a consistent full-season presence. The team has primarily focused its efforts in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class and won three Rolex 24 At Daytona races in class in a four-year run from 2019 to 2022 (2019, 2020, 2022).
Late last year, however, the DragonSpeed program shifted with a dip into IMSA’s highly competitive GT ranks. It debuted in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class at the TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks and shifted up to the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class for the Motul Petit Le Mans.
Immediately after Motul Petit Le Mans, the tale of DragonSpeed’s IMSA presence grew with a new collaboration with Ferrari GT stalwarts Risi Competizione, whose singular presence was beginning to wind down.
It escalated quickly and as DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian explained, made immediate sense to both parties.
“We believed in the GT transition project for DragonSpeed,” Julian said. “Understanding the future prototype landscape, GT made the most sense based on our targets and our situation. Henrik (Hedman, car owner and longtime DragonSpeed driver) picks and chooses the races he does now. So, we went this way.
“We entered the Pro car at Petit with no expectations after a good start in Indy. When we decided to seriously look at Pro, we filed and guaranteed an entry. Then it came to fruition, and some things we heard over the weekend where Risi may or may not enter. So that was interesting and noted.
“The race finishes. We’re pitted next to each other, we say goodbye to some of their longtime guys, and it was noticeably kind of somber. And it’s, ‘We’re not going racing’ somber, not race result somber. It clicked in my head what I wanted to do and maybe 30 seconds later we start having some conversations. Giuseppe (Risi), Henrik and I sat down and we quickly hashed it out where we could go forward and enjoy it.”
A fresh blend of DragonSpeed and Risi crew came together quickly to best prepare and maximize performance of the team’s striking yellow No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3, in what’s been a rapid new relationship.
“Everything has been done in practicality,” Julian said. “It’s an interesting mix. It’s probably close to 50/50, but there’s overlap in different areas. At the end of the day, they’re all experts and they know what it takes to make a Ferrari go fast. And they’re ready with a hand to help to just get the job done.”
Drivers were a harder puzzle to solve. Given relatively late timing, DragonSpeed sought who was available both in the IMSA paddock and from Ferrari’s arsenal of factory drivers. Julian found a solution with the best of both worlds in Albert Costa and Giacomo Altoe for the full season, with Altoe starting at Sebring.
“Everyone’s plate at Ferrari was pretty full, which you get when they have 28-30 races a year they’re driving,” Julian explained. “But we got (Miguel) Molina for Rolex, and I’m not gonna say no to that. Thanks to Giuseppe’s relationship with Ferrari and Davide Rigon, we got him for the long races. He brings that experience of the 30 races a year and the car development.
“The first driver I spoke to for this season in earnest was Albert at Petit Le Mans when it was evident he wasn’t re-signed. We had two conversations because I don’t speak until it’s real. He was first to know. We were so happy to sign him as our primary driver. Then given the variations, we landed with Giacomo as well, who’s been great so far. You have to play your cards the right way. My job is to put together the best possible non-factory lineup, and I feel I have achieved my goal.”
Through three races, DragonSpeed has impressed quickly within GTD PRO, on the heels of a very strong start with its No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3. Costa and Altoe have scored back-to-back Motul Pole Awards, and the pair finished second at the most recent race, the TireRack.com Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Beyond the results, Julian has hailed the rapid integration of all the newness.
“Albert put in a mega lap at Sebring as did Giacomo in Laguna,” he said. “Where things have gone extraordinarily well other than obvious on screen and timing sheets, is incorporating two different teams into one target. It’s gone way better than we could have ever hoped for.
“There’s a mutual respect and knowledge shared between the two. The desire to put the result above all else. We hit the ground running and immediately after Daytona it felt like we’d worked together for a long time. Everyone knows what to do and their job. Culturally we meshed really well. It’s been really good; we felt we hit the ground running.”
There’s been one other intriguing element too with the team’s Ferrari taking on a fresh livery at WeatherTech Raceway owing to a collaboration with the Anti Social Social Club. The luxury apparel/streetwear brand has more than 2.4 million Instagram followers with the partnership growing out of an introductory meeting among Julian, past DragonSpeed driver Juan Pablo Montoya and Montoya’s cousin Ian Coates, a co-founder of the company.
“Traditionally I haven’t done things the normal way,” Julian laughed. “We met several years ago with JPM and hit it off. They’re brilliant at what they do. The thing I was most excited about was making IMSA cool; making it appealing to different types of people who buy expensive cars and garments. The response from their side was awesome; they thought it was every bit as cool as we did.”
As GTD PRO prepares to hit a busy summer stretch of five races from the end of May on the streets of Detroit through mid-August at VIRginia International Raceway, preparation is paramount for DragonSpeed to keep up the early season form. Costa sits third in GTD points on his own, 75 off the championship leaders.
“You manage the mileage from Lap 1, Day 1 and you work ahead to package as best you can,” Julian said.
“But we’re here. And Mr. Risi is here. It’s important to be said that he’s run such a quality outfit for years. He’s stood the test of time, and when he chooses to do something, he will do it.”
Be the first to comment