BOLINGBROOK, Ill. – Alessandro Balzan will join Cooper MacNeil and Jeff Westphal in the No. 63 WeatherTech Racing Ferrari 488 Evo for the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 15-17.
Balzan is a two-time IMSA WeatherTech GT Daytona driver champion (2016, ’17), both with Scuderia Corsa. Balzan last raced with MacNeil and Westphal at the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona in January.
“It is great to be back racing with Cooper and Jeff and the WeatherTech Racing team,” Balzan said. “Jumping into the No. 63 WeatherTech Racing Ferrari 488 Evo will be very familiar as I last raced with the team at the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona in January. I have been with the team at some of the races helping as a spotter. I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the red, white and blue Ferrari this week at Road Atlanta.”
The team returns to IMSA WeatherTech competition following a two-race hiatus as MacNeil focused on winning his third consecutive Ferrari Challenge Series championship.
“I’m pretty excited to go back to Road Atlanta,” MacNeil said. “This will be my third race there this year. First with Ferrari Challenge, then the six-hour race with IMSA and now onto Petit Le Mans. I’m excited to be back in the car. Petit is a tough race, but we know what to expect. We have to push hard, but not too hard, so we can save the car for the end. I’m looking forward to being back in Atlanta and driving the WeatherTech Ferrari.”
Westphal is looking forward to another run in the No. 63 at Road Atlanta.
“It feels like the final race of the season, but we aren’t quite there,” Westphal said. “Petit is one of those races where you need to have the speed over the lap, but you also need to keep the car clean heading into the night. For multiple years it has caught many teams out. The trick, I think, is being like-minded within the team towards bringing the car into a favorable position for the final three hours.”
Toni Vilander previously raced with the team in six events this year, but will not return to the team for the final events of the year in large part due to COVID-19 restrictions.