Risi Competizione and their 458 Italia avoided the drama in an incident filled race and held off the CORE autosport Porsche 911 GT3 RS to take the GT class win at the Oak Tree Grand Prix Saturday at Virginia International Raceway.

The race in GT saw nine lead changes before Risi finally came out on top.

The win was the team’s first since Road America in 2011.

“It is always nice to be back,” said Olivier Beretta. We had a really good race today. The luck has not been on our side. I’m really happy for Risi and Matteo, it’s his first win.”

The team was fast in Friday qualifying, but suffered a mechanical failure at the end of the session and their luck appeared to mimic their races at Sebring, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca where mechanical failures befell the team.

By the end of the first lap, Beretta had taken the lead from the BMW of Maxime Martin, and didn’t relinquish it until the end of their first stint.

Charges made by Viper, Corvette, and the Porsche CORE autosport car were mounted as each team held the class lead during the race.

One hour into the race, Risi changed from Olivier Beretta to Matteo Maluecelli. Malucelli had good pace and avoided the big incident of the race in the Esses between the GT car of Marco Holzer and GTC car of Eduardo Cisneros.

“We had a bit of a problem in the pit stop, and I came out in fourth place, but with these tires I could go really fast, so I could pass anybody. So I made my moves on the track and was able to come out in first place. It was a fun win.”

Malucelli made an impressive pass on the backstraight on the CORE Porsche car of Patrick Long with 20 minutes to go in the race.

An equally impressive day was had for Corvette Racing coming from 8th and 9th on the grid to hold the GT class lead at points during the race, before eventually finishing in 3rd and 5th place.

The finishes enabled Chevrolet capture its 10th manufacturer’s title, and Corvette Racing its 10th team championship.
Doug Fehan, Corvette’s Racing’s Program Manager had this to say:

“I spend a lot of time in Europe and with the people who organize the European series, and they look at the ALMS GT as the most competitive series in the world,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette’s Racing’s Program Manager.

“We were 8th and 9th on the grid today, This is a team that does not give up despite the odds. It’s a testament to the team Gary put together and a testament to the drivers and all our crew.”