AMAZING FEELING
T
he #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458
Italia driven by the all-American lineup
of Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal and
Bill Sweedler captured victory in the GTEAm class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on
Sunday afternoon in only the team’s second
appearance at the endurance classic.
Throughout the race, the Scuderia Corsa
Ferrari was a contender for victory, taking
the lead for the first time as the sun began
to set in the race’s fifth hour. From that point
the Ferrari had the GTE-Am victory in its
sights, and Jeff Segal took the checkered
flag just after 3:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to rapid stints at the wheel by
all three drivers, the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari
finished three minutes ahead of the secondplaced car and lapped the rest of the GTEAm field. The car completed 331 troublefree laps of the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe,
while the Scuderia Corsa crew executed 25
mistake-free pit stops.
“Since our first Le Mans last year, our
only ambition was to get back to Le Mans
and win,” said Sweedler. “We knew that
if we came back with the same Scuderia
Corsa team, and the same drivers, we’d
have a winner. Last year we didn’t quite
know what to expect, but this year we
were ready. But I think we are all a little bit
shocked that it happened!”
Townsend Bell was the driver who
eased the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari into
the lead for the first time late on Saturday
evening. The Le Mans victory is another
success that Bell, Sweedler and Scuderia
Corsa have enjoyed together.