Go Risi!!!!!

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/car/3852593.html

May 9, 2006, 10:44PM

GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON
Risi fuels up Ferrari for crack at hometown win
Team owner feels city will embrace race in American Le Mans Series
By NEIL HOHLFELD
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

There's no need to tell Giuseppe Risi about the relationship between Houstonians and fast, sleek sports cars.

As the owner and president of Ferrari Maserati of Houston, Risi has helped soothe the middle-aged crazies of car buyers for the past 27 years. But Risi's involvement with fast cars goes beyond helping people live out their fantasies.

Risi is the owner of Risi Competizione, an American Le Mans Series team in the GT2 class. The team will have a Ferrari 430 entered in Friday night's Lone Star Grand Prix at Reliant Park, hoping to get a rare hometown win in the sports car series.

Risi had a Ferrari entered in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Jaime Melo, Anthony Lazzaro and Ralf Kelleners placed third in the GT2 class. Melo will be one of the drivers in Houston along with Mika Salo, considered one of the top road racers in the world.

"What makes this all so special is to be racing a Ferrari in Houston," Risi said. "When you think about it, Houston is such a drivers' town. The transit system has come a long way, but if you don't have a car in Houston, you have trouble getting around.

"And let's face it, the people in Houston tend to drive very fast. And they drive nice cars. So anyone who loves cars, I think will really take to our racing."

High-rent audience
The American Le Mans Series has been around since only 1999, but it is making big inroads, gaining attendance and TV audience each year. According to Nielsen Media Research, ALMS viewers have a higher level of disposable income than viewers of any other televised sport.

There is plenty of diversity inside each race. There are four types of cars racing at the same time: Le Mans Prototype 1, Le Mans Prototype 2, Grand Touring 1 and Grand Touring 2.

The cars and leaders in each field can be identified via a leader light system. Each class of car is identified with a different color light, and the leaders can be tracked with the lights on the rear bumpers.

The races are based solely on time, with the exception of the Petite Le Mans in Georgia. Friday's race will last 2 hours, 45 minutes. The leader in each class at the end of the time frame is the winner.

Melo and Salo were looking forward to Thursday's first practice run on the 1.7-mile track through the parking lots of Reliant Park.

In 1999, Salo became a member of the Ferrari Formula One team when Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg. In all, Salo has 111 Formula One starts. Melo was a test driver last year for Ferrari 430.

Last week at Silverstone in England, Melo was paired with Matteo Bobbi and won the GT2 race; Salo was paired with Rui Aguas to take third in the AF Course F430GT.

"Everything looks good so far," Salo said. "But we haven't been on the track."

Risi said that because the track is new it won't matter much that his drivers are relatively new to the ALMS. Everyone, he says, will be in the same boat trying to negotiate tight corners on the track.

"Plus, I think the fact that we are racing on a Friday night will add a little more of a carnival atmosphere to it," Risi said. "This class (GT2) will be the most competitive of any this year. I think we could be in for an exhilarating race."


Back in the saddle
For Risi, merely being back with his Ferrari team holds excitement. Last year, his team provided logistical support for a new Maserati team. But after having control of his team for so many years, providing support paled in comparison when it came to racing thrills.

"Ferrari wanted to put a lot into the Maserati team, so we did all we could to help," said Risi, who has been involved in racing for more than 30 years. "But it was not the same as having our own team. ... At the end of the day, you want to be doing everything yourself. It makes the success that much sweeter."

Donald Pierce has known Risi for 27 years and was the general manager of his car dealership before shifting to the racing team five years ago.

"He is very non-in-your-face," Pierce said of Risi. "He doesn't need to have anything about him in the press. He doesn't like to have his name in front of everything. He just wants everything organized correctly. The competition is enough for him.

"When I started work for him about five years ago in the racing end, he said, 'Don, it's a really easy job. Perfection is a good starting point.' "