Conquest Racing are making their return to the highest levels of American motorsport, beginning this weekend in the GT World Challenge America round at Sebring International Raceway – in preparation for a full-season effort in 2023.
The #34 Conquest Racing/Corsa Horizon Ferrari 488 GT3 will be driven by GT3 newcomer Manny Franco, and two-time IMSA GTD class champion Alessandro Balzan.
“It’s already agreed and all set,” Bachelart said to DSC this morning. “We should recieve the new 296 GT3 in time to start the season next year. The car seems fantastic, so we are excited for that.”
“I am very excited to start this new program with a 488 GT3 Ferrari and this is the next logical step from our large involvement with the Ferrari Challenge Series,” he added, in a press release issued today.
Conquest Racing first achieved fame as a perennial fixture in the IndyCar and Champ Car World Series, fielding cars for distinguished drivers including Justin Wilson, Jan Heylen, Bertrand Baguette, Bruno Junquiera, and Alexandre Tagliani. In their 25th year, Conquest Racing currently operate a two-car GT4 America programme, built off recent success in LMP2, LMP3, and Ferrari Challenge North America.
Franco, 27, makes his GT3 racing debut this weekend having gained experience in Ferrari Challenge and in the GT4 ranks between IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Pirelli GT4 America.
“My outlook is to gain an understanding of the GT3 class,” said Franco. “I want to gain experience in what feels like a no pressure situation. I’m quite an adaptable driver and I’m expecting to quickly gain the understanding I’m looking for and display that as pace on track. It’s incredible to have such a machine as my debut car going into Sebring. Ferrari knows how to race and how to win, similar to Alessandro Balzan. The amount of knowledge he has on this Ferrari GT3 is immense. I look forward to learning a lot from him.”
“He started about a year and a half ago with us, and from his first lap in a test with us, we saw that he had some great skills,” Bachelart said of Franco. “He has been pretty dominant in the [Ferrari Challenge] series,” he added, “so the next step for him was to do GT3.”
The 27-year-old rookie, a true young amateur, will have two-time IMSA GTD champion Balzan mentoring him through his maiden weekend in the series – one of the best in the business at the wheel of a Ferrari GT car.
“We hired Alessandro Balzan to coach him and teach him. Balzan is very experienced with this Ferrari – so I think we have the right ingredients,” added Bachelart.
“I am very excited and for many years I have been friends with Eric Bachelart when we met with another program in the past,” said Balzan – the 2013 Grand-Am GT class champion and 2016-17 IMSA GTD champion.
“Sebring is very special for the Ferrari and the 488. I drove in the debut race in 2016 in the first race ever for what was the new 488, and it was a winning one. We won the GT class. Every time I have been out there with a Ferrari, it has been really great results.”
“We are going into this race weekend with a very positive attitude after a couple of days testing at Sebring,” Balzan remarked. “It was the first time for the team to be able to work with and run the car. It all went incredibly smooth, and Manny was comfortable in the car and turned some good lap times. Sebring is a demanding but fun track, which is why it is one of my favorite tracks not only in the U.S. but all over the world. It is a special place.”
The third driver that will partner Franco and Balzan in this year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour Race will be announced at a later date.
