Scuderia Corsa, the Los Angeles based Ferrari team competing in its first full season of GRAND-AM, has announced that Tactical Night Vision Company (TNVC) sponsored driver Jeff Westphal will join Alessandro Balzan behind the wheel of the #63 Ferrari 458 for the remainder of the season in the Rolex GT class.
Westphal, a 26 year-old San Francisco native, started his racing career at a local northern California indoor go-cart track when the track owner was so impressed with his raw talent that he sponsored him for the 2004 Red Bull Driver Search Runoffs.
During the past few seasons Jeff has gained attention for his record-breaking victories in the Global Time Attack series and others early career highlights included a record string of victories in the Pacific F2000 series where he took the championship with 9 wins in 12 races. Jeff has earned numerous Continental Challenge starts together with two participations in the Rolex 24H At Daytona.
“I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to drive the #63 after working with Scuderia Corsa and Ferrari for over a year” said Jeff Westphal. “The two have a reputation nothing short of stellar and I look forward to moving forward with both in the rest of this 2013 season. The remaining races encompass quite the challenge with some world-class facilities and events, tracks that I cannot wait to see again from behind the wheel.”
The Grand Am Rolex Series is a dual class endurance Championship with two categories racing at one time, and 2 drivers minimum per car. The GT class cars resemble road going sports cars, while the prototype class follows suit more inline with it’s title. Most races are 2 3/4 Hours in length with the exception of the famous Daytona 24HR and the Watkins Glen 6HR during the 12 event season. All of the events are televised on The Speed Channel, with particular viewing times depending on the event, seen here with the full schedule: www.grand-am.com/ScheduleResults/Rolex
The 458GT car is a GT3 version of the road going Ferrari 458, modified to meet the class rules to equalize performance with the likes of Porsche, BMW, Audi, and Camaro. The 458GT has a 450+ Horsepower V8, and uses a pneumatically operated paddle shift gear box but has no ABS and no Traction control, putting a high demand on driver precision.
“The moment I met Jeff, I knew he was something special. I feel he’s one of the best young drivers out there today. His racing skills are amazing, so it was no surprise to us Team Ferrari took notice” said TNVC President and CEO Victor Di Cosola. “Our ultimate goal was and is to bring awareness to the tactical arenas in the form of professional motor racing establishments. Ferrari and TNVC have much in common as both companies strive to bring the best products to market year after year.”
Vic sent me this update late yesterday –
Jeff wasted no time with his first race in the 458 Ferrari today at Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama! Race results attached with a great pic. Taped telecast on Speed Channel Sunday at 1430hrs Pacific time.
You can follow Jeff, Scuderia Corsa and their progress at these social media channels:
Twitter: @Westphalracing, @Scuderia_Corsa
Instagram: @Westphalracing
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Westphalracing
TNVC Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/TNVC-Inc
www.TNVC.com
