As the defending IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTD class champions and the current leaders in this year’s series points, Christina Nielsen, Alessandro Balzan, and Scuderia Corsa will next compete with the No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 at Lime Rock Park. Saturday’s race is the eighth race of the 12-race season.
Drivers know the Northeast Grand Prix as one of the shorter tracks on IMSA’s competition calendar. The technical, challenging circuit is a tough track to master and will be made even more complicated by multiple classes of sports cars competing simultaneously. Managing the tires and qualifying well are paramount as there aren’t many opportunities to overtake the field during the 2-hour, 40-minute race.
“Personally, Lime Rock has always been a strong circuit for me,” Nielsen said. “I like it. It’s very short, so it’s sort of mentally challenging for the driver because you drive so many laps in one stint. It’s difficult to overtake at this track. The gap between the cars is not that big, so traffic management is going to be important.” Another opponent will be the warm summer temperatures, meaning neither the drivers nor the tires will get a break from the July heat.
This track is significant for Nielsen in her professional racing history. Her first full season of competition in North America was only three years ago, and it was at Lime Rock where she earned her first podium finish that year. Nielsen has earned two trophies at this Connecticut racing circuit.
With only a few races remaining in the season, Scuderia Corsa is once again the GTD class frontrunner. However, they’ll approach Lime Rock with the same perseverance that’s taken them to their leading position. “Last year, Lime Rock was not so great for us in terms of our result,” Nielsen said. “It was not in our hands. The car was good – we had a good setup and it felt good. Hopefully we can build on what we had last year. It’s been good so far in this first part of the season and it’s nice that we’re leading the championship!”
