GT Daytona Leader Nielsen Hopes Consistent Speed Continues in Detroit

Following a strong performance at her last IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event, Christina Nielsen enters the Motor City with the championship lead in the GT Daytona class.

 
Next up for North America’s premier sports car series is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on June 3-4 at the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit. Nielsen and Scuderia Corsa teammate Alessandro Balzan are looking to earn their third consecutive podium finish of the season in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3.
 
“We had a podium finish last year in Detroit,” Nielsen said. “We had a good run, a good race. The result at Detroit is really influenced by strategy, and I think our team is really strong on strategy, so I’m looking forward to see how that will play out.”
 
The one-hour, 40-minute race will take place on the 14-turn, 2.35-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park, marking the first street circuit event of the season for the GTD class.
 
Nielsen earned her first career WeatherTech Championship victory in mid-March with Balzan and third driver Jeff Segal on the road course at Sebring International Raceway. She qualified second in early May at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and she and Balzan finished in the same position for another podium result.
 
Another strong qualifying performance will be important on the tight confines of the Belle Isle circuit.
 
“A track like Detroit is very different from a track like Sebring,” Nielsen said. “It’s a street circuit. It’s hard to pass. There’s not as many overtaking opportunities as Sebring.
 
“You definitely want to have a good qualifying – that’s very important. And you want to have a good start. So I think that’s going to be the main focus for Detroit.”
 
“We just want to keep working with the car, keep working on the driving and work together as a team. Pit stops are going to be crucial for this round because the stops may be pretty short for Alessandro and me, so we will be practicing that a lot beforehand.”
 
Continued speed and consistency at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca pushed Nielsen and Balzan to the top of the GTD standings, six points ahead of Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas.
 
“It’s super nice to have the lead in the GTD championship, but I’m not going into this race thinking about it,” Nielsen said. “There’s still a lot of rounds to be driven before anything is determined. Anything to improve, but it’s about looking at the bigger picture. I always want to bring points home.”
 
The GT Daytona, Prototype and Prototype Challenge classes will race together for one hour and 40 minutes at 12:20 p.m. (ET) Saturday, June 4.
 
Up Next
 
Race: The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers
 
Date: Friday, June 3 to Saturday, June 4, 2016
 
Venue: Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Detroit. Turns: 14. Circuit Length: 2.35 miles.
 
Car: No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 (GT Daytona class)
 
Co-Driver: Alessandro Balzan, Italy
 
Schedule (all times local, ET): Friday, June 3 – Practice 1: 8:05-9:35 a.m., Practice 2: 12:55-2:25 p.m., Qualifiying: 5:05-5:20 p.m. Saturday, June 4 – Warm-up: 8-8:30 a.m., Race: 12:40-2:20 p.m.
 
Race broadcast: 12:40-2:20 p.m. (ET) Saturday, June 4, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports GO; audio from all sessions live at imsa.com and radiolemans.com
 
Live Timing: www.imsa.com, IMSA app for iOS, Android
 
Adam Sinclair