JOAO BARBOSA AND CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI WILL TOUR THE MOTOR CITY ON FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE 2016 SEASON
Two-time and defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi will tour the Motor City to promote the 2016 Chevrolet SportsCar Classic on the streets of Detroit’s Belle Isle Park as part of the annual Detroit Grand Prix.
In 2012, João Barbosa teamed with Darren Law to claim victory in the Chevrolet SportsCar Classic, beginning the run of four consecutive victories on the famed street circuit for the Corvette Daytona Prototypes. The win would also be the first time Action Express Racing scored a 1-2 finish, something Barbosa would like to replicate when the series returns to Belle Isle in June.
“Obviously the race in 2012 was very exciting,” said Barbosa. “Our team cars were able to race hard for the victory, and to occupy the top-two steps of the podium is always special. We were very close to doing it again last year, with our teammates getting the win and Christian and myself finishing third, so hopefully we’ll finish first and they’ll finish second this year.
“You always want to do well in Detroit because of our partnership with Chevrolet, and we certainly want to give Mustang Sampling a victory on such a major weekend as well.”
Barbosa’s co-driver Christian Fittipaldi consistently marks the Chevrolet SportsCar Classic as one of his favorite events of the season, due in part to the electric atmosphere generated by over 100,000 fans that annually attend the event.
“Detroit is always a huge event,” said Fittipaldi. “Teaming with the IndyCar series, Stadium Super Trucks and all the musical entertainment and carnival type atmosphere it really makes the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic so much more than a race. The Detroit Grand Prix continues to grow and is truly becoming one of the marque street course events in North America.
“It’s also extremely important for Joao and me to do well because this event is in Chevrolet’s backyard and couldn’t happen without their tremendous support. It’s great that our team Action Express Racing has been able to win two of the last four events, we’ll hopefully be making that three of five in on June 3.”
The two drivers will begin the day on Friday making numerous media stops throughout the morning, then attend the Detroit Grand Prix’s “Breakfast with Champions”, an event giving 20 fans a VIP meet and greet with the drivers who will compete in the 2016 race weekend. Barbosa and Fittipaldi will conclude their day with a visit to the North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Center.
While Barbosa and Fittipaldi would like to add another Chevrolet Sports Car Classic victory to the team’s resume, they’ll be in pursuit of a third overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona to officially kick off the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
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