The 13th /14th June 2009 were days of triumph for Pierre Kaffer and his team. Peugeot Sport won the 77th 24h race of Le Mans and finished 2nd as well where Risi Competizione with its Ferrari 430 GT and its three strong drivers Pierre Kaffer, Jaime Melo and Mika Salo won the GT2 class.
The trio dominated the whole race distance and won with two laps ahead. They started the race from P3 and took over the lead in the GT2 class in the sixth hour of the race and kept it all the way thru. The #82 Ferrari of Melo, Salo and Kaffer had a faultless race, with no mechanical worries, and were able to profit from a well prepared car, consistent and reliable Michelin tires. The team didn't put a foot wrong throughout the entire 24 hours and showed perfect motorsport with its experienced driver line-up.
Pierre Kaffer: "I am very happy with the result! We can be proud of the performance of everyone in our team because all did a top job to make this unforgettable success happen. For me it was the hardest 24h race I have ever done. What I must say about the race is that I was glad to finally know a race track perfectly because I don't know many tracks in the ALMS. I entered the race with a big portion of self-confidence because I did many kilometres here and finished on the podium with a Ferrari last year. Last year it was 3rd place, this year the feeling to be at the top is ingenious. The presence of Ferrari at this 24h race was unbelieveable, nine of ten Ferrari 430 GT entered in the race were classified in the top 11 places in class and I am proud that we are the one Ferrari who took the victory home. This year our competitors were really strong and the Porsche were unbeatable on the straight but we have had other advantages which we used in an optimal way especially during the night. Thanks to the brilliant Michelin tires we were able to do tripple stints and extended our lead."
After Pierre's victory at the 12h Sebring with Risi Competizione in the ALMS and a 2nd place overall at the 24h-Race Nürburgring this victory in Le Mans proved again Pierre's wave of success 2009.
Pierre who is very proud to be a part of the Risi Competizione team was very touched by the words of his teamchef Giuseppe Risi:" This is a very special day for me. I am overwhelmed to have won this race again after last year's victory. To have ten Ferraris here and have two of our cars placed in the top three is a simply magnificent result. These are the best teams in the world who race here and so it is extremely special to have achieved this outcome and we have entered the history books as a part of Ferraris racing folklore. I can't say enough about it."
