One of the best drivers of his generation, Juan Pablo Montoya’s recent run of sampling a diverse amount of machinery continues with his testing debut in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE at this week’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship test at Sebring International Raceway.
Initially reported by Sportscar365, Montoya received the guest drive opportunity from an old colleague of his when he raced F3000. Team manager Dave “Beaky” Sims planned to put Montoya in for a few laps this afternoon to give him his first proper running in a GTE-spec car.
Montoya, a race winner in Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR, two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and past CART and F3000 champion prior to that, got into the low 2:00 range in his handful of laps before turning the car back to Toni Vilander, who will share the car for the March 18 race with Giancarlo Fisichella and James Calado. Times are unofficial because this is a series test.
Montoya’s race plans this year are thus far limited to the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in a fifth Team Penske IndyCar. He won the individual portion of the Race of Champions in Miami last month. He’s been linked to the rumored (by RACER.com and others), if not yet official, Penske Daytona Prototype international (DPi) effort.
A couple social posts from the Colombian’s run are below, including from Vilander, IMSA Radio pit reporter Shea Adam and IMSA timing & scoring provider Al Kamel Systems. More info from this week’s test will follow soon.
Look who we found at the @sebringraceway paddock! Do you kmow him? 😎🔝 Mirad a quién nos hemos encontrado en el paddock! Lo conocéis? @IMSA pic.twitter.com/Mtn1iQCfAs
— Al Kamel Systems (@AlKamelSystems) February 24, 2017
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ6FJ2Tha8v/
Ladies and Gentlemen, JPM is on track. pic.twitter.com/9nF45884Mn
— Shea Adam (@GearboxGirl) February 24, 2017
Nice day 2 here @sebringraceway Great to see @jpmontoya testing our car #calado @risicomp @imsaracing @ferrariofhouston #ferrari #488 #62 pic.twitter.com/Pgz8nBMPF8
— Toni Vilander (@toni_vilander) February 24, 2017
Checkin' out that data. pic.twitter.com/v8ZmJbvqh9
— #IMSA (@IMSA) February 24, 2017
