Pro sports car racer Michael Valiante helped Daytona Beach-based Visit Florida Racing to a second straight third-place finish in the United sportscar series.
Valiante, who co-drove the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype to third at a 24-hour event earlier this month, again placed third at the 12 Hours of Sebring, America’s oldest sports car race last weekend.
“The team was able to get better all weekend and we survived the heat and the mechanical stress this track puts on a car and brought home a great podium finish,” said Valiante in a team press release.
Chevrolet cars also took first and second place at Sebring, giving the Corvette DP a sweep of the top places at the 3.74-mile raceway.
The Action Express Racing team of Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais took the checkered flag in a Corvette, leading 246 of 340 laps, for Chevrolet’s first victory at Sebring in 50 years.
The trio of Richard Westbrook, Valiante and Mike Rockenfeller finished one lap behind the winning Action Racing team and just 12 seconds behind the runner-up Wayne Taylor Racing team.
The No. 90 Visit Florida Racing car led for a total of 15 laps in the race.
With the finish, Valiante and company unofficially sit in second spot in championship standings.
Valiante, Westbrook and Rockenfeller are currently in third place in overall driver standings.
The next stop on the United sportscar circuit is the Showcase at Long Beach race on April 18.
In the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge race, held in conjunction with the United championship, Burnaby’s Remo Ruscitti co-drove a Mini JCW to 18th place in the street tuner class at Sebring.
More than 140 cars representing four different International Motor Sports Association series took part.
