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Photos courtesy Jamie Longmuir 2007 BOWMANVILLE, Ontario Canada (August 24, 2007) — Mika Salo has raced on circuits all over the world, in every kind of car from Formula One to the Audi R8 Prototype, to his current GT2 Ferrari 430 with Risi Competizione. But this is his first trip to Mosport International Raceway, and his impression of the track after two days of testing is very good. “This track is very fast,” he explained, “like a European track from the old days. I am really enjoying the opportunity to learn this track; and I think we will do well here.” The 62 car that Salo shares with Jaime Melo started the year out on a high note; indeed, the last three laps at the 12 Hours of Sebring – a wild and crazy duel between Melo and Jörg Bergmeister of Flying Lizard Motorsports – was the high point of the season for many of the fans. Then, quite literally, for several races the 62 car ran into some difficulties with another Ferrari – or rather that Ferrari ran into theirs. “That kind of behaviour,” said Salo firmly, “is unacceptable in sports car racing, especially that early in the race! These are expensive cars and when other drivers are banging into you … well, that is the reason that other driver is not here anymore. And except for our one mechanical, we have had no other problems with the car and we are back on form again and ready to engage.” The hold-up to their season, Salo went on to explain, had negated some of the advantage they had over their ‛enemy’ in that No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche. “We knew that the Porsche 997 was going to have teething pains because it is a new car, and we wanted to pile up as many points as we could before they got full use of everything. So now we have only a four point lead over them – and this battle is going to last until the end of the season, that I can guarantee. Our car will improve in the last half of the season, too; we have new parts coming including engines. So you have not seen the last of the competition between Ferrari and Porsche.” Because Salo has been part of what some call the Pinnacle of Motorsport, I asked him if he plans to try other forms of racing or if sports car racing is where he wants to stay. “This is definitely where I want to stay,” he confirmed. “Although I am not used to being in the slowest [class of] car! The racing is close and tight, and it is not only exciting for the drivers, it is great for the fans.” With four classes of cars on the track at once, I asked if this did not occasionally make life difficult for the GT2 cars. “Sometimes it certainly does,” he agreed, “as there are some drivers in the Prototypes who have never driven in the slower cars and who don’t always give us the respect they should. Some of them stick their noses into a small space and slow down both our cars and their own, when they could have had patience and made the pass after they cleared the corner. And some of them just think they are more important and we should get out of their way, although that is not the way the rules work: we are to keep our line and they are to make the pass.” Shaking his head with a smile, he finished, “Not all of those Prototype car drivers think with their entire brains.” Although the GT2 class is the most competitive class of the four in 2007, Salo says that Risi Competizione has only one “enemy” for the season: the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche of Johannes van Overbeek and Jörg Bergmeister. “Our strategy for this race,” said Salo, “is to concentrate on our own race on Sunday and keep close track of where the 45 car is. Whether it is wet or dry on race day, we believe our cars have the advantage this weekend and we look forward to standing on the Mosport podium on Sunday.” Wet or dry, it ought to be a heck of a fight.

POSTSCRIPT: Salo and Melo won their class at Mosport just ahead of the sister 61, with a combination of perfect strategy from the pits and teamwork behind the wheel. As the Formula One race in Turkey was also a Ferrari 1-2, this was a good weekend to be in a Red Car.