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Daytona decision reversed, Level 5 Motorsports reinstated as class winners [w/video]

After its first ever race at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, we can already tell that there should be plenty of excitement in the newly formed United SportsCar Racing series. Of the four competing classes, three of the winners came down to close last-lap performances, but perhaps none were as close - or controversial - as the GT Daytona (GTD) winner. Spoiler alert.
Midway through the infield portion of the Daytona International Speedway, the Level 5 Motorsports No. 555 Ferrari 458 Italia was trying to hold onto its first-place position over the Flying Lizard Motorsports No. 45 Audi R8. The R8 took an aggressive line trying to pass the Ferrari, and it ended up running out of track and driving off the course momentarily. International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials originally thought there was avoidable contact on the Ferrari's part and penalized the team accordingly, which meant Flying Lizard was the class winner. After watching the video replay, though, it was clear that there was no contact between the two cars. Officials overturned the ruling, rightfully giving the Level 5 Motorsports team the Rolex win.
A brief statement from IMSA is posted below regarding the matter, and we've also included a full video recap of the race from FOX Sports where you can see this GTD incident starting at the 2:30 mark.

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso rights the FF's wrongs

Enamored as we may be with the idea, there's a good reason that more automakers aren't making shooting brakes these days. A three-door wagon (or elongated hatchback) is tricky to get right, stylistically speaking. The Ferrari FF might have come closer than most, but even the most dedicated of tifosi would have to admit it was a little awkward. The new GTC4 Lusso goes a long way towards setting that right. Sixteen feet long, to be exact. Unveiled here at the Geneva Motor Show, the GTC4 Lusso is not only better looking than its predecessor, but is more powerful and technologically advanced as well. Though Maranello is working on supplementing its V12s with hybrid assists and its V8s with turbos, the new Lusso still packs an old school atmospheric twelve. 6.3 liters now produce 680 horsepower and 514 pound-feet of torque (up from 651 hp and 504 lb-ft). The muscle is channeled to all four wheels, helping it reach 62 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds and top out at 208 mph with privileged disregard for the conditions. There may be some compelling competition vying for the kind of money Ferrari will charge for the new Lusso, considering that the previous FF commanded a princely $300k. But nothing else (since the Jenson Interceptor) can offer the same combination of space and pace – and dare we say, grace. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all, choosing to take home a new GTC4 Lusso will still be a matter of personal taste – but that's a choice we wouldn't mind having to make. View 14 Photos This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Ferrari GTC4Lusso debuts at the Geneva Show: class-leading performance, versatility in all driving conditions, sublime elegance. Geneva, 1 March 2016 – The new Ferrari GTC4Lusso is Maranello's latest interpretation of the four-seater concept, which combines extraordinary performance in all driving conditions with sporty elegance and luxurious comfort for both driver and passengers alike. The GTC4Lusso's name references several illustrious predecessors, not least the 330 GTC or its 2+2 sister model, the 330 GT, as well as the 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, which married extreme performance with stylish design and sophisticated materials and craftsmanship.

Stellantis and Ferrari boss is pitted against his own mother in Agnelli inheritance drama

  MILAN, Italy — A court in Turin is set to rule in the coming weeks on an inheritance dispute dividing the Agnelli family, the founders of the Fiat car company and arguably the best known of Italy's business dynasties. The case stems from the estate of Gianni Agnelli, the celebrated Fiat boss who was a symbol of Italy's post-war economic boom and who died two decades ago. It pits Agnelli's daughter Margherita, who inherited 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), against three of her eight children including her eldest, John Elkann, the chairman of Ferrari and carmaker Stellantis. In the dispute that has riven one of Italy's elite families, Margherita is fighting to overturn agreements she signed after her father's death in order to eventually benefit her five children from a second marriage, sources close to her say. Should the Turin court decide in her favor, Margherita, who is 67 and Gianni Agnelli's only surviving child, could stake a claim to half of her late mother's estate and a share in the Elkann family business. The center of the dispute The dispute has its origins in an inheritance deal known as the "Geneva pacts" that Margherita, an artist and philanthropist, signed in 2004 after the death of her father the previous year and agreed to when Fiat was on the brink of bankruptcy. Under the first pact, Margherita received property, works of art and other liquid assets from Gianni's estate and renounced any future influence in the Dicembre (December) company, a key part of the ownership structure of Exor, the Agnelli-family holding. The pacts cemented John Elkann's position as Gianni Agnelli's chosen successor and effectively took his mother Margherita out of the equation. John Elkann, 47, now leads Exor, which owns slices of prestigious businesses and brands including national newspapers and the soccer club Juventus. The second pact covered what would happen to the estate of Margherita's mother Marella, who died in 2019 aged 91. Marella passed her Dicembre stake to three of her grandchildren, John, his brother Lapo and sister Ginevra, from Margherita's first marriage to journalist Alain Elkann. Margherita wants the pacts to be rescinded to be able to give her children with second husband Serge De Pahlen, a Franco-Russian former Fiat executive, a share of their grandmother's estate, sources close to her say.