It’s the final year of GTE Pro at Le Mans, a class that has given race watchers trackside and on TV amazing entertainment and some truly iconic moments.
The class is set to go out with a bang. Three two-car factory-backed teams with a galaxy of GT race talent and a visitor from North America to try to stir things up a little!
AF CORSE
WEC Full Season
#51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA), James Calado (GBR), Daniel Serra (BRA)
#52 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Miguel Molina (ESP), Antonio Fuoco (ITA), Davide Rigon (ITA)
After taking the win at Le Mans, and in a dramatic Bahrain finale, the GT Teams and Drivers World Championship last year, Ferrari is keen on keeping its crown in what is the last year not only for the GTE formula, but also for the Ferrari 488 as a factory offering.
Alessandro Pier Guidi (six participations) and James Calado (seven) will be shooting for a third class win apiece and a fourth consecutive podium in their fifth consecutive Le Mans together.
Daniel Serra too is looking for a third win, he has a unique record of Le Mans wins for two different manufacturers in GTE Pro (Ferrari and Aston Martin). The trio is the most successful on the grid here – and they are all still hungry for more!
Pier Guidi: “2021 was fantastic. We won everything there was to win, but in auto racing you have to move on very quickly. We are starting fresh and intend to give it our all.”
Miguel Molina (five participations) and factory new boy Antonio Fuoco (five) are the 2022 full season pairing in the #52 car for the entire 2022 they will be joined by Davide Rigon who will be looking to go one better than his second place in 2015 in one of his seven Le Mans appearances.
#51 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.395
#52 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.037
CORVETTE RACING
#64 WEC Full Season
#63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio García (ESP), Jordan Taylor (USA), Nicky Catsburg (NLD)
#64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner (USA), Nick Tandy (GBR), Alexander Sims (GBR)
This year sees Corvette Racing’s first full season in the FIA WEC with a single GTE Pro car running alongside a single GTD Pro entry in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
The Corvette C8.R made its first Le Mans appearance last year after missing the COVID-affected 2020 race with the team’s #63 car chasing home the winning Ferrari in second place.
Antonio García is looking for a fourth Le Mans class win in his 14th start whilst Tommy Milner is looking for a third win in his 13th start.
Joining Milner at the wheel of the #64 is 2015 Le Mans overall winner (with Porsche) Nick Tandy: “Last year we experienced some mechanical problems that slowed us down. Now we get another chance. It has been a few years since Corvette Racing has reached the top step on the podium at Le Mans, and I have never won the race in GT, so that is the main goal.”
Corvette Racing won the 24 Hours in the GTS class in 2001, 2002 and 2004, then in GT1 in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011, and in LMGTE Pro in 2015. A return to the top step is long overdue!
#63 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.504
#64 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.001
RILEY MOTORSPORTS
#74 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Felipe Fraga (BRA), Sam Bird (GBR), Shane van Gisbergen (NZL)
Riley earned its invitation to Le Mans after winning the LMP3 title in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The team though has raced at Le mans before with a GTE Am Viper GTS-R a Riley Multimatic LMP2 and with Ben Keating’a Ford GT which took the win across the line before an exclusion for a fuel tank irregularity.
This year, Bill Riley has opted for a Ferrari entrusted to Felipe Fraga (a second place in GTE Am last year amongst his three participations), Sam Bird (who has a best Le Mans result of 2nd in LMP2 in 2015 amongst his eight starts) and double V8 Supercar Champion Shane van Gisbergen who makes his Le Mans (and GTE) debut. There’s pace aplenty here. Will that be enough?
Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.437
PORSCHE GT TEAM
WEC Full Season
#91 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Gianmaria Bruni (ITA), Richard Lietz (AUT), Frédéric Makowiecki (FRA)
#92 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Michael Christensen (DNK), Kévin Estre (FRA), Laurens Vanthoor (FRA)
Porsche has not won the LMGTE Pro class at Le Mans since 2018 with the 911 RSR-19s off the pace last year, laps down on the winning Ferrari.
Despite that Porsche fought Ferrari for the WEC GT Manufacturers World title all the way to the last 15 minutes of the final round of the season – the story of the drama at the end of the season has left ripples into the current season, there’s no shortage of ‘needle’ between the Porsche and Ferrari squads and Porsche are looking to add a 108th class win at Le Mans to their history book.
Porsche Programme Director in the FIA WEC Alexander Stehlig: “We are gearing up for a very special running of the race as it will be our last with the factory 911 RSR in LMGTE Pro. We want to close this chapter with a triumphant ending. We are absolutely motivated.”
The #92 Porsche won the 1000 Miles de Sebring early in the season before finishing second at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps behind the #51 Ferrari.
Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz are joined in the #91 by Fred Makowiecki who has been spending time in 2021 as part of the development crew for the incoming Porsche LMDh.
In the #92 Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre are joined by Laurens Vanthoor, a potent trio for the final GTE Pro battle at the biggest race – Game On!
#91 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.263
#92 Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.444
The FIA Endurance GT Manufacturers trophy classification ahead of the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans
Porsche – 91 points
Ferrari – 73 points
Chevrolet Corvette – 39 points
