It’s a fond and tearful farewell to GTE Pro at the end of the 2022 FIA WEC season, the future for the GT part of the ACO-rules sport sits with one more season of GTE Am in WEC and ELMS in 2023 and then the new GT3-based Pro-Am only LMGT3 beyond.
The GTE Pro era lasted for just 12 years encompassing single seasons apiece for the Le Mans Series (2011), Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (2011) and European Le Mans Series (2012) see below *, and all 10 seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
*The class featured in two of the three rounds that year
That totals just 92 races – three of which were shared between the LMS and ILMC in 2011** – and included, of course 12 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
** the 2011 Imola race produced two ‘winning’ crews, the #71 AF Corse Ferrari won but was not registered for ILMC points – the sister #51 Ferrari took maximum ILMC points
Taking over the Pro-crewed reins from the prior GT2 and GT1 categories the competition rapidly became a highlight of the multi-class mix with a deja-vu like experience of Ferraris, Porsches, Aston martins, Fords, Corvettes and more going wheel to wheel at V-Max for hour after hour.
The drivers loved it, and the crowds did too.
Here’s our tribute and summary of an extraordinary era, but before we get to some number crunching, here’s DSC’s epic trek through every car that ever competed in the class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
LMGTE Pro At Le Mans 24 Hours 2011-2016 >>
LMGTE Pro At Le Mans 24 Hours 2017-2022 >>
Most wins
Ferrari: 40 wins
- 31 in FIA WEC, 5 apiece in ILMC and LMS (3 of which were joint events) and 2 in ELMS.
- All FIA WEC wins were by AF Corse including at Le Mans in 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2021.
- AF Corse took a further 5 wins in the ILMC (3 of which were also wins in the Le Mans Series, one of which saw two different AF Corse Ferraris take the wins in either Series!
- JMW Motorsport took two wins apiece in Le Mans Series and ELMS, JMW are the only ever-winning team in the class in the ELMS!
Porsche: 20 wins, all in the FIA WEC
- Two by Felbermayr-Proton.
- Seven by Porsche Team Manthey including Le Mans 2013.
- 11 by Porsche GT Team including at Le Mans in 2018 and 2022.
Aston Martin: 19 wins, all in FIA WEC
- All by Aston Martin Racing including at Le Mans in 2017 and 2020.
Ford: 6 wins, all in FIA WEC
- One by non-full season entrant Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA at Le Mans 2016, and five by Chip Ganassi Team UK.
Corvette: 2 wins, both In FIA WEC
- All by Corvette Racing, including one by a non-full season entrant at Le Mans 2015.
BMW: 2 Wins
- Both in the 2011 ILMC with the M3 GT2.
Most successful drivers
Across the FIA WEC 47 drivers won in GTE Pro.
Four drivers reached double-figure wins in GTE Pro in the FIA WEC: Gianmaria Bruni, James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Richard Lietz.
Add in the results from the ILMC and Le Mans Series and Giancarlo Fisichella also made it into double figures in the class.
16 drivers won in GTE Pro as well as another class.
Again adding in the ILMC, Le Mans Series and ELMS results and another eight drivers took race-winning success with two of them, Johnny Cocker and Rob Bell, taking two class wins apiece and one of them, James Walker, taking three!
The United Kingdom is the only nation to see more than 10 of its drivers win in GTE Pro: Darren Turner, Alex MacDowall, Oliver Gavin, Sam Bird, James Calado, Jonny Adam, Harry Tincknell, Andy Priaulx, Alex Lynn and Nick Tandy all took wins in WEC, plus James Walker (ELMS and Le Mans Series), Rob Bell (LMS), and Jonny Cocker (ELMS).
To-date, these drivers have achieved 39 WEC wins combined, which is two shy of Italy’s 41 wins combined.
Italy became the first nation to reach 40 GTE Pro wins in the WEC, at Fuji 2022 and added a 41st at Bahrain. Alessandro Pier Guidi the top scorer after compatriots Andrea Bertolini, Marco Cioci, Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella, Davide Rigon and, taking his first win in the final race, Antonio Fuoco.
James Calado is the only GTE Pro driver to score 40 podiums in the class in the WEC, with his 14 3rd-place finishes the most of any driver in the series.
Six WEC drivers started more than 50 races in GTE Pro.
Richard Lietz – 74 races
Gianmaria Bruni – 67 races
James Calado – 60 races
Stefan Mucke – 55 races
Darren Turner – 54 races
Davide Rigon – 51 races
Porsche’s Michael Christensen completed his 50 at the final race in Bahrain!
Most successful manufacturers
Ferrari has won the WEC manufacturers’ title six times, missing out only in 2015, 2018/19 (finished 2nd), and 2019/20 (finished 3rd).
Aston Martin bowed out of GTE Pro in 2019/20, achieving their first manufacturers’ title that season.
Porsche took the title in 2015 and 2018/19.
Seven marques competed in GTE Pro in the FIA WEC, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, SRT/Viper, Ford and BMW.
The 2011 ILMC added Lotus to that roster with the short-lived Evora GTE.
With thanks for the assist to @WECData – Alex Harrison
