The C7.R stars at Le Mans, Porsche wins Petit outright.
2015 was a fascinating, transitional time for GTE racing. Corvette’s C7.R was maturing, BMW was still racing with the Z4 in IMSA and the ELMS, and Ferrari’s 458 Italia took on its final season of competition as the brand’s flagship model.
The main headline of the year? Corvette’s performance at Le Mans immediately springs to mind. The week started out awfully for the Pratt & Miller team, as it was forced to withdraw its #63 after a hefty shunt in Qualifying. The #64 though, would go on to win the Pro class in fine style after strong performances from Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Jordan Taylor.
In the United SportsCar Championship’s GTLM class meanwhile, the C7.R also won major endurance races at Daytona and Sebring with its #3 crew, but missed out on the class title after failing to finish on the podium in the final four round of the season. Honours would go the way of Porsche and Patrick Pilet.
Remarkably, Porsche’s #911 RSR of Richard Lietz, Nick Tandy and champion Pilet would win Petit Le Mans at the end of the season outright. Heavy rain saw the form book ripped up and thrown out the window.
Porsche also found success in the FIA WEC, as Richard Lietz won the GTE Drivers title and secured the Manufacturers crown.
In Am, it was Ferrari that came out on top, with SMP Racing’s #72 458 winning three races, including Le Mans, on its title charge.
Ferrari emerged triumphant in the ELMS GTE ranks too, though with Danish crew Formula Racing, which beat the single factory-backed Marc VDS Z4 to the title by just four points.
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – AF Corse – #51 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS – #52 BMW Z4 GTE
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – AF Corse – #55 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – AT Racing – #56 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – Formula Racing – #60 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 – Johnny Laursen, Mikkel Mac, Andrea Rizzoli
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – JMW Motorsport – #66 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – AF Corse – #81 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – Gulf Racing UK – #86 Porsche 911 RSR
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – Proton Competition – #88 Porsche 911 RSR
2015 – European Le Mans Series – LMGTE – Aston Martin Racing – #99 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
