Scuderia Ferrari may have not won a Formula 1 constructors title since 2008, but the Prancing Horse is still set to honor one of their biggest wins from another class this F1 season.
Italian journalist Giuliano Duchessa of FORMU1A.UNO reported on Friday that Ferrari intends to run a special livery at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix — as per usual. This year, however, they’re looking to run a tribute livery for the team’s victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France earlier in the year.
Ferrari entered Le Mans for the first time in 50 years for 2023, and their team, Ferrari AF Corse, won the race by a minute and 21 seconds. Former F1 driver Antonio Giovanzzi was among the drivers for Ferrari who helped to win the race.
Last year, Ferrari ran a special yellow-tinted livery to commemorate 75 years of the company. It’s unknown what this upcoming tribute livery will look like, but it’s sure to be a different vibe to their current mainline paint job.
As the FIA WEC teams pause for the summer after the final European round of the season at Monza, the entry process for the 2024 season is getting higher up on the agenda for everyone in the paddock. With much uncertainty around the total number of …
As the FIA WEC teams pause for the summer after the final European round of the season at Monza, the entry process for the 2024 season is getting higher up on the agenda for everyone in the paddock.
With much uncertainty around the total number of Hypercar entries that will be applied for and therefore the number of LMGT3 slots left available, there has been a lot of movement behind the scenes as teams and manufacturers scramble to work out how good their prospects are.
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For LMGT3 hopefuls, priority will be shown to manufacturers with hypercar programmes, this is clear. FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien told the media at Le Mans, “If you are a hypercar manufacturer I do not see how it’s possible to refuse the entry of a GT3.”
RACER expects the size of the Hypercar class to top out at around 20 in 2024. If that is the case, then the number of LMGT3 spaces would be 18 (with a maximum of two cars per make), if the maximum number of spaces for the full season remains at 38.
However, that isn’t by any means a certainty. Multiple paddock sources have told RACER that the full-season entry may be restricted to 36 or even 34 due to the switch from sea to air freight for the expanded eight-round schedule in 2024. 38 is believed to be either too tight for a single plane, and it would be likely too expensive if the FIA WEC were to decide on utilising a second.
If that’s the case, then the manufacturers on the bubble without a Hypercar programme are significantly less likely to be handed grid spaces.
So how many of the current and future Hypercar manufacturers will take up the offer to race in LMGT3 and hand customer teams spaces?
BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche appear to be nailed in. Amongst those, AF Corse is most likely to run the 296 GT3s, Iron Lynx will campaign a pair of Lamborghini Huracans and WRT will almost certainly take up the option of running BMW M4 GT3s with Valentino Rossi headlining the effort.
Valentino Rossi could lead a BMW effort. Motorsport Images
At Porsche, with Proton Competition making the surprise move to Ford, working out which team – or teams – will compete with the 911 GT3 R 992 is a complex task. At first glance, GR Racing and Project 1 from the current WEC roster appear to be leading candidates. However, longtime partner organisation Manthey is understood to be actively recruiting for an LMGT3 programme, which suggests it is either supremely confident or has already quietly been given the nod.
Then there’s General Motors, which with longtime Aston Martin customer team TF Sport now signed up, will be represented by a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs alongside Cadillac’s Hypercar effort with the V-Series.R.
The outlier from the current Hypercar crop is Toyota, which can gain entries via Lexus. Currently, RACER understands that the new Lexus GT3 car has already been out testing, but will not be homologated in time for 2024, meaning its debut may have to wait until at least the 2025 season.
In the meantime though, there is the prospect of the ageing RC F GT3 being campaigned, as it is by Vasser Sullivan in IMSA GTD. Initially, this prospect seemed unlikely, though RACER now believes the chances of a programme from left field have become more likely in recent weeks. There are murmurs that AKKODIS ASP, a significant player in the GT3 marketplace with Mercedes-AMG, is firmly in the mix.
If all six Hypercar manufacturers with current GT3 machinery take up their entries, and there are fewer than 38 grid slots, that would leave fewer than six spaces remaining and as many as six non-Hypercar manufacturers in play.
From the outliers, Ford’s Proton-led effort looks as good as nailed in with the brand-new Mustang GT3, due to the heritage of Ford in the sport, its level of ambition and Proton’s loyalty to the WEC.
That leaves Aston Martin, Audi, Honda, McLaren and Mercedes-AMG on the list of additional brands understood by RACER to be exploring realistic opportunities. Beyond that, RACER is aware that at least one team has looked into running a Bentley, but the odds are stacked against a team running Continental GT3s being granted a place, with the customer racing programme wound down.
Mercedes and McLaren are two of the manufacturers on the outside looking in. Motorsport Images
At least two of McLaren’s current customer teams have expressed a desire to run the 720S GT3 and Danish outfit GMB Motorsport is known to be a candidate for Honda (with JAS Motorsport backing).
Meanwhile, RACER spoke to a prominent Audi Sport GT3 customer that was confident of its chances and keen to run the R8 LMS GT3 EVO II just a few weeks ago. It said that it would only be looking to file for a single entry, which it believed would it a greater chance of getting in, as the WEC may consider handing single entries to multiple OEMs to increase the diversity of the field. However, Audi’s recent decision to scale back its customer racing support from 2024 onwards is likely to have come as a hammer blow to the team’s plans.
With TF Sport switching to Corvette’s growing customer stable, the likelihood of Aston Martin being present is also somewhat up in the air, especially as the Vantage AMR GT3 is now an elder statesman in this group.
However, AMR has plenty of customer teams, and with TF out of the picture, one or two may see this shift in the marketplace as a rare open door to the LMGT3 class. Heart of Racing and D’Station would be firm favourites here. The long-awaited evo-kit for the car is understood to be close to sign-off and is expected to test over the summer too.
In addition to having demonstrated more than a decade of loyalty to the FIA WEC, Aston Martin’s prospects of gaining entries may also be boosted by the progress behind the scenes for a rebooted Hypercar project with the Valkyrie. RACER understands that a privately-funded engine programme is being worked on, likely in time for the 2025 season. The programme is set to adapt the 1000 bhp normally aspirated 6.5 litre V12 that powers the road car, to the 670 bhp output level required by the Hypercar ruleset.
The final make here is Mercedes-AMG. It has made it clear that multiple customer teams are keen to gain entries. However, AMG’s chances are reduced by the lack of a Hypercar programme and its lack of customer teams with heritage in the FIA WEC or European Le Mans Series. While one of the most prestigious and popular in the world, the brand appears to be a rank outsider, especially as there are no current plans for it to take part in Goodyear’s LMGT3 tire tests this year.
With a significant entry fee required upfront before the end of the calendar year for teams wishing to compete and the start of the 2024 season in March edging closer, everyone looking to get involved is currently in a race against time to secure enough budget, resources and reassurance to compete. It will be fascinating to see who makes the cut.
General Motors’ two-track involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship looks set to continue in 2024, with Cadillac Racing’s program in the Hypercar class fielding the V-Series.R running in parallel with Corvette’s planned customer Z06 GT3.R …
General Motors’ two-track involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship looks set to continue in 2024, with Cadillac Racing’s program in the Hypercar class fielding the V-Series.R running in parallel with Corvette’s planned customer Z06 GT3.R program in LMGT3.
“We (Cadillac) intend to be in the FIA WEC next year,” Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM’s sports car racing manager, told RACER. “How many cars and all that stuff hasn’t been announced, but the intent is to continue.”
This extended commitment to the FIA WEC is a significant part of GM’s ongoing motorsports expansion in Europe. In addition to securing a base for Cadillac Racing’s WEC program earlier this year in Stuttgart, Germany, GM is also planning to set up a permanent base in Europe for its customer GT3 operation. The location and scale of this new base have yet to be decided.
“We’re still exploring what we want to do in Europe,” Wontrop Klauser added. “For the WEC we are going to have a specifically 2024-only support that we are working with our (LMGT3) team on. But in Europe, we want to do a proper job — we want to make sure we have a setup that will likely include some type of headquarters that we can run parts in and out of.”
By competing in what is set to be an even bigger Hypercar category in 2024 with additional factory entries from Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini, the benefits for Cadillac are twofold.
Firstly, it allows GM to have a second shot at an overall Le Mans victory, and a world championship title. Cadillac Racing’s three-car effort this year tasted success at La Sarthe, when its No. 2 WEC full-season V-Series.R finished on the podium. The brand will hope it can push for a victory in year two.
Secondly, this will help ensure that Corvette is awarded space for two customer cars in the new LMGT3 class. Having a presence for the Z06 GT3.R in the FIA WEC is a priority for the new-look Corvette Racing going forward, as it moves from operating as a factory team to managing a global customer program.
“The ACO knows our interest to bring a two-car effort to WEC to make sure Corvette is represented,” Wontrop Klauser continued. “Having Cadillac here (in the FIA WEC) is helpful for that.
“They (the WEC selection committee) are considering history and heritage. Corvette has been coming to Le Mans for 20-plus years, and we’ve been coming to WEC for full seasons now. We know there are no guarantees so we want to ensure the risk is low.”
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Cadillac continuing all but guarantees LMGT3 entries for Corvette. Following the ACO’s annual Le Mans press conference earlier this month, FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien said, “I do not see how it’s possible to refuse the entry of a GT3” for manufacturers running a program in Hypercar.
The customer team for Corvette’s FIA WEC LMGT3 effort has not yet been named, though it is expected to be a significant player in the current GT racing marketplace.
“You can expect official announcements to come in the next couple of months,” Christie Bagne, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager told RACER. “We’re looking forward to doing that when it is the right time for everyone.”
Beyond the Cadillac Hypercar program and the two-car customer effort in LMGT3, Wontrop Klauser also revealed to RACER that Corvette is unlikely to file for additional GT3 entries for Le Mans and continue Corvette Racing’s factory racing tradition at the French endurance classic.
“I don’t think we will have the additional entries (at Le Mans) — I think we will be grateful to have two cars in the FIA WEC for the full season,” she said. “They are pushing traditional factory support into Hypercar and that’s where they want to see that type of backing. I foresee just the two cars at Le Mans that we have in the full season.”
Held in collaboration with the ACO, RM Sotheby’s Le Mans Centenary sale grossed a remarkable $22,040,783 in front of a packed salesroom and conducted close to the paddock of the iconic race. Boasting a sell-through rate of 75%, 18 countries were …
Held in collaboration with the ACO, RM Sotheby’s Le Mans Centenary sale grossed a remarkable $22,040,783 in front of a packed salesroom and conducted close to the paddock of the iconic race. Boasting a sell-through rate of 75%, 18 countries were represented by bidders, of which 23% were new clients. Held on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the auction was a remarkable one-off spectacle during what proved to be an amazing race weekend.
It was undoubtedly a year to remember for the Scuderia Ferrari, with a stunning victory on track and the 1955 Ferrari 121 LM Spider by Scaglietti achieving the top price in the auction. Unquestionably one of the most significant competition Ferraris, the car boasts history in both the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Mille Miglia of the same year. It was raced by legends of the era, including Maurice Trintignant, Harry Schell and Piero Taruffi. Attracting interest from around the world, this remarkable piece of motorsport history was the most expensive car sold on the night, and being one of a mere four in existence, the car thoroughly deserved its $6,296,364.
Let’s say farewell to an amazing adventure for the NASCAR Garage 56 program which successfully completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Hendrick Motorsports and drivers Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, and Mike Rockenfeller in their Camaro ZL1 Cup car. …
Let’s say farewell to an amazing adventure for the NASCAR Garage 56 program which successfully completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Hendrick Motorsports and drivers Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, and Mike Rockenfeller in their Camaro ZL1 Cup car.
The champagne glasses were already lined up as NASCAR Chairman Jim France walked into the Garage 56 team garage on the Cirque de le Sarthe pit road in the closing minutes of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday. But instead of an “early” toast, he …
The champagne glasses were already lined up as NASCAR Chairman Jim France walked into the Garage 56 team garage on the Cirque de le Sarthe pit road in the closing minutes of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday. But instead of an “early” toast, he smiled and reminded the group, “we’re almost there” and insisted on waiting until the checkered flag.
NASCAR executives Mike Helton and Steve O’Donnell, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and team Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon joined IMSA President John Doonan nearby as seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson turned the race’s final laps in the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
They were not just watching those last moments, but soaking it all in — more than a year from conception to execution to champagne. The excitement was palpable. The impending achievement a heart-full.
And less than 10 minutes later, Johnson drove across that famous Le Mans finish line — the enormous grandstand crowd outside screaming in approval and the team’s familial crowd inside the garage erupting in applause and cheers as well. NASCAR’s return to Le Mans for the first time since 1976 was an absolute success.
“We’re thrilled,” France said. “I’m so proud of everybody. We came over here to make a good impression on the fans over here and I’m so proud we were able to run all the way. This is a big challenge and it’s gratifying to run the distance here.
“I love France and I love the fans over here too, so it’s been very heart-warming.”
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If there were many in the enthusiastic crowd of 300,000 at Le Mans this weekend that weren’t already familiar with NASCAR, they certainly left the famous sports car course converted and seemingly all on board. The unmistakable sound of the engine of that Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet was a high-volume appeal every single one of the 285 times it completed a lap of competition around the iconic 8.476-mile course.
“My heart’s full,” Johnson said after making his way back to the team’s pit-side celebration. “All the reasons we came here with NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, to come here with so many different faces and have this experience has just been awesome. My bucket’s full. I’m really happy.”
Even in the sort of exuberant exhaustion that exists in endurance racing, this team — from driver to crew to support staff and high-level executive — was still smiling, high-fiving and full of competitive energy 24 long hours after NBA superstar Lebron James issued the starting command for the Centennial celebration of the legendary race.
Johnson and his co-drivers, Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, sports car star Mike Rockenfeller and reserve driver Jordan Taylor had spoken often and fondly of their expectations on-track and in the lead-up to the race weekend. And by all accounts it was exactly the kind of unforgettable experience they all foresaw.
The car ultimately finished 39th out of 62 cars entered — the lone member of the special “Innovative Car class.”
It completed a distance more than three times that of the NASCAR Cup Series’ traditional test of “endurance,” the Coca-Cola 600, which was completed just two weeks ago a at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With six hours remaining in the twice-around-the-clock classic, it had out-paced all the GT entries and was holding steady in 28th position among the 62-car field.
But as is so often the case in endurance sports car racing, the morning light brings a new outlook, and in many cases new challenges and that’s what the team dealt with in the closing hours of the race.
After completing lap 254 — only 10 laps into a scheduled double stint for Button — the car had an extended stop for new brakes. It went back out, but he had to pit again to for the team to diagnose and repair a drive line issue. The team — led by Hendrick’s Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus and longtime crew chief Greg Ives — went to work ensuring the historic week finished on the same high note it started.
The Ferrari AF Corse No. 51 team scored a popular overall win — claiming its first Le Mans victory since 1965. But the NASCAR celebration rivaled even that.
This effort — more than a year of highly choreographed work between all the partners was important both personally for the people involved and in the broader scale for NASCAR and IMSA — a showcase of the talent and determination both series feature and a culmination of a multi-level effort to bring NASCAR to Le Mans again — for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Throughout the entire race week, and in particular during the race weekend, the NASCAR display center in the Le Mans infield was filled with both the hard-core European fans — many getting that first up-close look at a series they already embraced -– and also the newly converted stock car lovers.
“There have been so many unique moments in this, but ultimately I would say the fan reception [impacted most],” Johnson said. “If it was in the parade, or just the cool down lap on the way back, even the corner marshals were going nuts, it was impressive.
“Chatting with them and the fact so may foreign race fans pay attention to NASCAR and also knew about my career. I praise them because their broken English was a lot better than my French, so to have them speak of my career and have them follow me and NASCAR, whatever it might be I was just so impressed with how many race fans know about this sport.”
Simply put, the Garage 56 project delivered.
Button came away impressed with the performance and attitude of the Hendrick Motorsports crew. Rainier Ehrhardt/Motorsport Images
“I retired from F1 so I could race in other things,” Button said. “I wanted to have fun.
“You can certainly see why they’ve won so many championships over the years,” he said of Hendrick Motorsports. “Great team to work with but also not just how good they are with what they do, but the attitude. They know the importance of this race, but they also want to enjoy themselves while doing it. And that’s exactly why I’m here. It’s fun and we’ve enjoyed this journey. We’re going to savor this moment.”
Doonan’s voice may have been a little hoarse as he stood near the back of the garage after celebrating. But he was still smiling.
“It’s beyond expectations,” Doonan said. “Jim [France] had his expectations that we put NASCAR further on a global stage and satisfy our partners that were critical for this to happen. I think most rewarding for me was seeing all the men and women in this program experience this place, this event, especially it being the 100thanniversary. I walk out of this circuit this evening with a whole new group of friends in this industry. And that’s hard to come by.”
Johnson — who brought a career worth of championship acclaim with him to Europe — did not mince words describing how he felt. And perhaps how it appeared everyone felt Sunday afternoon.
“Pretty damn good,” Johnson said with a huge smile. “Just awesome.”
Ferrari chairman John Elkann says today’s victory for Ferrari AF Corse in the centenary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours was “unforgettable” for the Italian manufacturer. The No. 51 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovanazzi …
Ferrari chairman John Elkann says today’s victory for Ferrari AF Corse in the centenary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours was “unforgettable” for the Italian manufacturer.
The No. 51 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovanazzi pulled off a historic first win for the Ferrari Hypercar program this weekend in fine style. The trio survived multiple heavy downpours in the first half of the race, and a pair of late-race scares on pit lane when the car struggled to fire up, to beat Toyota’s No. 8 GR010 HYBRID to victory.
The win — the first overall for all three drivers in the race and Ferrari’s 10th at Le Mans as a manufacturer — was also the first for the 499P in global competition and snapped Toyota’s five-year win streak at the event.
It was also Ferrari’s first overall win at Le Mans since 1965, when Jochen Rindt and American Masten Gregory led a 1-2-3 overall for the Prancing Horse aboard the North American Racing Team 250 LM.
“This has been an unforgettable day that I’d like to dedicate to everyone at Ferrari,” Elkann said. “After 50 years we have returned to compete in the highest category of endurance racing that has a place at the very heart of our story and that of all motorsport.
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“We’re proud, indeed, to have taken Italy once again to the top step of the podium at Le Mans, celebrating in the best possible style the centenary of the most important race of its kind in the world.
“This victory that Antonello Coletta (Ferrari’s endurance program boss), Amato Ferrari (owner of AF Corse) and the entire team, from our mechanics to our drivers, have achieved today in such challenging conditions — because of the 24-hour duration, the unpredictable weather and the impressive strength of our competitors — serves as an example for us all.
“The emotions they have given to our Tifosi on a great day that brings together past, present and future, is also a reminder of the importance of finding the courage and the humility to always improve.
“Full of enthusiasm and joy, I’d like to thank all our colleagues who have given us this extraordinary victory — a success that we celebrate with all of our Tifosi and with our country.”
Corvette Racing’s ninth Le Mans class victory came in fine style Sunday, the U.S.-flagged factory team overcoming a two-lap deficit early in the race to take a commanding victory by the end of the 24 hours. In the final GTE race at the Circuit de a …
Corvette Racing’s ninth Le Mans class victory came in fine style Sunday, the U.S.-flagged factory team overcoming a two-lap deficit early in the race to take a commanding victory by the end of the 24 hours.
In the final GTE race at the Circuit de a Sarthe, it was somewhat fitting that Corvette Racing, a servant of the Le Mans 24 Hours’ GT categories since the turn of the century, would achieve a historic victory at the centenary event.
The story of Corvette’s win didn’t start on lap one. Instead, the opening chapter was penned when the mechanics put in a heroic effort to prepare the car for practice on Wednesday. A costly error from Nico Varonne in FP1 at Tertre Rouge left the car badly damaged and the team scrambling.
The job list was huge, with the crew fitting the car with new right side suspension, new right side brakes, a new floor, rear facia, rear wing, decklids, seat belts, right side front and rear fender, right side door (pause for deep breath)…right side rocker, and more.
In a matter of hours, the car was ready to get out for qualifying, allowing Nicky Catsburg to sneak the car into Hyperpole, setting up Ben Keating for a performance for the ages on Thursday night, which saw him take class pole by over a second. Had the team not moved so quickly to prep the car, it would have started at the very back. In the tricky mixed conditions in the opening hours, the outcome of this race could have been oh so different amid the chaos that ensued.
Come the start of the race, the team hit trouble early. In only the second hour a damper failure saw the No. 33 pushed into the garage for a quick fix. Once again the crew moved fast, but it wasn’t possible to get out fast enough to stay on the lead lap. Instead, Keating climbed in and found himself two laps down, tasked with surviving the heavy rain that caused so many incidents in the Am class.
“We joked about going home,” Catsburg said. “Thankfully the car was back to normal and felt good.”
Masterful pit work is no small part of success at Le Mans. Corvette Racing brought it in spades all week long. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
Varonne, too, felt a win was out of the equation at that point, telling RACER after taking the victory that he felt a win would be “impossible.”
“But somehow we came back like crazy with great strategy and timing,” he continued. “The decisions we made paid off. The car was mega.”
Initially, after Keating survived the race’s first deluge, the Corvette race engineers called him to the pitlane for wets. At that point, the crew thought it would gain back one of its laps as part of the new safety car procedure because the C8.R would be ahead of the class leader in a train behind one of the three safety cars.
For reasons unknown to the team, a group of cars – including the GTE Am leader – were allowed to exit pit lane before the next of the three safety cars came around. The mistake meant that the Corvette was trapped behind the class leader and couldn’t advance to catch back up after all the safety car queues moved. The car stayed two laps down as the sun set over the circuit.
“It was super tricky in the wet,” Keating said when asked about the opening hours when the track was wet in some places, dry in others. “I cost us 20s in an escape road at one point, but I then watched a competitor in the same place hit a wall. So it was a good decision to be cautious!”
The challenge beyond that, with the night hours underway, was clearly two-fold: stay focused and out of trouble while so many other GTE Am cars saw their races end in the barriers, and chip away at the deficit.
“Over half the class retired, which was a big part of our fightback,” Keating explained when asked about the rate of attrition that saw over half the Am field retire during the race. “Some of our biggest (WEC) competitors didn’t make it; second, third, fourth place in the championship were all wrecked. I don’t know if I’ve had a race like this with this many retirements.”
Varonne, like Keating, had to brave the wet weather during the race’s second major downpour. Catsburg felt the Argentinian’s performance — on the wrong tires while the team waited for a safety car that never came — was key in staying in the fight.
“One of the most significant moments in this race for us was Nico’s stint in the wet on slicks,” Catsburg said. “Half of the field completely destroyed their cars and it’s so difficult to stay calm and mistake-free.”
With brake discs glowing and fireworks overhead, the pace of the ‘Vette began to improve substantially as the track dried and Sunday arrived. Keating completed a triple stint before Varonne took over in the morning.
Varonne was simply masterful with the sun rising, setting the fastest GTE time of the entire event as part of a triple stint that saw him make up more than a half-lap on the field. It was the perfect response to his FP1 shunt and resulted in a welcome reception in the garage after his final stint before Catsburg took the wheel for the finish.
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“I felt like I was in the right moment, at the right time on track,” Varonne told RACER. “The car was better through the high-speed corners and in the last sector when the track warmed up. I had clean laps and managed to do the fast lap. I am really happy because after Wednesday my confidence was down. I was so angry with myself. So gaining that confidence back, setting the fastest lap, was so satisfying.”
All of a sudden, by the end of the seventeenth hour with the crowd beginning to build trackside for the end of the race, the Corvette team was back on the lead lap. The progress made before Catsburg’s final stint was enormous. In the final run to the flag, Catsburg simply had to manage the gap as he continued to pull away as other competitors in the top five, including Bronze-rated drivers in the field, burned the last of their drive time with the race coming to a close.
The Dutchman would cross the line far ahead of the chasing ORT by TF Sport Aston Martin. GR Racing and Iron Dames Porsche were more focused on securing podium places than catching the C8.R by that point.
The team’s achievement caused an eruption in the garage. A ninth-class win, at the centenary event, and finally a victory for the C8.R in France in its final attempt.
“I’ve never taken the finish here,” Catsburg said. “I didn’t know it was so super-crazy on the in-lap, so that was nice. That it’s the 100th anniversary makes it special. That it’s the last year of GTE makes it extra special. That it’s the last year of the C8.R makes it extra special. I’m so happy for the whole team because I feel like we should have already won it in the years before. So it’s sweet for this to happen this year.”
Looking ahead, the result at Le Mans has greatly increased the crew’s chances of wrapping up the class title in the WEC early. With three wins in four races this season, including double points secured at Le Mans, Catsburg, Varrone and Keating can crown themselves champions at Monza next month, before the WEC heads to Fuji and Bahrain for the final two races.
That’s next month, though. For now, the celebrations are fully underway in the Le Mans paddock.
GTE Am was a war of attrition, won by Corvette Racing and its polesitting No. 33 C8.R. Ben Keating, Nico Varrone and Nicky Catsburg were by far the best trio in the field on pace, but it was not a simple victory. A damper failure in hour two forced …
GTE Am was a war of attrition, won by Corvette Racing and its polesitting No. 33 C8.R. Ben Keating, Nico Varrone and Nicky Catsburg were by far the best trio in the field on pace, but it was not a simple victory. A damper failure in hour two forced the car into the garage for attention, costing it two laps.
The rest of the race saw a spirited fightback through the hotly-contested 21-car class, with all three drivers fast and fault-free, climbing back onto the lead lap and into the class lead with a combination of pace and safety car cycles.
“I thought we were out of it,” Catsburg said after the race. “We were joking that we should go home early. But we didn’t give in and somehow we were back in the game by morning. I can’t believe it.”
Nine GTE wins, and the final GTE win for Corvette Racing. Come 2024, Le Mans’ GT category will be GT3-based, ushering in a new era. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
It was a historic ninth class win for Corvette in the final GTE race at La Sarthe. The GTE platform will be missed by many, after so many memorable contests, but this race was at least a worthy tribute to the category that has been the backbone of ACO-rules GT racing since the start of the FIA WEC era. There were too many incidents for anyone’s liking, but in general, the racing was fast and furious, and the result was impossible to predict until the final few hours when Corvette was so far ahead they didn’t lose the lead when cycling through pit stops.
By the flag, Corvette finished a lap ahead, Catsburg and Varonne proving to be mercurial late in the race when the task was to build a lead after getting back on the lead lap.
Varonne’s performance must be noted here. The young Argentinian, at his first Le Mans with the team, brushed off his free practice incident in fine style. Towards the end of the race, with the win on the line, he set the fastest lap of the week in GTE Am — faster than anyone managed in qualifying. The result of his final stint was a welcome party from the Corvette mechanics in the garage after he climbed out to hand the C8.R to Catsburg.
Coming home second in class was the No. 25 ORT by TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage of Charlie Eastwood, Ahmad Al Harthy and Michael Dinan, which was in the running throughout and solidified second in the final hours when Charlie Eastwood was installed and tasked with catching and passing the Iron Dames Porsche that dropped to fourth after a lengthy stop at the end.
TF Sport letting its colors fly – this time flying under the Omani flag of rookie driver Ahmad Al Harthy. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
No win for Tom Ferrier’s team on this occasion, but it was a really impressive outcome for a crew made up of two rookies in Dinan and Al Harthy, along with Eastwood, who had been absent from the grid since 2020. Eastwood at times was the class of the field, and played a major part in securing this fine result, the first podium for an Omani-flagged team.
GR Racing’s finishing position was equally pleasing. The British-flagged team, which has been loyal to the WEC since its inaugural season, recovered from an early off (while leading) in the Porsche Curves during rain showers to complete the podium. Riccardo Pera came home just 5s ahead of the all-female crewed Iron Dames Porsche after a nervy finish, which saw the bright pink 911 RSR drop out of podium contention after a delay at its final stop.
The No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari ended up completing the top five, fading in the closing stages after spending much of the race in the running for a podium.
Further down the order in GTE Am it was a story of accidents and misfortune, with only nine of the 21 cars in the category finishing. The heavy rain on Saturday caused many incidents, the changing conditions catching out so many drivers. There were some major incidents too, including the No. 21 AF Corse’s big off into the No. 3 Cadillac at Dunlop that caused the GMB Aston Martin to go off in avoidance. The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari also had a major moment in the rain, Lilou Wadoux exiting the race at high speed at the Porsche Curves, aquaplaning backwards in the first deluge.
It was a disastrous race for the newly-signed Ford GT3 team Proton Competition. All four of its 911 RSRs had heavy crashes and retired. It will have to regroup fast before Monza, where the team will make its Hypercar debut with a customer Porsche 963.
Mission accomplished for Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button and everyone behind the scenes of this year’s Garage 56 project. A strong and so nearly trouble-free run for the combined forces from IMSA, NASCAR, sports cars and Formula One. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
The Garage 56 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 spent most of the race mixing it with the GTE Am cars, and looked set to finish ahead of all the GT cars and behind the LMP2 field, before a gearbox issue forced the car into the pits for a complete change. Completing 285 laps and staying out of trouble even when the weather was changing rapidly was a huge achievement for the John Doonan-led team.
The car was a star of this show, wowing crowds and standing out all week. The attention and coverage the entry generated was a real feat considering the magnitude of the centenary and the attention paid to the top class.
In LMP2, there was drama all the way to the final hour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans before the No. 34 Inter Europol ORECA completed what was a coming-of-age performance from the organization, which scored the first-ever Le Mans win for a Polish team. …
In LMP2, there was drama all the way to the final hour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans before the No. 34 Inter Europol ORECA completed what was a coming-of-age performance from the organization, which scored the first-ever Le Mans win for a Polish team.
Albert Costa, Jakub Smiechowski and an injured Fabio Scherer (who drove with a broken foot after being run over by the Corvette in pit lane) were superb in the second half of the race when things started to die down. They were pushed to the very end by WRT’s No. 41 ORECA of Louis Deletraz, Rui Andrade and Robert Kubica, who were just 21 seconds behind by the end of the race.
“When I started the race I thought it was over after 15 minutes because my foot hurt so much,” admitted Scherer, who hopped to the car at each pit stop. But with a lot of treatment, I was able to race. The adrenaline kicked in and I was in the flow. Now I start to feel my foot more and more but it doesn’t matter — to win Le Mans means everything. I don’t care if I can’t walk out of here!”
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There were multiple late-race scares for the Inter Europol team, in addition to managing Scherer’s injury. It was under investigation for a pit infringement two hours from the end that would have cost the team its lead if a drive-through was handed out. Thankfully, the penalty was limited to a reprimand.
However, the team’s focus quickly shifted as it had to manually place signage on the pit wall to instruct Scherer to pit in the closing hour as the car’s radio had failed. But they shook it all off and will now celebrate long into the night.
“After our podium at Spa, I thought Le Mans was still too big for us,” said Costa. “But it happened and I am lost for words. I was always following this race when I was younger. So to do it in my first attempt, to win this, is all I can say. It’s amazing.”
Inter Europol Competition’s Jakub Smiechowski, Fabio Scherer and Albert Costa let loose on the Le Mans podium. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
The No. 41 WRT ORECA of Andrade, Deletraz and Kubica held on to finish second. In the closing stages there was little to separate the Belgian-flagged car and its rival from Poland. But every time the gap between them threatened to get into single digits Inter Europol’s Costa and later Scherer responded.
Completing the class podium was the No. 30 Duqueine ORECA, which was promoted to third after WRT’s sister No. 41 07 Gibson had a nose change at its final stop and dropped out of the top three. It was a frustrating end for Robert Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg and Sean Galael, who recovered nicely from a front and rear change early in the race after an off in the tricky sodden conditions.
Inter Europol’s victory looks even more impressive when you scan down the final classification and study the teams that failed to feature in the 24-car-strong category. It really was one of the more unlikely victories in the history of the LMP2 class…
Both of United Autosports’ ORECAs, which struggled for ultimate pace in qualifying, hit trouble and came home a distant eighth and 11th.
Prema’s ORECAs struggled too — the No. 63 which featured Doriane Pin, Daniil Kvyat and Mirko Bortolotti in its lineup crashed out overnight and the No. 9 was caught up in the rain, getting speared the out-of-control Racing Team Turkey ORECA at Indianapolis. It limped home 16th.
Panis Racing’s ORECA, with the rapid Job van Uitert aboard, threatened to challenge at times too, but it had a starter motor master switch failure that dropped it down towards the end.
With a 10th-place finish in class, the No. 45 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA of George Kurtz, Colin Braun and James Allen won LMP2 Pro/Am, which was a rather chaotic affair. Of the nine cars that took the start, five of them retired, including the No. 80 AF Corse crew of Francois Perrodo, Ben Barnicoat and Norman Nato that looked set to run away with the subclass honors before Barnicoat crashed out at the Porsche Curves after sunrise on Sunday morning.
