24h Le Mans
With three manufacturers represented, the LMGTE Pro class will be one of the main attractions of the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans (21-22 August 2021).
It’s not the number of cars that determine the quality of a class. Quite the contrary, in fact. With Ferrari, Porche and Chevrolet Corvette, LMGTE Pro is shaping up to be a fantastic three-way battle. The three marques will probably spend 24 hours breathing down each other’s necks as it promises to be a very tight affair, as is usually the case in this class. Porsche holds a numerical advantage with three machines up against two each from Ferrari and Chevrolet Corvette, but each one is in with a strong shout.
AF Corse will once again be Ferrari’s official representative. Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado will be in the #51 488 GTE Evo, while the #52 sister car will have Daniel Serra and Miguel Molina at the wheel.
AF Corse will be looking for a repeat of its 2019 success when the #51 car driven by Calado, Pier Guidi and Serra edged out two Porsches. Last year, the Italian outfit put in a splendid performance to take second place in class, one-and-a-half minutes behind the winning Aston Martin. “We saw last year that we were capable of winning and we’ll do everything we can to claim victory as well as the FIA WEC driver and manufacturer titles,” Calado warns.
AF Corse Team Manager Battistino Pregliasco discusses his team’s ambitions in the video below:
The German manufacturer will field three 911 RSR-19s to take on AF Corse and Corvette Racing. Two of them will be entered by Porsche GT Team with Gianmaria Bruni and Ricard Lietz at the wheel of the #91 car, and Kevin Estre and Neel Jani (outright winner at Le Mans in 2016) in the #92. The third car will be fielded by American team WeatherTech Racing. Victory would take Porsche’s total to 108 class wins at Le Mans.
Absent last year due to the global health situation, Corvette Racing will be back for a 21st start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will be mean a début Le Mans appearance for the new C8.R with its rear mid-engine that departs from its front-engined predecessors. With no fewer than ten class wins under its belt, Corvette Racing is a serious contender for the top step of the podium. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg will share driving duties in the #63 car, while Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims will team up in the #64.
