Three American teams have been outstanding in GT and LM P2 over the past fifteen years, each of them taking a different yet equally pioneering approach to the discipline.

Corvette: fifteen years and ten wins - The iconic American marque first raced at Le Mans in 1960, but Corvette has really made its mark on the race in the last fifteen years, with the works team winning eight times, in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015), plus two wins for French partner team Larbre Compétition (2011 and 2012).

Risi Competizione: victory with Ferrari - Sicilian-born Giuseppi Risi runs a Ferrari dealership in Houston and works closely with the carmaker on the American endurance scene. Risi’s two wins at the 24 Hours in 2008 and 2009 with the F430 GT marked the beginning of the current wave of success for AF Corse’s 458 Italia. Gianmaria Bruni, current GT world endurance champion driver was a member of Risi Competizione’s winning team in 2008.

Starworks Motorsport: doubly successful - Having started out in Grand Am (before the merger with the American Le Mans Series, which became the Tudor United SportsCar Championship in 2014), Starworks Motorsport is the only American team to have won a prototype class of the World Endurance Championship. The team topped LM P2 in 2012 with the Honda HPD, winning the class at Le Mans on the way. This year, ESM is flying the flag for the USA with two Ligier JS P2s in the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas, the fifth leg of the WEC, on 19 September.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO — Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 18 JUNE 2006, FINISH. Not only did Jan Magnussen, Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin win their class for the fifth time they also clocked up Corvette’s best ever ranking at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, coming fourth overall.