To say that the LMGTE Pro class provided excitement and tension right the way through the 2013 season is a huge understatement. Going into the final round, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, drivers from each of the three manufacturers – Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche – were in a position to win the World Endurance Cup for GT drivers, the first time that such a title would be awarded.
Each of these iconic names, representing the very best in luxury motoring and endurance racing, had played their part to the full during the season: winning races, raising the pulses of spectators around the world and attracting new fans to the FIA World Endurance Championship. Each of them would have been a deserving champion.
At the chequered flag in the desert kingdom it was Ferrari who lifted the crown ahead of Aston Martin and Porsche, winning the World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers. The Italian marque’s long-time collaborator, AF Corse, not only won the race but also filled the third step of the podium, sealed the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams, and – joyously – saw their driver, Gimmi Bruni, become the first World GT Champion. It was a great day for the red team!
Ferrari was vocal in its insistence that it lacked the horsepower of its rivals, but ultimately AF Corse’s 458 Italia proved itself to be the best all-round package. Speed and reliability, coupled with shrewd and determined driving, great pit work and smart strategy from AF Corse allowed the No.51 to finish at the top of the standings.
Bruni was superlative behind the wheel and, together with Giancarlo Fisichella, won races at Spa-Francorchamps and São Paulo, plus at Bahrain where a split driver pairing strategy from Ferrari placed Toni Vilander alongside the Roman. Those were the highlights, while Le Mans (finishing 6th in class) and Shanghai were undoubtedly the low points. Fisichella undoubtedly felt stung that his opportunity not to win the GT Drivers’ championship alongside Bruni was diminished, but Ferrari played this just right.
The No.71 AF Corse Ferrari featured a welcome new face to the WEC, Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi, who forged a strong relationship with Finn Toni Vilander to take a second place at his first GTE race at Silverstone and further podiums at Spa, Austin and Bahrain, where he was teamed with Fisichella. Fuji’s fuel system issues for the No.71 were a nightmare for Kobayashi at his home race, even before the rain came, and the devastation of seeing his car on fire at São Paulo was only tempered by seeing his team mate, Vilander, making a speedy and safe exit. Surely one of the season's highlights will be the battle for position at Shanghai between Kobayashi and Bruno Senna - it personified the class...GT racing at an endurance event by pro drivers at the top of their game.
Aston Martin celebrated the marque’s centenary year and was hoping to top that with victory in the World Championship but it wasn’t to be. The No.97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke won at Silverstone (with Bruno Senna), Shanghai and took the top spot in the Fuji classifications, giving the very rapid and experienced duo the points lead going into the final round. However, an engine issue brought their challenge to a disappointingly early end and the British-German pair had to satisfy themselves with third place in the standings behind Fisichella.
The second LMGTE Pro entry for the British manufacturer was the No.99 which featured a varied driver line up through the year. A win for Brazilian Senna at COTA in Austin alongside Fred Makowiecki went a little way to make up for the disappointment of being taken out of his home race at São Paulo, and the failure to finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to an accident which befell Makowiecki plus retirement at Bahrain affected the No.99’s chance of being higher up the order. Portugal’s Pedro Lamy and young New Zealander Richie Stanaway joined Senna in the No.99 for the final two rounds and proved themselves to be a dynamite trio, finished 0.56s seconds behind their team mates in China.
Aston Martin entered a third Vantage V8, the No.98 for Canadian Paul Dalla Lana, Lamy and Stanaway up until the end of the COTA round, which was able to profit from a podium finish at the opening round at Silverstone but which otherwise had a disappointing season.
Also celebrating this year was Porsche, marking the 50th anniversary of the iconic 911 with the introduction of the new RSR and a special livery for 2013. While both the Porsche AG Team Manthey No.91 and 92 entries appeared to struggle a little in the opening two rounds of the year, it all came right for them at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz, joined by Romain Dumas in the No.92, proved themselves to be the masters of the tricky conditions at this year’s French classic and headed a Porsche 1-2 in the category. That double points-scoring bonus kept them in contention to the end, but four 4th places weren’t enough to give them the edge they needed to win the championship. The German-Austrian pairing finished 4th in the drivers’ standings, their car 3rd in the LMGTE Pro Teams’ championship.
The introduction at Bahrain of the 2014 spec 911 RSR was, however, a very positive step forward and Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet in the No.91 took their second 2nd place finish of the year, following Le Mans, to add to further podiums at São Paulo and Shanghai.
While the manufacturers have not all yet made clear their plans for 2014, one thing is guaranteed: the battles in LMGTE Pro will be as intense and thrilling as any fought out in 2013. Bring it on!
Fiona Miller
