Sportscar racing is well and truly having its best spell since the era of the monstrous Group C cars of the 1980s and early 1990s. With a championship worthy of some of the fastest cars and drivers in the world on some of the greatest racing facilities in the world, the World Endurance Championship has only grown stronger and stronger ever since it first burst onto the scene in 2012. Since then, the entry list has grown so much that the maximum entry limit has been increased for 2015 to cater the ever-growing demand to run a sportscar team. Fans of sportscar and endurance racing will be treated to no less than 35 cars for the full season, with 56 planned for Le Mans – pretty incredible compared to the lacklustre grid that F1 is boasting at the moment. All 35 full-time entries are noted, as well as the 56 entered for Le Mans, although I will go into detail on the further 21 entries (all marked in red) closer to the time of the big event.
2015 WEC LMGTE Pro Preview
The GTE field was certainly very entertaining last year, and whilst the numbers have dropped slightly from last year, whilst the prototype numbers have rocketed, the racing promises to be just as exciting. The AF Corse team will be looking to secure the titles yet again in the Pro class, with their seemingly unbeatable line-up. However, Porsche and Aston Martin will be doing what they can to try and ensure that this does not happen.
AF Corse
Car: Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
Entries: Two
- Gianmaria Bruni (ITA)/Toni Vilander (FIN)/TBA (TBA)
- Davide Rigon (ITA)/James Calado (GBR)/TBA (TBA)
With four class victories including Le Mans, AF Corse secured both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ cups last year. Both line-ups remain unchanged, with Gianmaria Bruni looking to continue his run of winning every single championship in the GTE Pro class since the championship came around in 2012. Team mate Toni Vilander was also a key part to the success last year. Davide Rigon and James Calado will be hoping to have a stronger year, after finishing behind the 51 crew in every single race last year, except for Shanghai, which the 51 did not finish.
Corvette Racing-GM
Car: Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Entries: Zero (two for Le Mans)
- Jan Magnussen (DEN)/Antonio Garcia (SPA)/Ryan Briscoe (AUS)
- Oliver Gavin (GBR)/Tommy Milner (USA)/Jordan Taylor (USA)
Porsche Team Manthey
Car: Porsche 911 RSR
Entries: Two
- Richard Lietz (AUT)/Michael Christensen (DEN)/Jorg Bergmeister (GER)
- Patrick Pilet (FRA)/Frederic Makowiecki (FRA)/Wolf Henzler (GER)/Sven Muller (GER)
Porsche were the closest to challenging the Ferrari of Bruni and Vilander last year but couldn’t quite manage the title, despite taking two victories. Michael Christensen joins the team in the 91 car, after having mild success in the Porsche Supercup series whilst Wolf Henzler moves to the World Endurance Championship after success in Petit Le Mans and the United Sports Car Championship in the United States. It would appear that Henzler is sharing the third seat with former F3 driver Sven Muller. 2014 driver Nick Tandy will do a one-off at Le Mans in the 919 Hybrid.
Aston Martin Racing
Car: Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Entries: Two
- Nicki Thiim (DEN)/Christoffer Nygaard (DEN)/Marco Sorensen (DEN)
- Darren Turner (GBR)/Stefan Mucke (GER)/Robert Bell (GBR)
The 95 crew has gone Pro for this year, bringing in Christoffer Nygaard who moves up to the Pro category and GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 runner Marco Sorensen to partner Nicki Thiim, who only did a partial season last year. Darren Turner remains in the 97 as he heads into the twilight of his career, and his team mates will be veteran Stefan Mucke and returning driver Robert Bell. The Aston Martins were clearly not up to scratch last year, and will need to perform better against the Ferraris and the Porsches to stand a chance of beating them to the title this year.
Aston Martin Racing V8
Car: Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Entries: One
- Fernando Rees (BRA)/Alex MacDowall (GBR)/Richie Stanaway (NZL)
Aston Martin has entered another car under a slightly different name for the full season, with Fernando Rees and Alex MacDowall returning. They will be joined by GP3 frontrunner Richie Stanaway.
Be sure to read the following:
Part 1: LMGTE Am
Part 3: LMP2 (Tomorrow)
Part 4: LMP1 (Wednesday)
And be sure to request to meet up with me at the Six Hours of Silverstone! Just send me a tweet.
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