The new class replacing GTE Am has brought a cast of nine manufacturers
JAMES NEWBOLD
Variety is back in vogue in the World Endurance Championship’s GT class. While there was nothing wrong with GTE Am’s sea of Porsches and Ferraris, with the odd Aston Martin and Corvette mixed in, the new era has plenty of upsides – chiefly, that nine manufacturers will be represented, each with two cars.
At least 18 GTs will be on the grid at each round, four more than last season’s highest non-Le Mans tally. It would surely be more had the full season overall entry not been capped at 37, since LMGT3 cars have ABS, which make them more accessible to the non-professional bronze drivers who are GT racing’s lifeblood. “It makes it easier to make that last step quicker,” explains WEC newcomer James Cottingham, “because you get so much more seat time in a GT3 car quickly, and just transfer that to WEC where it’s not about relearning the car, so to speak.”
Pro drivers with allegiances to manufacturers that previously lacked an eligible car now have a pathway to the top. Sure enough, the 2024 grid features a wealth of experienced GT3 racers new to the WEC.
Many drivers predict that ABS will make the racing closer too. Much will also depend on how teams acclimatise to the new-for-2024 Goodyear tyre, designed to start from cold without heaters. ASP Lexus boss Jerome Policand has been impressed by their performance so far in testing, finding warm-up is “not a problem at all. It’s not a tricky situation when you exit the pits, they work well. Now the key will be if we can do two stints with the same set.”
As in Hypercar, cars will be subject to limitations on energy consumption per stint. This is measured by driveshaft torque sensors and covered by the Balance of Performance.
Aston Martin Vantage GT3
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Alex Riberas Daniel Mancinelli Ian James
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Marco Sorensen Erwan Bastard Clement Mateu The Aston Martin Vantage GT3’s latest evolution will arrive in the WEC with two squads that partnered the marque’s Prodriverun Aston Martin Racing operation last year. Heart of Racing’s line-up, which made its series debut at Spa under the NorthWest AMR banner, is unchanged after taking a best finish of third in Bahrain from its four GTE Am outings. Pro racer Riberas enters his third full season with a squad he first represented in 2020 alongside veteran James, an LMP2 podium finisher at Le Mans in 2005, and silver Mancinelli.
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