In its seventeenth appearance in the world’s most famous endurance race, AF Corse fields two Ferrari 488 GTEs with two crews aiming to star in the Centenary 24 Hours.
The team. AF Corse’s first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was in 2007 with a Ferrari F430 GT2. Since then, it has been a long ride with many excellent results, podiums and triumphs. Wins in the LMGTE Pro class came in 2012, 2014 and 2019, while the first LMGTE Am victory was in 2021. Last year, AF Corse recorded a second and a third place in the LMGTE Pro.
Number 21 crew. Simon Mann will be the only constant from last year in the number 21 of the Piacenza-based team. He finished eighth in 2022 with Christoph Ulrich and Toni Vilander. Frenchman Julien Piguet will accompany the American this year, in his second experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after his debut in 2020. Newcomer Ulysse de Pauw completes the line-up. The Belgian won the 2022 Silver Cup title in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint in a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, also with AF Corse. The driver races alongside Mann in the FIA WEC. They currently occupy third position in the standings. They shared the car in this year’s World Endurance Championship with Stefano Costantini in round one and Diego Alessi in the Portimão and Spa rounds.
Number 54 crew. The crew competing in the 2023 WEC season currently lies seventh in the LMGTE Am standings, thanks to a fourth and a fifth place. The number 54 Ferrari lines up this year after its 2021 and 2022 appearances. In contrast to last season, Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci will welcome Davide Rigon. Last year, the number 54 finished sixth in the LMGTE Am, penalised by Balance of Performance decisions. Rigon is the most experienced driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with nine starts to his name. His best result came in 2022 with third place in the LMGTE Pro alongside teammates Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco. Flohr is making his seventh appearance, always at the wheel of a Ferrari: since 2017, he has partnered with Castellacci, the 2011 Euro GT3 champion.