At the end of 2024, Endurance-Info invites you to review the different championships in statistics. First part of this series with the World Endurance Championship.
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- Losail (Qatar) and Imola (Italy) were the two new destinations on the WEC menu in 2024. Which brings to 15 the number of circuits visited since 2012. The two aforementioned have joined on the list Bahrein (Sakhir), COTA (Austin / Texas), Fuji (Japan), Le Mans (France), Mexico City (Mexico), Monza (Italy), Nürburgring (Germany), Portimão (Portugal), Silverstone (Great Britain), São Paulo (Brazil), Sebring (Floride), Shanghai (Chine), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).
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- The coronation of Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 n°6 – Porsche Penske Motorsport) is the 4e in the Drivers’ standings for Porsche since the German manufacturer’s arrival in the WEC in 2014. They were preceded by Bernahrd / Hartley / Webber (2015), Dumas / Jani / Lieb (2016) and Bernhard / Hartley / Bamber (2017). Toyota remains dominant in this area with 6 Drivers’ crowns.
- With 2 victories on the clock, Estre, Lotterer and Vanthoor finished champions like the Hartley – Hirakawa – Buemi (Toyota) crew, crowned in 2022 and 2023. We have to go back to 2021 to see a crew crowned with more than two successes. It was Conway – Lopez – Kobayashi, victorious three times.
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- The Porsche 963 won his first WEC victories in 2024, and remains the only car to have unlocked its victory counter this year. The German LMDh had, however, already won in IMSA.
- As was the case in 2014, 2015, 2019-2020 and 2023, the champion trio in the premier class did not win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
- Like the 2023 season of Sébastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley, the trio Kévin Estre / André Lotterer / Laurens Vanthoor has scored points in each race. It is also the only Hypercar team in this case in 2024.
- With just one pole position in 2024, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans thanks to Kévin Estre, the trio of the No. 6 Porsche establishes lowest pole total over a season for a champion since 2016. Curious coincidence, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Neel Jani (Porsche) then signed their pole… at Le Mans!
- Frédéric Makowiecki, Matt Campbell and Michael Christensen (Porsche n°5 – Porsche Penske) are the only ones to leave more than once from pole position in the premier class in 2024. The #5 Porsche dominated the flying lap exercise in Qatar and Imola. An almost unprecedented situation in the premier category in the WEC.
- On the contrary, only one trio has won from pole in Hypercar in 2024 : Sébastien Buemi – Ryo Hirakawa – Brendon Hartley (Toyota) in Bahrain. In 2023, Toyota had won five times after starting from first place on the grid.
- With a 7e Manufacturers’ title validated in Bahrain, Toyota remains undefeated since 2018-2019. This is therefore its sixth consecutive coronation for the Japanese giant.
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- Three victories marked Toyota’s 2024 season. The “smallest” total from the Japanese manufacturer since 2016 (1 victory). But this remains the most prolific of the campaign, tied with Porsche if we take into account the success of the 963 n°12 of Team Jota at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
- Apart from 2023 and 2014 with the success in Brazil of Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Neel Jani, the year of Weissach’s return to the premier class, 2024 marks the season with lowest number of wins (3) for Porsche in the premier category in WEC.
- Porsche finally triumphed at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, which is a first since the rebirth of the WEC in 2012. And for good reason, the 919 Hybrid had never managed to win in the Ardennes during the LMP1 era. The 963 succeeded on its second attempt, but with the private JOTA team, and not the official Porsche Penske Motorsport team.
- Still in the Porsche clan, JOTA has signed at Spa the first victory for a private team in Hypercarthe first of a private team in the premier category since that of Rebellion Racing in Austin in February 2020. But also the first of a private Porsche in the World Endurance Championship since May 21, 1989. That day, the 962C of Team Joest entrusted to Bob Wollek / Frank Jelinski won the 480 km of Dijon.
- Ferrari AF Corse has still not won in the WEC outside the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2023 and 2024). This is the third car, entered privately under the AF Corse banner, which won in Austin (Texas) with the trio Yifei Ye / Robert Kubica / Robert Shwartzman.
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- Alpine has signed its first podium in the premier class in WEC at Fuji since Bahrain 2022. Nicolas Lapierre, now sporting director of the French team, was there during these two results.
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- The podium of Jean-Eric Vergne, Nico Müller and Mikkel Jensen at the 8 Hours of Bahrain is the second for the Peugeot 9X8 after the one picked up at. the outcome of the 6 Hours of Monza 2023. This was to the credit of “JEV”, Jensen and Paul di Resta.
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- Two victories, two poles (best totals tied with Manthey EMA and Iron Dames) but also six podiums, Manthey Pure Rxcing won in LMGT3 with the best overall statistics for Alex Malykhin, Klaus Bachler and Joel Sturm.
- The #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R is also the only car to have scored points during each round a LMGT3.
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- As in Hypercar, the GT champion did not win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A first since 2022 when James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari – AF Corse) were crowned in GTE Pro. We have to go back to 2019-2020 to see the champions of the two queen classes in Proto and GT not to impose yourself in Sarthe (Conway – Kobayashi – Lopez in LMP1 with Toyota and Sørensen – Thiim in GTE Pro with Aston Martin Racing).
- A only one repeat this yearan LMGT3 crew won by starting from pole position. It was in Austin with Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli and Alex Riberas on the Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 – The Heart of Racing.
- Only one car has ever qualified for theHyperpole in Hypercar. This is the Alpine A424 n°36. None managed to take part in the eight rounds on the program. In LMGT3, only the #87 Lexus RC F GT3 / Akkodis ASP did not pass the Hyperpole once, while the #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 of The Heart of Racing achieved the feat of doing so. every time!
- A single brand has not experienced the joys of the podium in 2024 in LMGT3. This is Lexus, whose RC F LMGT3 was hatched by Akkodis-ASP.
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