The crew, fresh from the success at the 6 Hours of Fuji, preceded the Ferrari number 57 of Kessel Racing, fifth under the checkered flag.
Takeshi Kimura, Esteban Masson and Daniel Serra finished just 1.7 seconds behind the Piacenza team at the end of a solid race despite very difficult conditions due to the heat. Ninth position for the Richard Mille AF Corse car of Louis Perez Companc, Alessio Rovera and Lilou Wadoux, whose race was affected by a contact in the initial stages which also cost the team a penalty.
For the winners of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the season was still positive and the trio scored fewer points than the potential they demonstrated in the race. Lilou Wadoux, the first woman to achieve a success in the FIA WEC, protagonist of the Rookie Test at the wheel of the 499P which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Eleventh final position, however, for the second AF Corse unit, number 21 entrusted to Franck Dezoteux, Simon Mann and Kei Cozzolino.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
#57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE EVO: Takeshi Kimura, Scott Huffaker, Daniel Serra
Davide Rigon, 488 GTE #54 AF Corse: “We conclude an undoubtedly positive season, in which we have often been the best Ferrari entered in this class. I congratulate our Bronze driver, Thomas Flohr, who this year made an incredible leap in quality following the advice of me and Francesco Castellacci.”
“The last ‘dance’ of the 488 GTE? I fully enjoyed the last stint here in Bahrain at the wheel of an extraordinary car, which I brought to its debut, and with which together we achieved our first success in the FIA WEC at Silverstone There’s a bit of melancholy in saying goodbye to her, but at the same time I feel honored to be able to guide her in the last kilometers of an extraordinary career.”
Daniel Serra, 488 GTE #57 Kessel Racing: “Arriving in Bahrain we expected a better result than fifth place, but the race wasn’t easy and in terms of pace we suffered a bit compared to the Porsches. I think we couldn’t go beyond this result. The balance of the season? I would say positive considering the work done by the team.”
“After the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the last race of the 488 GTE, ended, I want to add that for me this car represented something special, a Ferrari of which I am very fond and with which I gained a lot of satisfaction.”
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
#83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO: Luis Perez Companc, Lilou Wadoux, Alessio Rovera
Lilou Wadoux, 488 GTE #83 Richard Mille AF Corse: “It was a difficult race, conditioned by the puncture and the penalty we received in the initial phase after the contact with the Peugeot. In any case, a positive season ends for me in which I fulfilled my dream of becoming an official Ferrari driver.”
“Throughout the year we had some ups and downs in terms of results, but the pace of our 488 GTE almost always proved to be very positive. Without a doubt, I will always remember with pride the victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, a a result that has entered the history not only of mine, but also of the FIA WEC.”
Alessio Rovera, 488 GTE #83 Richard Mille AF Corse: “We conclude in Bahrain a year characterized by mixed results in which the victory at Spa-Francorchamps stands out, a success that we will always remember with great pleasure”.
“The 488 GTE? It’s a car that allowed me to show off and consolidate my role as an official Ferrari driver, a car that due to its characteristics, starting from the confidential tyres, was actually much loved by everyone we”.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
#21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO: Franck Dezoteux, Simon Mann, Kei Cozzolino
With this race, one year after the last race in the LMGTE Pro class, the curtain also falls on the LMGTE Am class and, with it, the career in the world endurance championship for the 488 GTE.
For the car from Maranello, the list of victories includes 29 victories, 17 of which in the Pro class and 12 in the Am class out of 51 starts which have allowed it to collect 4 constructors’ titles (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022), 3 drivers’ titles in the Pro class and 3 in the Am class, 3 team titles in the Pro class and the same number in the Am class.
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